What does an officer do?
An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
Officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real officer resumes:
- Lead 50 2nd lieutenants, manage schedules, and ensure timely completion of missions.
- Achieve highest ranking of Lt.
- Manage social media (Facebook): upload pictures, post announcements/news, update information.
- Manage base active duty populations' compliance with USAF instructions regarding proper balance of fitness level and body fat percentage.
- Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
- Manage environmental safety occupational health compliance program, full spectrum threat response and anti terrorism programs.
- Apply instructional strategies to JROTC cadets thereby enhancing leadership and communication skills.
- Help emphasize the importance of citizenship, character and leadership development, and community service through the JROTC curriculum.
- Help the cadets develop enhance oral and written communication skills critical to military leadership.
- Create leadership opportunities in planning and evaluating training exercises that is focused around practical scenarios that future lieutenants will face.
- Retire with rank of Lt.
- Dispatch police, fire, ems calls.
- Create Facebook marketing campaign for each RDC week event.
- Serve subpoenas and warrants and keep records of dispositions.
- Coordinate with local fire, ems, and police agencies.
Officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Officers are proficient in Patrol, Customer Service, and Public Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Observation skills, Communication skills, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 19%
Enforced traffic regulations; responsible for law enforcement investigations, performed foot and motorized patrol and applied crime prevention measures.
- Customer Service, 18%
Improved customer service ratings through several performances which may include helping with rental and utilities assistant and emergency food distributions.
- Public Safety, 10%
Contribute to public safety by providing supervision, case management and intervention services to criminal offenders released to the community.
- Emergency Situations, 6%
Utilized problem-solving skills to address and remedy emergency situations expeditiously and professionally to maintain order and consistent flow of operations.
- PowerPoint, 3%
Designed and delivered PowerPoint presentation, instructing police department members in use of newly-installed records system.
- CPR, 3%
Maintained their CPR proficiency while simultaneously informing the crew about electrical safety.
Common skills that an officer uses to do their job include "patrol," "customer service," and "public safety." You can find details on the most important officer responsibilities below.
Observation skills. The most essential soft skill for an officer to carry out their responsibilities is observation skills. This skill is important for the role because "security guards and surveillance officers must be alert and aware of their surroundings, and be able to quickly recognize anything out of the ordinary." Additionally, an officer resume shows how their duties depend on observation skills: "maintain constant alertness and observation when traveling and upon drop locations. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling officer duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "security guards and surveillance officers must communicate effectively with others, even in stressful situations." According to an officer resume, here's how officers can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "deployed to afghanistan as the communications platoon leader for elite lrs (long range surveillance) infantry company. "
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in officer job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what officers do. Officer responsibilities rely on this skill because "security guards often regularly interact with the public; in addition, they must be able to handle and deescalate confrontational situations." You can also see how officer duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "possessed excellent communication, customer service and interpersonal skills. "
The three companies that hire the most officers are:
- Securitas AB265 officers jobs
- Citi66 officers jobs
- Allied Universal39 officers jobs
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Compare different officers
Officer vs. Loss prevention specialist
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between officers and loss prevention specialist. For instance, officer responsibilities require skills such as "patrol," "public safety," "powerpoint," and "cpr." Whereas a loss prevention specialist is skilled in "safety program," "store management," "ladders," and "pleasant shopping." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that loss prevention specialists earn slightly differ from officers. In particular, loss prevention specialists are 7.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an officer. Additionally, they're 1.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Officer vs. Deputy
The duties of a deputy vary on their line of work or place of employment. In law enforcement, a deputy is primarily in charge of conducting investigations on crimes and arresting criminals, performing regular patrols on streets, responding to calls of distress, and assisting citizens in calamities, disasters, accidents, or any forms of threat. There are also instances when a deputy must serve court documents, transport detainees or suspected criminals, and monitor courtrooms. Furthermore, a deputy reports to higher-ranking officers such as a sheriff.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that officer responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "powerpoint," "financial statements," and "hr." But a deputy might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "transport inmates," "federal laws," "motor vehicle," and "human resources."
In general, deputies achieve similar levels of education than officers. They're 1.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Officer vs. Special agent
A special agent is responsible for investigating law violations and criminal activities by collecting pieces of evidence, including witnesses' testimonies, to release a warrant of arrest and initiate prosecution. Special agents work closely with other law enforcement agencies to identify threats, analyze occurring criminal activities, and connect intelligence records through observation and field investigations. They also attend court proceedings to present evidence for court decisions. A special agent must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, assessing unusual situations, and handling suspicious activities.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, officers are more likely to have skills like "patrol," "customer service," "public safety," and "emergency situations." But a special agent is more likely to have skills like "professional work," "social work," "national security," and "digital forensics."
Special agents typically earn similar educational levels compared to officers. Specifically, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Officer vs. Senior investigator
As a senior investigator, you will be responsible for managing investigations for crimes, including corruption, organized crime, and fraud. You will work closely with the district attorney and law enforcement to investigate and solve these crimes. This role will require you to perform other additional duties, including collecting DNA samples from the crime scene, suspects and victims, organizing live training on risk, compliance, and ethics, and testifying in criminal and civil courts, civil service hearings, and ethics commission.
Types of officer
Updated January 8, 2025
