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Patrol officer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Logan Somers Ph.D.,

Logan Somers Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical patrol officer skills. We ranked the top skills for patrol officers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 47.7% of patrol officer resumes contained patrol as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a patrol officer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 patrol officer skills for your resume and career

1. Patrol

Here's how patrol officers use patrol:

Utilized security vehicle to patrol all residential areas and parking lot ensuring resident safety.
General Patrol ensuring community safety, specializing i the area of Juvenile Justice

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how patrol officers use customer service:

Devised and implemented updated record keeping processes that resulted in more efficient customer service to a diverse military community.
Performed customer services monitoring switchboard, using exceptional telephone etiquette, answering and providing information to customers.

3. Public Safety

Public safety can be defined as the well-being or protection of a community, citizen, or nation as a whole. There are 4 basic elements that come under public safety namely: national security, border policy, countering crime, and emergency management.

Here's how patrol officers use public safety:

Performed citywide patrols and ensured public safety, investigated criminal activity, interviewed victims, witnesses, and suspects.
Ensured officer and public safety aligned with organizational mission by developing and implementing long-term and short-term strategic plans.

4. Law Enforcement Agencies

Here's how patrol officers use law enforcement agencies:

Performed preliminary investigations at accident scenes, assess damage, assist injured motorists and assist other local law enforcement agencies.
Cooperated with court personnel and or other law enforcement agencies in reference to court testimony and criminal investigations.

5. Emergency Situations

Here's how patrol officers use emergency situations:

Responded to emergency situations, quickly evaluated situation and leveraged team members' skills to determine most effective solution.
Responded to any incidents, accidents, emergency situations, emotionally disturbed persons//suicidal calls or other issues that arise.

6. Incident Reports

An Incident Report, in a medical facility such as hospitals and nursing homes, is a type of paperwork filled out immediately after and in the case of an incident of some sort, with the goal of describing the incident and its consequences, as well as the measurements taken after or during the incident, as well as any other information relevant to said incident. Such an incident might be a patient acting out or a patient being injured.

Here's how patrol officers use incident reports:

Completed incident reports, interviewed witnessed, gathered facts, and conducted preliminary investigations.
Interrogated witnesses and suspects to obtain statements for incident reports and possible prosecution.

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7. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how patrol officers use cpr:

Assisted in crisis support, safety and CPR and/or First Aid if needed.
Documented incidents, applied wound care, and administered CPR.

8. Traffic Control

Traffic control helps in the supervision of the movement of vehicles, goods, and people for safety and efficiency.

Here's how patrol officers use traffic control:

Served community as dedicated police and law enforcement officer responsible for traffic control and criminal investigations.
Interacted and assisted customers daily also conducted traffic control operations during heavy traffic flow.

9. Crime Scenes

Crime scenes refer to places or locations of an offence where forensic evidence may get gathered.

Here's how patrol officers use crime scenes:

Managed crime scenes and multiple individuals during high stress incidents that included communicating, delegating, and supporting safety procedures.
Performed various law enforcement activities including traffic enforcement, criminal complaint investigation, and securing of crime scenes.

10. Safety Hazards

Safety hazards are defined as any potential source of danger or harm to a person's health and safety. The term commonly refers to the risks associated with the kind of occupation or work. The five common types of occupational safety hazards are; biological (health risks from viruses, bacteria, insect,s, etc.), chemical (dangerous substances used in manufacturing plants), physical (risk of injury associated with labor), Ergonomic (worker's efficiency during work), and Psychosocial (mental health risks involved with certain occupations).

Here's how patrol officers use safety hazards:

Responded to safety hazards, medical emergencies and, inappropriate activity within the facility.
Investigate suspicious activity and potential safety hazards, monitoring threats and reporting incidents.

11. Property Damage

Property damage is the destruction or damage of tangible personal property. Property damage can be caused by negligence, irresponsible handling of the property, willful destruction, or any other destructure act of nature.

Here's how patrol officers use property damage:

Prepared detailed property damage and personal injury police reports used by claims and underwriting departments of auto insurance companies.
Conducted preliminary investigations at major crimes, accidents, offenses and property damages.

12. Traffic Accidents

Here's how patrol officers use traffic accidents:

Responded to calls for assistance-Conducted preliminary criminal investigations-Apprehended criminals-Enforced traffic laws-Investigated traffic accidents-Prevented crime through random and directed patrols
Investigate motor vehicle traffic accidents and stop and identify suspicious persons and/or vehicles.

13. Traffic Laws

Traffic laws are laws that contain a wide range of legal regulations that govern traffic and regulate vehicles. Laws are passed to keep the roads safe and regulate the flow of traffic in good time. Traffic laws include, but are not limited to, speed limit laws, impaired driving laws, insurance laws, and parking laws.

Here's how patrol officers use traffic laws:

Enforced all traffic laws and ordinances, primarily by self-initiated activity.
Conducted traffic accident investigations and enforced Iowa traffic laws.

