Peace officer vs security guard

The differences between peace officers and security guards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a peace officer has an average salary of $37,631, which is higher than the $31,983 average annual salary of a security guard.

The top three skills for a peace officer include patrol, public safety and motor vehicle. The most important skills for a security guard are customer service, patrol, and ladders.

Peace officer vs security guard overview

	Peace Officer	Security Guard
Yearly salary	$37,631	$31,983
Hourly rate	$18.09	$15.38
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	118,690	101,728
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	-	-

Peace officer vs security guard salary

Peace officers and security guards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Peace Officer	Security Guard
Average salary	$37,631	$31,983
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $45,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakewood, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Best paying industry	-	Utilities

Differences between peace officer and security guard education

There are a few differences between a peace officer and a security guard in terms of educational background:

	Peace Officer	Security Guard
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	-

Peace officer vs security guard demographics

Here are the differences between peace officers' and security guards' demographics:

	Peace Officer	Security Guard
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 2.9% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 5.3% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between peace officer and security guard duties and responsibilities

Peace officer example responsibilities.

Lead process improvement committee for officers to communicate with senior leadership desire changes for patrol division.
Conduct complex criminal investigations in correctional, patrol and investigative unit settings.
Administer CPR and first aid.
Train in CPR and other immediate care for self and others.
Monitor security systems, including CCTV, fire systems, and sensitive content alarms.
Experience in command central where CCTV cameras are monitored, and general information is relayed to the public and co-workers.

Security guard example responsibilities.

Assist employees with any and all concerns regarding payroll issues, insurance and requesting time off.
Certify in fire safety, adult/child CPR with mask and choking, adult/child a, infant CPR w/ mask and choking.
Distribute payroll checks to security officers.
Administer CPR and transport injured personnel to local medical facilities.
Monitor CCTV and other various intrusion detection security equipment for security issues.
Provide relief to other security officers while maintaining punctuality and building moral support.

Peace officer vs security guard skills

Common peace officer skills

Patrol, 26%
Public Safety, 12%
Motor Vehicle, 7%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
Emergency Situations, 7%
Incident Reports, 4%

Common security guard skills

Customer Service, 25%
Patrol, 17%
Ladders, 16%
Security Services, 6%
Emergency Situations, 4%
CPR, 3%