Police clerk vs police officer

The differences between police clerks and police officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police officer has an average salary of $52,638, which is higher than the $32,488 average annual salary of a police clerk.

The top three skills for a police clerk include police reports, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.

Police clerk vs police officer overview

	Police Clerk	Police Officer
Yearly salary	$32,488	$52,638
Hourly rate	$15.62	$25.31
Growth rate	-5%	3%
Number of jobs	68,626	116,287
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	47	40
Years of experience	2	-

Police clerk vs police officer salary

Police clerks and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Police Clerk	Police Officer
Average salary	$32,488	$52,638
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $38,000	Between $38,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between police clerk and police officer education

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

	Police Clerk	Police Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Pennsylvania State University

Police clerk vs police officer demographics

Here are the differences between police clerks' and police officers' demographics:

	Police Clerk	Police Officer
Average age	47	40
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between police clerk and police officer duties and responsibilities

Police clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Process warrants, subpoenas, bail and restraining orders.
Maintain jail docket, review all traffic citations and arrest reports for accuracy, process warrants, affidavits, and subpoenas.
Maintain cleanliness of the company warehouse, operate warehouse machinery and organize the warehouse to ensure proper product placement.
Examine fingerprints, determining pattern types, classify and verify identifications while making print comparisons of individuals supply by DOJ database.

Police officer example responsibilities.

Apprehend violators and log evidence, complete require USAF and DoD forms, and accomplish report.
Train in CPR and first aid, radar speed enforcement, domestic violence intervention, pepper spray, and basic anti-terrorism.
Gather preliminary investigation information as a first responder to crime scenes.
Perform basic patrol functions including criminal and traffic law enforcement, incident reporting and community relations.
Complete numerous testimonies at criminal hearings and traffic violations, serve summons, subpoenas and other official documentation.
Patrol MARTA trains and bus lines.

Police clerk vs police officer skills

Common police clerk skills

Police Reports, 13%
Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 11%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Background Checks, 8%
Incident Reports, 5%

Common police officer skills

Patrol, 27%
Public Safety, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Field Training, 4%
CPR, 3%