Police detective vs police officer

The differences between police detectives 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 $52,087 average annual salary of a police detective.

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

Police detective vs police officer overview

	Police Detective	Police Officer
Yearly salary	$52,087	$52,638
Hourly rate	$25.04	$25.31
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	74,958	116,287
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	40
Years of experience	-	-

Police detective vs police officer salary

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

	Police Detective	Police Officer
Average salary	$52,087	$52,638
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $71,000	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 detective and police officer education

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

	Police Detective	Police Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Police detective vs police officer demographics

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

	Police Detective	Police Officer
Average age	46	40
Gender ratio	Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6%	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
Race ratio	Black 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, 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	11%	7%

Differences between police detective and police officer 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.

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 detective vs police officer skills

Common police detective skills

Patrol, 11%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 9%
Criminal Cases, 9%
Local Laws, 7%
Evidence Collection, 6%
Criminal Law, 6%

Common police officer skills

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