What does a law enforcement officer do?
The duties of a law enforcement officer depend on their line of work or agency of employment. In general, they are responsible for enforcing laws and regulations, prioritizing the safety of citizens and the protection of the city. Typically, their responsibilities include patrolling their designated area, responding to distress, monitoring suspicious activities and characters, conducting investigations and inspections, and coordinating various services to assist citizens. Moreover, as a law enforcement officer, it is essential to serve as a role model for citizens and uphold the oath to serve and protect.
Law enforcement officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real law enforcement officer resumes:
- Attend NCO leadership school and receive training on how to properly, and effectively manage personnel.
- Accomplish scheduled and random security checks of control and classify areas to ensure compliance with DOD resource protection guidelines.
- Develop and manage firearms training programs, including weapons selection and qualification standards.
- Operate QRV solo, backing up BLS ambulances.
- Certify in defensive tactics, firearms, driver's training, professional first aid and CPR.
- DOT and FMCSA regulation enforcement.
- Maintain qualification for first aid and CPR.
- Assess patient's condition and provide BLS interventions when necessary.
- Maintain incoming and outgoing vehicular and pedestrian traffic at Lowry AFB.
- Plan and implement all training and orientation for paramedics and dispatchers.
- Implement use of software so investigators can have mobile access to NCIC and state files.
- Communicate with maintenance workers and mechanics to address and fix ambulances in need of service.
- Provide training and mentoring to new hire paramedics ensure they meet the standard of care.
- Used NCIC database to access individuals criminal history information in order to prepare for court proceedings.
- Serve as a first responder responsible for ensuring the safety and welfare of those in the community.
Law enforcement officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 26% of Law Enforcement Officers are proficient in Patrol, Public Safety, and Emergency Situations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Empathy, Good judgment, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Law Enforcement Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 26%
Enforced state and federal laws, performed patrol and surveillance, regulated non-criminal activity and provided assistance to citizens.
- Public Safety, 10%
Lectured to senior officers as a recognized subject matter expert on Provost Marshal/Law Enforcement Security Operations, training and public safety.
- Emergency Situations, 7%
Make rational and quick decisions on situations arising without notice or in emergency situations without direct supervision.
- Criminal Justice, 6%
Attended and completed 40 hours of basic police firearms instructor/basic police instructor school in 1999, Criminal Justice Training Center
- CPR, 3%
Certified in defensive tactics, firearms, driver's training, professional first aid and CPR.
- Metal Detectors, 3%
Monitored metal detectors and utilized metal detection wand to scan visitors and employees for weapons.
"patrol," "public safety," and "emergency situations" are among the most common skills that law enforcement officers use at work. You can find even more law enforcement officer responsibilities below, including:
Empathy. One of the key soft skills for a law enforcement officer to have is empathy. You can see how this relates to what law enforcement officers do because "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Additionally, a law enforcement officer resume shows how law enforcement officers use empathy: "possess understanding of all law enforcement post equipment, alarms, logs, and devices within established guidelines. "
Good judgment. Another essential skill to perform law enforcement officer duties is good judgment. Law enforcement officers responsibilities require that "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." Law enforcement officers also use good judgment in their role according to a real resume snippet: "build police/ community relationships resulting in good cop tactics. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for law enforcement officers to perform their duties. For an example of how law enforcement officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a law enforcement officer: "attended leadership training school, safety and risk management school, and the federal law enforcement training academy. ".
Perceptiveness. For certain law enforcement officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "perceptiveness." The day-to-day duties of a law enforcement officer rely on this skill, as "officers, detectives, and fish and game wardens must be able to anticipate people’s reactions and understand why they act a certain way." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what law enforcement officers do: "make frequent contact with the general public, other lawenforcement agencies, and community organizations requiring tact, perceptiveness and discretion. "
Physical strength. Another common skill required for law enforcement officer responsibilities is "physical strength." This skill comes up in the duties of law enforcement officers all the time, as "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." An excerpt from a real law enforcement officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a law enforcement officer does: "selected for assignment at a classified under sea surveillance command ensuring the physical security and protection of our national security. "
Communication skills. Another skill commonly found on law enforcement officer job descriptions is "communication skills." It can come up quite often in law enforcement officer duties, since "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day law enforcement officer responsibilities: "participated in facilitating communication among united states law enforcement bodies, foreign government representatives and international enforcement officials. "
The three companies that hire the most law enforcement officers are:
- Allied Universal26 law enforcement officers jobs
- Federal Reserve
7 law enforcement officers jobs
- My Florida Regional Mls5 law enforcement officers jobs
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Compare different law enforcement officers
Law enforcement officer vs. Detective
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a law enforcement officer are more likely to require skills like "emergency situations," "criminal justice," "cpr," and "metal detectors." On the other hand, a job as a detective requires skills like "physical evidence," "insurance fraud," "child abuse," and "burglary." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that detectives earn slightly differ from law enforcement officers. In particular, detectives are 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a law enforcement officer. Additionally, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Law enforcement officer vs. Deputy
The duties of a deputy vary on their line of work or place of employment. In law enforcement, a deputy is primarily in charge of conducting investigations on crimes and arresting criminals, performing regular patrols on streets, responding to calls of distress, and assisting citizens in calamities, disasters, accidents, or any forms of threat. There are also instances when a deputy must serve court documents, transport detainees or suspected criminals, and monitor courtrooms. Furthermore, a deputy reports to higher-ranking officers such as a sheriff.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that law enforcement officer responsibilities requires skills like "criminal justice," "metal detectors," "computer aided dispatch," and "motor vehicle accidents." But a deputy might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "transport inmates," "federal laws," "motor vehicle," and "human resources."
On average, deputies earn a higher salary than law enforcement officers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, deputies earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $53,877. Whereas law enforcement officers have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $42,104.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Deputies tend to reach similar levels of education than law enforcement officers. In fact, they're 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Law enforcement officer vs. Criminal investigator
A criminal investigator is a law enforcement professional who endeavors to solve felony crimes. Criminal investigators may work alone or as a member of an investigative team whose goal is to uncover the certainty of a case and potentially keep suspects to prevent the ensuing criminal activity. Their tasks and responsibilities depend on various job functions and specialties. They may specialize in the information and evidence of a crime scene, conduct interviews and searches, or perform surveillance.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from law enforcement officer resumes include skills like "public safety," "emergency situations," "cpr," and "metal detectors," whereas a criminal investigator is more likely to list skills in "resourcefulness," "treasury," "investigative techniques," and "irs. "
Criminal investigators earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $52,921. Comparatively, law enforcement officers have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $42,104.criminal investigators typically earn similar educational levels compared to law enforcement officers. Specifically, they're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Law enforcement officer vs. Police cadet
Police cadets require multiple police department-relevant skills in traffic control, police reports, public safety, and special events. Those who choose this career will be responsible for participating in training programs that will introduce them to the fundamentals of law enforcement and prepare them for becoming police officers, supporting police operations like traffic control, working on criminal investigation, and performing administrative duties at the station.
Types of law enforcement officer
Updated January 8, 2025
