Police investigator vs police officer

The differences between police investigators 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 $47,796 average annual salary of a police investigator.

The top three skills for a police investigator include conduct interviews, patrol and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.

Police investigator vs police officer overview

	Police Investigator	Police Officer
Yearly salary	$47,796	$52,638
Hourly rate	$22.98	$25.31
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	6,597	116,287
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	-	-

Police investigator vs police officer salary

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

	Police Investigator	Police Officer
Average salary	$47,796	$52,638
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $61,000	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 investigator and police officer education

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

	Police Investigator	Police Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Pennsylvania State University

Police investigator vs police officer demographics

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

	Police Investigator	Police Officer
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.9% White, 62.2% 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	9%	7%

Differences between police investigator and police officer duties and responsibilities

Police investigator example responsibilities.

Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Analyze high risk transaction activity and provide final approval of investigative case analyses utilize for SAR preparation and filing.
Evaluate impressions for AFIS (automate fingerprint identification system) potential.

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 investigator vs police officer skills

Common police investigator skills

Conduct Interviews, 24%
Patrol, 17%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 15%
Criminal Justice, 7%
Crime Scene Processing, 5%
Subpoenas, 3%

Common police officer skills

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

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Police Investigator
Police Investigator vs Police Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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