Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between police dispatchers 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 $37,402 average annual salary of a police dispatcher.
The top three skills for a police dispatcher include computer aided dispatch, patrol and CAD. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.
| Police Dispatcher | Police Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $37,402 | $52,638 |
| Hourly rate | $17.98 | $25.31 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 6,964 | 116,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Police Dispatchers are responsible for assessing incoming calls and deploying police resources using professional judgment. Their duties include answering emergency calls from agencies and the public, gathering information from police systems and call handlers, conducting priority assessments based on vulnerability and risks, and liaising with police officers to determine the logistics of place and time of an incident lodged. They also help facilitate investigations, reassure victims, and maintain accurate incident records.
Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.
Police dispatchers and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Police Dispatcher | Police Officer | |
| Average salary | $37,402 | $52,638 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $48,000 | Between $38,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Anchorage, AK |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Alaska |
| Best paying company | City of Seattle | Icma-rc |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a police dispatcher and a police officer in terms of educational background:
| Police Dispatcher | Police Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between police dispatchers' and police officers' demographics:
| Police Dispatcher | Police Officer | |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 17% | 7% |