Loss prevention associate vs community services officer

The differences between loss prevention associates and community services officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a loss prevention associate has an average salary of $38,861, which is higher than the $38,039 average annual salary of a community services officer.

The top three skills for a loss prevention associate include customer service, patrol and safety standards. The most important skills for a community services officer are patrol, public safety, and traffic control.

Loss prevention associate vs community services officer overview

	Loss Prevention Associate	Community Services Officer
Yearly salary	$38,861	$38,039
Hourly rate	$18.68	$18.29
Growth rate	6%	3%
Number of jobs	82,313	181,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	33	40
Years of experience	-	-

What does a loss prevention associate do?

A loss prevention associate is responsible for monitoring the organization's daily operations, maintaining the safety and security of all network systems to avoid data theft. Loss prevention associates take immediate actions on all related suspicious activities that would compromise the company's reputation and financial status. They regularly check surveillance technologies to maintain asset protection and operational stability at all times. A loss prevention associate should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, especially on writing incident reports and escalating unusual activities to the management for immediate resolution.

What does a community services officer do?

Community service offers or CSO support in crime response, investigation, and prevention where police powers are not necessary. The community service officers assist the police officers in terms of upholding order and law in the community. They provide citizens with customer service, community outreach, and patrol. It is their job to implement city codes and other non-criminal police associated duties. They provide non-EMS in-home and on-site assistance to the citizens. Also, they respond to non-criminal complaints, building checks, and more.

Loss prevention associate vs community services officer salary

Loss prevention associates and community services officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Loss Prevention Associate	Community Services Officer
Average salary	$38,861	$38,039
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $69,000	Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Salisbury, MD	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Virginia	Washington
Best paying company	AIG	City of Los Angeles
Best paying industry	Utilities	Education

Differences between loss prevention associate and community services officer education

There are a few differences between a loss prevention associate and a community services officer in terms of educational background:

	Loss Prevention Associate	Community Services Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Loss prevention associate vs community services officer demographics

Here are the differences between loss prevention associates' and community services officers' demographics:

	Loss Prevention Associate	Community Services Officer
Average age	33	40
Gender ratio	Male, 68.7% Female, 31.3%	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 2.9% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between loss prevention associate and community services officer duties and responsibilities

Loss prevention associate example responsibilities.

Manage foreclosure and bankruptcy from inception to completion and mitigate all potential losses within an acceptable range.
Greet customers, operate CCTV security monitors and prevent shrinkage of merchandise.
Job duties include the personal detainment and apprehension of retail shoplifters utilizing plain view self-observation and/or CCTV cameras.
Analyze bankruptcy and foreclosure files in order to devise a strategy to minimize loss and maximize financial recovery.
Protect company's assets by utilizing state-of-the-art detection and investigation surveillance system, which identify shoplifters and prevent loss of merchandise.

Community services officer example responsibilities.

Develop and manage firearms training programs, including weapons selection and qualification standards.
Monitor alarms & CCTV, patrol campus, secure buildings, dorms and offer safety escorts to students & faculty.
Apply first aid and CPR.
Monitor and control CCTV's.
Assist law enforcement officers in looking up information on the NCIC.
Train in first aid and defensive driving, certify in CPR and EAD.

Loss prevention associate vs community services officer skills

Common loss prevention associate skills

Customer Service, 16%
Patrol, 13%
Safety Standards, 10%
Loss Prevention, 10%
Safety Inspections, 8%
Cash Handling, 7%

Common community services officer skills

Patrol, 18%
Public Safety, 14%
Traffic Control, 10%
Parking Enforcement, 4%
Criminal Justice, 4%
Animal Control, 4%

Loss Prevention Associate vs. similar jobs

Loss Prevention Associate related careers

Loss Prevention Associate related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Protective Service Industry
Loss Prevention Associate
Loss Prevention Associate vs Community Services Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse protective service jobs