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Loss prevention officer vs public safety officer

The differences between loss prevention officers and public safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a public safety officer has an average salary of $36,596, 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 public safety officer are patrol, patients, and public safety.

Loss prevention officer vs public safety officer overview

Loss Prevention OfficerPublic Safety Officer
Yearly salary$33,768$36,596
Hourly rate$16.23$17.59
Growth rate6%3%
Number of jobs106,512122,048
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age3340
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 public safety officer do?

Public relations assistants are professionals who are responsible for creating and distributing promotional materials to help clients increase their public image and awareness of their products and services. These assistants are required to help develop and distribute public relations materials such as brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and sell sheets. They must handle all the communications of their clients to the public by supervising social media content, press releases, and emails. Public relations assistants must also gather materials to be used in trade shows or client presentations.

Loss prevention officer vs public safety officer salary

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

Loss Prevention OfficerPublic Safety Officer
Average salary$33,768$36,596
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $51,000Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying CityMiami, FLNew Britain, CT
Highest paying stateVirginiaNorth Dakota
Best paying companySouthern HealthcareUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryHospitalityHealth Care

Differences between loss prevention officer and public safety officer education

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

Loss Prevention OfficerPublic Safety Officer
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - BakersfieldCalifornia State University - Bakersfield

Loss prevention officer vs public safety officer demographics

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

Loss Prevention OfficerPublic Safety Officer
Average age3340
Gender ratioMale, 74.6% Female, 25.4%Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between loss prevention officer and public safety 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.
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Public safety officer example responsibilities.

  • Manage litigation and bankruptcy matters.
  • Apply hand cuffs, restraints and calm combative irate people, handling emergency situations, report writing, CPR, a.
  • Patrol campus, answer calls: fire, police, ems.
  • Engage in assistance for medical staff in dangerous situations, patient restraints, heavy lifting, and area access.
  • Monitor campus radio and cameras, dispatch emergency calls, issue summonses and utilize the NYSPIN computer communication network.
  • Involve in patient restraints and aggressive patient/visitor confrontations.
  • Show more

Loss prevention officer vs public safety 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 public safety officer skills
  • Patrol, 18%
  • Patients, 17%
  • Public Safety, 12%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Emergency Situations, 5%

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