Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between patrol officers and police cadets can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patrol officer has an average salary of $35,621, which is higher than the $33,243 average annual salary of a police cadet.
The top three skills for a patrol officer include patrol, customer service and public safety. The most important skills for a police cadet are patrol, traffic control, and public safety.
| Patrol Officer | Police Cadet | |
| Yearly salary | $35,621 | $33,243 |
| Hourly rate | $17.13 | $15.98 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 123,265 | 94,220 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| 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.
Police cadets require multiple police department-relevant skills in traffic control, police reports, public safety, and special events. Those who choose this career will be responsible for participating in training programs that will introduce them to the fundamentals of law enforcement and prepare them for becoming police officers, supporting police operations like traffic control, working on criminal investigation, and performing administrative duties at the station.
Patrol officers and police cadets have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Patrol Officer | Police Cadet | |
| Average salary | $35,621 | $33,243 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $23,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Mount St. Mary's University | Meridian Township |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a patrol officer and a police cadet in terms of educational background:
| Patrol Officer | Police Cadet | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between patrol officers' and police cadets' demographics:
| Patrol Officer | Police Cadet | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |