Loss prevention officer vs community services officer

The differences between loss prevention officers and community services officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a community services officer has an average salary of $38,039, which is higher than the $33,768 average annual salary of a loss prevention officer.

The top three skills for a loss prevention officer include patrol, loss prevention and good judgment. The most important skills for a community services officer are patrol, public safety, and traffic control.

Loss prevention officer vs community services officer overview

	Loss Prevention Officer	Community Services Officer
Yearly salary	$33,768	$38,039
Hourly rate	$16.23	$18.29
Growth rate	6%	3%
Number of jobs	106,512	181,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	33	40
Years of experience	-	-

What does a loss prevention officer do?

A loss prevention officer is a part of a security team who tends to the security of a retail store. Loss prevention officers prevent theft in the store and assist the establishment with theft prevention plans and policies. Typically, they monitor the store's surveillance cameras then walk around for security. They are expected to have a strong will to place themselves in dangerous situations to maintain public safety. It is also their responsibility to determine stock shortages and report missing merchandise.

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 officer vs community services officer salary

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

	Loss Prevention Officer	Community Services Officer
Average salary	$33,768	$38,039
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Miami, FL	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Virginia	Washington
Best paying company	Southern Healthcare	City of Los Angeles
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Education

Differences between loss prevention officer and community services officer education

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

	Loss Prevention Officer	Community Services Officer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	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 officer vs community services officer demographics

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

	Loss Prevention Officer	Community Services Officer
Average age	33	40
Gender ratio	Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4%	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.3% 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 officer and community services officer duties and responsibilities

Loss prevention officer example responsibilities.

Manage foreclosure and bankruptcy from inception to completion and mitigate all potential losses within an acceptable range.
Certify in CPR as well as self-defense training including the use of pepper spray.
Review surveillance footage, POS data, and audio of clients operations for theft and operational deficiencies.
Conduct weekly audits in order to ensure merchandise of a certain dollar amount is properly tag EAS tags.
Conduct store, maintenance, safety, and electronic article surveillance (EAS) audits, and 801E audits.
Prepare documentation and analyze data through exception reporting, POS systems, GL, and various other resources and systems.

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 officer vs community services officer skills

Common loss prevention officer skills

Patrol, 20%
Loss Prevention, 11%
Good Judgment, 9%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Relevant Parties, 6%
Incident Reports, 6%

Common community services officer skills

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

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Loss Prevention Officer
Loss Prevention Officer vs Community Services Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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