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The differences between patrol officers and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, which is higher than the $35,621 average annual salary of a patrol officer.
The top three skills for a patrol officer include patrol, customer service and public safety. The most important skills for a detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.
| Patrol Officer | Detective | |
| Yearly salary | $35,621 | $57,984 |
| Hourly rate | $17.13 | $27.88 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 123,265 | 56,521 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The job of patrol officers is to enforce ordinances, laws, prevent crime, control crowds, arrest violators, and regulate traffic. They also perform other duties that may include monitoring an assigned area for unauthorized or suspicious activity, responding to reports of emergencies and possible crime such as robberies, and building good relationships with community members. To be a successful patrol officer, you should have solid judgment, excellent communication skills, and decision-making skills in stressful situations.
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Patrol officers and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Patrol Officer | Detective | |
| Average salary | $35,621 | $57,984 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $35,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | - |
| Best paying company | Mount St. Mary's University | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a patrol officer and a detective in terms of educational background:
| Patrol Officer | Detective | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Arizona |
Here are the differences between patrol officers' and detectives' demographics:
| Patrol Officer | Detective | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 9% |