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The differences between loss prevention specialists and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police officer has an average salary of $52,638, which is higher than the $47,451 average annual salary of a loss prevention specialist.
The top three skills for a loss prevention specialist include customer service, safety program and store management. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Police Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $47,451 | $52,638 |
| Hourly rate | $22.81 | $25.31 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 59,094 | 116,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 49 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A loss prevention specialist is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the store premises from shoplifters and even from employees' suspicious activities. Loss prevention specialists manage the installation of surveillance devices, monitor the daily store operations, and track business and financial transactions from the database. They also coordinate with law enforcement personnel for investigation on theft cases and other related retail complications. A loss prevention specialist must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, especially on preparing incident reports and apprehending violators.
Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.
Loss prevention specialists and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Police Officer | |
| Average salary | $47,451 | $52,638 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $87,000 | Between $38,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | Icma-rc |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Government |
There are a few differences between a loss prevention specialist and a police officer in terms of educational background:
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Police Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between loss prevention specialists' and police officers' demographics:
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Police Officer | |
| Average age | 49 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 1.2% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 7% |