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Police captain vs police sergeant

The differences between police captains and police sergeants 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 $65,562 average annual salary of a police sergeant.

The top three skills for a police captain include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a police sergeant are patrol, public safety, and emergency situations.

Police captain vs police sergeant overview

Police CaptainPolice Sergeant
Yearly salary$87,076$65,562
Hourly rate$41.86$31.52
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs4,67381,493
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Police captain vs police sergeant salary

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

Police CaptainPolice Sergeant
Average salary$87,076$65,562
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $128,000Between $48,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City-Santa Cruz, CA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Loyola University Maryland
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between police captain and police sergeant education

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

Police CaptainPolice Sergeant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Police captain vs police sergeant demographics

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

Police CaptainPolice Sergeant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 91.6% Female, 8.4%Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between police captain and police 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.

Police sergeant example responsibilities.

  • Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
  • Collaborate with federal and state agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS and SBI.
  • Perform data entry into NCIC system, protection from abuse database, and automate incident memo systems.
  • Provide keen oversight to multiple divisions, including animal control, records, communications, training, and docket detention.
  • Coordinate department's firearms training and qualification programs for officers.
  • Complete advanced firearms, interviewing, interrogation, and supervision training.
  • Show more

Police captain vs police sergeant skills

Common police captain skills
  • Patrol, 27%
  • Public Safety, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Criminal Justice, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Policy Development, 5%
Common police sergeant skills
  • Patrol, 32%
  • Public Safety, 8%
  • Emergency Situations, 5%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
  • Field Training, 3%
  • CPR, 3%

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