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Police captain vs first sergeant

The differences between police captains and first sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a first sergeant has an average salary of $98,755, which is higher than the $87,076 average annual salary of a police captain.

The top three skills for a police captain include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a first sergeant are personnel actions, professional development, and general supervision.

Police captain vs first sergeant overview

Police CaptainFirst Sergeant
Yearly salary$87,076$98,755
Hourly rate$41.86$47.48
Growth rate3%-
Number of jobs4,6732,487
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Police captain vs first sergeant salary

Police captains and first sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Police CaptainFirst Sergeant
Average salary$87,076$98,755
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $128,000Between $70,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between police captain and first sergeant education

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

Police CaptainFirst Sergeant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeBusiness
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Police captain vs first sergeant demographics

Here are the differences between police captains' and first sergeants' demographics:

Police CaptainFirst Sergeant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 91.6% Female, 8.4%Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6%
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, 11.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between police captain and first sergeant 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.

First sergeant example responsibilities.

  • Supervise and manage the refit and reset of the unit upon redeployment.
  • Manage food, water, ammunition, and equipment for the squad and ensure everyone ration accordingly.
  • Demonstrate unparalleled proficiency in managing operations and administrative requirements in a combat environment, with superior technical and tactical adeptness.
  • Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
  • Use PowerPoint to create briefs and training slides.
  • Develop a full training program in accordance with USAF protocols.
  • Show more

Police captain vs first sergeant skills

Common police captain skills
  • Patrol, 27%
  • Public Safety, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Criminal Justice, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Policy Development, 5%
Common first sergeant skills
  • Personnel Actions, 20%
  • Professional Development, 11%
  • General Supervision, 7%
  • Combat, 7%
  • Logistical Support, 6%
  • Personnel Accountability, 5%

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