Loss prevention officer vs detective

The differences between loss prevention officers 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 $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 detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.

Loss prevention officer vs detective overview

	Loss Prevention Officer	Detective
Yearly salary	$33,768	$57,984
Hourly rate	$16.23	$27.88
Growth rate	6%	3%
Number of jobs	106,512	56,521
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	33	44
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 detective do?

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.

Loss prevention officer vs detective salary

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

	Loss Prevention Officer	Detective
Average salary	$33,768	$57,984
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $51,000	Between $35,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Miami, FL	-
Highest paying state	Virginia	-
Best paying company	Southern Healthcare	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between loss prevention officer and detective education

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

	Loss Prevention Officer	Detective
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Arizona

Loss prevention officer vs detective demographics

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

	Loss Prevention Officer	Detective
Average age	33	44
Gender ratio	Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4%	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
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, 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	7%	9%

Differences between loss prevention officer and detective 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.

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Detective example responsibilities.

Manage all ABC issues and applications for liquor licenses.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Monitor wire taps and conduct detailed surveillance of wire tap targets and associates.
Sole provider of data gathering from TIGTA's complaint management system and the IRS for biweekly phishing scam reports.
Connect GPS devices/recorder/audio/video by hard wiring to vehicle power for longer operations.
Optimize critical security of dignitaries by proficiently conducting foot and vehicle patrol of concentration areas.

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Loss prevention officer vs detective skills

Common loss prevention officer skills

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

Common detective skills

Physical Evidence, 15%
Patrol, 13%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
Crime Scenes, 5%
Insurance Fraud, 5%
Public Safety, 5%

Loss Prevention Officer vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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