Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead investigators and officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead investigator has an average salary of $60,060, which is higher than the $52,506 average annual salary of an officer.
The top three skills for a lead investigator include law enforcement agencies, background investigations and data analysis. The most important skills for an officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.
| Lead Investigator | Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $60,060 | $52,506 |
| Hourly rate | $28.88 | $25.24 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 21,299 | 114,267 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
Lead investigators are responsible for gathering information from both eyewitnesses and suspects. They have to untangle the crime scene for possible clues like DNA, fingerprints, physical evidence, and more. They document the scene by taking photos or by using Leica scanners to capture every detail of the crime scene. Also, they take evidence, processed them, preserve records, and then present the evidence to courts. Additionally, they, at times, procure supplies and items essential for an investigation like identifications apparatus. Lead investigators must know the state, federal, and local laws regarding police operations, investigative procedures as well as evidence safekeeping and demolition.
An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
Lead investigators and officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Investigator | Officer | |
| Average salary | $60,060 | $52,506 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $113,000 | Between $26,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | New York |
| Best paying company | BNY Mellon | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a lead investigator and an officer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Investigator | Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | - |
Here are the differences between lead investigators' and officers' demographics:
| Lead Investigator | Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.6% Female, 31.4% | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 15.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |