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Police captain vs chief of police

The differences between police captains and chiefs of police can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police captain has an average salary of $87,076, which is higher than the $77,582 average annual salary of a chief of police.

The top three skills for a police captain include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a chief of police are patrol, public safety, and criminal justice.

Police captain vs chief of police overview

Police CaptainChief Of Police
Yearly salary$87,076$77,582
Hourly rate$41.86$37.30
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs4,67369,344
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Police captain vs chief of police salary

Police captains and chiefs of police have different pay scales, as shown below.

Police CaptainChief Of Police
Average salary$87,076$77,582
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $128,000Between $49,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City-Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state-Maine
Best paying company-Ohlone College
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between police captain and chief of police education

There are a few differences between a police captain and a chief of police in terms of educational background:

Police CaptainChief Of Police
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Police captain vs chief of police demographics

Here are the differences between police captains' and chiefs of police' demographics:

Police CaptainChief Of Police
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 91.6% Female, 8.4%Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between police captain and chief of police duties and responsibilities

Police captain example responsibilities.

  • Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
  • Addressed continuous staffing concerns and adapt to changing demands of the community by implementing innovative patrol techniques.
  • Plan, direct, and supervise daily activities of field-operations division, including patrol, investigations, and correctional-unit activities.
  • Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
  • Arrange quarterly Compstat, take complaint reports (CRs), handle special attentions and conduct roll call training.

Chief of police example responsibilities.

  • Lead, train and mentore a team of 11 senior logistics and business consultants.
  • Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
  • Enable senior leadership to accomplish combat objectives.
  • Provide first aid and CPR to victims as necessary.
  • Investigate burglary and theft crimes with extensive attention to details.
  • Investigate state and federal narcotics violations on a DEA lead strike-force team.
  • Show more

Police captain vs chief of police skills

Common police captain skills
  • Patrol, 27%
  • Public Safety, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Criminal Justice, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Policy Development, 5%
Common chief of police skills
  • Patrol, 23%
  • Public Safety, 13%
  • Criminal Justice, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Emergency Management, 4%
  • Police Services, 3%

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