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Police detective vs lieutenant

The differences between police detectives and lieutenants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police detective has an average salary of $52,087, which is higher than the $47,781 average annual salary of a lieutenant.

The top three skills for a police detective include patrol, law enforcement agencies and criminal cases. The most important skills for a lieutenant are public safety, patrol, and direct supervision.

Police detective vs lieutenant overview

Police DetectiveLieutenant
Yearly salary$52,087$47,781
Hourly rate$25.04$22.97
Growth rate3%-
Number of jobs74,95879,272
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

Police detective vs lieutenant salary

Police detectives and lieutenants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Police DetectiveLieutenant
Average salary$52,087$47,781
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $71,000Between $41,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City-Denver, CO
Highest paying state-Colorado
Best paying company-Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between police detective and lieutenant education

There are a few differences between a police detective and a lieutenant in terms of educational background:

Police DetectiveLieutenant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 51%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Police detective vs lieutenant demographics

Here are the differences between police detectives' and lieutenants' demographics:

Police DetectiveLieutenant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 87.4% Female, 12.6%Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between police detective and lieutenant duties and responsibilities

Police detective example responsibilities.

  • Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
  • Complete applications for arrest, subpoenas, search and seizure warrants, etc.
  • Serve criminal and civil subpoenas, confer with attorneys and assist in the preparation of cases for trial.
  • Maintain and repair department issue firearms.
  • Conduct investigations ranging from disorderly persons offenses to homicide.
  • Network with co-workers to improve initial investigation techniques in the patrol division.
  • Show more

Lieutenant example responsibilities.

  • Manage a robust fire training program meeting NFPA, DoD, AFOSH, and German fire credentials.
  • Manage respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
  • Facilitate the planning, delegation of duties, and conduct all training events for ROTC personnel.
  • Coordinate the logistics throughout fully simulate combat operations in preparation to deploy to Afghanistan.
  • prepare paperwork to send to ems biller.
  • Mentore underclassmen in ROTC policies and procedures.
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Police detective vs lieutenant skills

Common police detective skills
  • Patrol, 11%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
  • Criminal Cases, 9%
  • Local Laws, 7%
  • Evidence Collection, 6%
  • Criminal Law, 6%
Common lieutenant skills
  • Public Safety, 11%
  • Patrol, 10%
  • Direct Supervision, 8%
  • Security Procedures, 7%
  • Incident Command, 7%
  • Criminal Justice, 6%

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