14. Federal Laws

The laws formed and upheld by the federal administrating body of a country are known as federal laws. A federal administrating body or government is formed by a political party after being elected by the general public.

Here's how patrol officers use federal laws:

Patrolled assigned areas to detect violations and enforced military and federal laws.
Answered calls for service for crimes such as crimes against person, property narcotics and various other state and federal laws.

15. Police Academy

Here's how patrol officers use police academy:

Participated in the field training officer program instructing and advising probationary officers recently graduated from the police academy.
Competed part-time police academy/ passed Illinois state law enforcement exam

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What skills help Patrol Officers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on patrol officer resumes?

Logan Somers Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Georgia Southern University

Skills and experiences that stand out on Law Enforcement Officer resumes are not too dissimilar from desirable qualities in other industries. First, even though the vast majority of police departments do not have an education requirement beyond high school, most recruits entering the academy do have at least some college experience. Therefore, having an associate's or bachelor's degree will make you competitive. Further, policing in today's society requires officers to be elite communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers. Any prior work experience that can be used to demonstrate how you performed those skills under pressure should be highlighted. Lastly, any prior community service and or mentoring should be included. Having these experiences displays your commitment to improving your community and bettering the lives of those around you.

What soft skills should all patrol officers possess?

Logan Somers Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Georgia Southern University

Officers are tasked with handling a wide range of service-oriented (e.g., providing directions, conducting wellness checks, assisting a citizen whose car has broken down) and order maintenance (e.g., attending to noise complaints, settling domestic disputes, directing traffic) duties that go beyond just crime enforcement. This necessitates that an officer must possess numerous intangible skills. These include the ability to communicate effectively and treat citizens in a respectful and courteous manner. Doing this will go a long way towards keeping situations from escalating and building positive community relationships. Officers also have a great deal of discretion, meaning that in most citizen interactions, they have numerous actions and inactions that they can choose from. For example, officers conducting traffic enforcement typically have the discretion to decide who to stop, where to stop them, and whether to give a citation or a warning. Given this great deal of power, having the ability to think critically and ethically are paramount.

What hard/technical skills are most important for patrol officers?

Logan Somers Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Georgia Southern University

A significant portion of an officer's day can often be spent filling out paperwork. Every stop, citation, warrant, arrest, or use of force incident typically requires forms that need to be filled out and sent to supervisors for review. This makes the ability to write proficiently and provide a descriptive narrative of events crucial for day-to-day police work.

What patrol officer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic apparently has brought uncertainty to the job market, and job opportunities, especially in some of the social sciences, are reduced. There is an old Turkish saying, "bread is in the mouth of the lion" (ekmek aslanın ağzında) that sums it up nicely. It implies that it is a struggle to make a living. Life after college is not easy. There is too much competition in the job market. Suppose graduates need to take a gap year. In that case, they need to continue to learn after graduation—an extra set of skills that can put them ahead of other applicants—learning another language can put the graduates on the top of other candidates since there are plenty of applicants just like them. Becoming fluent in a second language can bring graduates several advantages.

They can also apply for internship programs of local and federal criminal justice agencies during a gap year. The graduates can observe a criminal justice agency's working environment and the culture of a specific community. They can decide if they want to serve in the organization and the community. They should also consider international organizations' internship programs, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) or Office of Counter-Terrorism internship programs. The UNODC has an office in New York. This internship program provides a framework for students (enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a bachelor's level or equivalent degree programs) to develop their professional skills and gain practical work experience in an international environment. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants may be requested to undertake the internship online.

What type of skills will young patrol officers need?

T.Christopher Bell

Professor, La Sierra University

The skills graduates will need are much improved in VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS skills-the ability to de-escalate and resolve conflict through verbal communication. Students who are majoring in Criminal Justice must be able to understand multiculturalism. The ability to understand different and not perceive it as harmful.

Do you want to know more?

List of patrol officer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a patrol officer resume and required skills for a patrol officer to have include:

Patrol
Customer Service
Public Safety
Law Enforcement Agencies
Emergency Situations
Incident Reports
CPR
Traffic Control
Crime Scenes
Safety Hazards
Property Damage
Traffic Accidents
Traffic Laws
Federal Laws
Police Academy
Criminal Law

Traffic Enforcement
State Laws
Patrol Vehicle
Criminal Cases
Criminal Acts
Local Law Enforcement
CCTV
Foot Patrol
Medical Emergencies
Issue Citations
Crime Prevention
Domestic Violence
City Streets
Traffic Stops
Traffic Violations
Subpoenas

Summonses
Non-Emergency Calls
City Ordinances
Parking Enforcement
Criminal Investigations
Crowd Control
Patrol Division
Traffic Flow
Court Proceedings
Police Reports
DUI
Domestic Disputes
Pepper Spray
K-9
Conveyance
Deter Crime

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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