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Patrol commander vs chief of police

The differences between patrol commanders and chiefs of police can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patrol commander has an average salary of $84,074, which is higher than the $77,582 average annual salary of a chief of police.

The top three skills for a patrol commander include patrol, emergency situations and public safety. The most important skills for a chief of police are patrol, public safety, and criminal justice.

Patrol commander vs chief of police overview

Patrol CommanderChief Of Police
Yearly salary$84,074$77,582
Hourly rate$40.42$37.30
Growth rate-3%
Number of jobs21,01469,344
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Patrol commander vs chief of police salary

Patrol commanders and chiefs of police have different pay scales, as shown below.

Patrol CommanderChief Of Police
Average salary$84,074$77,582
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $128,000Between $49,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City-Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state-Maine
Best paying company-Ohlone College
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between patrol commander and chief of police education

There are a few differences between a patrol commander and a chief of police in terms of educational background:

Patrol CommanderChief Of Police
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Patrol commander vs chief of police demographics

Here are the differences between patrol commanders' and chiefs of police' demographics:

Patrol CommanderChief Of Police
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 96.7% Female, 3.3%Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between patrol commander and chief of police duties and responsibilities

Patrol commander example responsibilities.

  • Manage overall daily operations of patrol division / communications.
  • Supervise the patrol division, including support personnel and code enforcement operations.
  • Receive and implement combat orders and direct deployment of personnel in offensive, defensive and retrograde operations.
  • Arrange quarterly Compstat, take complaint reports (CRs), handle special attentions and conduct roll call training.

Chief of police example responsibilities.

  • Lead, train and mentore a team of 11 senior logistics and business consultants.
  • Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
  • Enable senior leadership to accomplish combat objectives.
  • Provide first aid and CPR to victims as necessary.
  • Investigate burglary and theft crimes with extensive attention to details.
  • Investigate state and federal narcotics violations on a DEA lead strike-force team.
    • Show more

Patrol commander vs chief of police skills

Common patrol commander skills
  • Patrol, 48%
  • Emergency Situations, 10%
  • Public Safety, 7%
  • Security Operations, 5%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
  • Citizen Complaints, 3%
Common chief of police skills
  • Patrol, 23%
  • Public Safety, 13%
  • Criminal Justice, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Emergency Management, 4%
  • Police Services, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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