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The differences between loss prevention specialists and public safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a loss prevention specialist has an average salary of $47,451, which is higher than the $36,596 average annual salary of a public safety officer.
The top three skills for a loss prevention specialist include customer service, safety program and store management. The most important skills for a public safety officer are patrol, patients, and public safety.
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Public Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $47,451 | $36,596 |
| Hourly rate | $22.81 | $17.59 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 59,094 | 122,048 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| 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.
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 specialists and public safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Public Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $47,451 | $36,596 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $87,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New Britain, CT |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Booz Allen Hamilton | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a loss prevention specialist and a public safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Public Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between loss prevention specialists' and public safety officers' demographics:
| Loss Prevention Specialist | Public Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 49 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 3.4% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 7% |