Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between police officers and detention 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 $40,087 average annual salary of a detention officer.
The top three skills for a police officer include patrol, public safety and law enforcement agencies. The most important skills for a detention officer are detention facility, direct supervision, and booking.
| Police Officer | Detention Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $52,638 | $40,087 |
| Hourly rate | $25.31 | $19.27 |
| Growth rate | 3% | -10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,287 | 116,529 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
The role of detention officers is to supervise inmates in state detention facilities. They are responsible for ensuring the safe imprisonment of detainees, managing conflict between detainees, and reporting inappropriate behavior to the warden. Other responsibilities include providing inmates the opportunity to call a lawyer or a relative, performing periodic patrol of the jail area, and supervising inmates during meals and related activities. They are also responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of personal and cell equipment and distributing medicines to inmates as directed.
Police officers and detention officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Police Officer | Detention Officer | |
| Average salary | $52,638 | $40,087 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $71,000 | Between $29,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Icma-rc | Bering Straits |
| Best paying industry | Government | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a police officer and a detention officer in terms of educational background:
| Police Officer | Detention Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | - |
Here are the differences between police officers' and detention officers' demographics:
| Police Officer | Detention Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 61.0% Female, 39.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 15.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |