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The differences between patrol sergeants and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patrol sergeant has an average salary of $56,638, which is higher than the $52,638 average annual salary of a police officer.
The top three skills for a patrol sergeant include patrol, law enforcement agencies and public safety. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.
| Patrol Sergeant | Police Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $56,638 | $52,638 |
| Hourly rate | $27.23 | $25.31 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 22,591 | 116,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A Patrol Sergeant oversees and performs security operations on an assigned shift. They conduct vehicular patrol of an assigned area, investigate the scenes of accidents, and make arrests, when required.
Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.
Patrol sergeants and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Patrol Sergeant | Police Officer | |
| Average salary | $56,638 | $52,638 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $72,000 | Between $38,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Icma-rc |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a patrol sergeant and a police officer in terms of educational background:
| Patrol Sergeant | Police Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between patrol sergeants' and police officers' demographics:
| Patrol Sergeant | Police Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |