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Police captain vs commanding officer

The differences between police captains and commanding officers 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 $40,452 average annual salary of a commanding officer.

The top three skills for a police captain include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a commanding officer are logistical support, emergency situations, and combat.

Police captain vs commanding officer overview

Police CaptainCommanding Officer
Yearly salary$87,076$40,452
Hourly rate$41.86$19.45
Growth rate3%-
Number of jobs4,67355,602
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Police captain vs commanding officer salary

Police captains and commanding officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Police CaptainCommanding Officer
Average salary$87,076$40,452
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $128,000Between $33,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between police captain and commanding officer education

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

Police CaptainCommanding Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeBusiness
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Police captain vs commanding officer demographics

Here are the differences between police captains' and commanding officers' demographics:

Police CaptainCommanding Officer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 91.6% Female, 8.4%Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4%
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, 11.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between police captain and commanding officer 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.

Commanding officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead precinct to the largest percentage decrease in crime of all 76 NYC precincts.
  • Facilitate strategic planning efforts and public-private partnerships to maximize results in accomplishing DHS and USCG missions.
  • Coordinate and manage logistical combat support services, engineering support, and security escorts to bases/units locate within the region.
  • Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
  • CAPTAIN GEORGE``JOE"PAITL, USCG (Ret . )
  • Used CCTV to continuously monitor customer, staff, and parking lot areas.
  • Show more

Police captain vs commanding officer skills

Common police captain skills
  • Patrol, 27%
  • Public Safety, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Criminal Justice, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Policy Development, 5%
Common commanding officer skills
  • Logistical Support, 12%
  • Emergency Situations, 9%
  • Combat, 8%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 7%
  • Direct Oversight, 5%
  • Coast Guard, 5%

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