Operations lieutenant vs detective sergeant

The differences between operations lieutenants and detective sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operations lieutenant has an average salary of $73,665, which is higher than the $52,546 average annual salary of a detective sergeant.

The top three skills for an operations lieutenant include patrol, direct supervision and emergency situations. The most important skills for a detective sergeant are patrol, evidence collection, and law enforcement agencies.

Operations lieutenant vs detective sergeant overview

	Operations Lieutenant	Detective Sergeant
Yearly salary	$73,665	$52,546
Hourly rate	$35.42	$25.26
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	56,786	938
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Operations lieutenant vs detective sergeant salary

Operations lieutenants and detective sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Operations Lieutenant	Detective Sergeant
Average salary	$73,665	$52,546
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $104,000	Between $40,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between operations lieutenant and detective sergeant education

There are a few differences between an operations lieutenant and a detective sergeant in terms of educational background:

	Operations Lieutenant	Detective Sergeant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Operations lieutenant vs detective sergeant demographics

Here are the differences between operations lieutenants' and detective sergeants' demographics:

	Operations Lieutenant	Detective Sergeant
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6%	Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between operations lieutenant and detective sergeant duties and responsibilities

Operations lieutenant example responsibilities.

Manage respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
License to carry firearms in all states.
Perform joint operations with undercover officers in collaboration with private sector businesses to combat sales of counterfeit goods.
Issue weapons and ammunition to all arm posts, and transport trips.
Inventory, and inspect all logistics, towers, fences, weapons, and ammunition.

Detective sergeant example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Assist in writing standards for certification for the firearms unit.
Supervise detective squad, identify monthly investigation outcomes, create staffing schedules, perform stake-outs, monitor wire taps ,
Establish probable cause to obtain warrants, leading to arrests and the seizure of narcotics, firearms and other contraband.
Deliver subpoenas and other documents as requested by attorneys.
Supervise detectives attaining search warrants, subpoenas and financial/phone/computer records.

Operations lieutenant vs detective sergeant skills

Common operations lieutenant skills

Patrol, 31%
Direct Supervision, 13%
Emergency Situations, 13%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Criminal Investigations, 4%

Common detective sergeant skills

Patrol, 20%
Evidence Collection, 10%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Homicide, 6%
Burglary, 4%
Criminal Cases, 4%

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Operations Lieutenant
Operations Lieutenant vs Detective Sergeant

Updated January 8, 2025

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