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The differences between lieutenants and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $47,781 average annual salary of a lieutenant.
The top three skills for a lieutenant include public safety, patrol and direct supervision. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Lieutenant | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $47,781 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $22.97 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 79,272 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A lieutenant is responsible for overseeing operations in police departments, evaluating departmental cases, cooperating in law enforcement investigations, monitoring internal activities, and ensuring the safety and security of the premises. Lieutenants also enforce rules and regulations for everyone's strict compliance, inspect police department facilities, and identify serious offenses. They also confiscate violating items, document any evidence for further investigation. A lieutenant must have excellent leadership skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the law regulations to maintain the credibility and integrity of the police operations.
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.
Lieutenants and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lieutenant | Detective | |
| Average salary | $47,781 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $55,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | - |
| Highest paying state | Colorado | - |
| Best paying company | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a lieutenant and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Lieutenant | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between lieutenants' and detectives' demographics:
| Lieutenant | Detective | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |