How To Become A Police Patrol Lieutenant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a police patrol lieutenant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a police patrol lieutenant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $37.7 an hour? That's $78,407 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a police patrol lieutenant?

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.

ScorePolice Patrol LieutenantUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $78,407

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.36%

Asian 1.74%

Black or African American 12.25%

Hispanic or Latino 13.51%

Unknown 3.90%

White 67.25%

Gender

female 9.12%

male 90.88%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a police patrol lieutenant

Explore police patrol lieutenant education requirements

Most common police patrol lieutenant degrees

Bachelor's

46.3 %

Associate

28.7 %

High School Diploma

9.8 %

Start to develop specific police patrol lieutenant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patrol	46.55%
Direct Supervision	5.78%
Law Enforcement Agencies	5.55%
Crime Scenes	4.30%
Emergency Situations	4.02%

Complete relevant police patrol lieutenant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New police patrol lieutenants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a police patrol lieutenant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real police patrol lieutenant resumes.

Research police patrol lieutenant duties and responsibilities

Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
Assure efficient performance by all patrol officers and ensure all situations are documented accordingly.
Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.
Orchestrate the day to day demands, managing deficiencies/opportunities and prioritization of unit operations throughout specific target areas within NYC.

Get police patrol lieutenant experience

Prepare your police patrol lieutenant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your police patrol lieutenant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a police patrol lieutenant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable police patrol lieutenant resume templates

Build a professional police patrol lieutenant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your police patrol lieutenant resume.

Apply for police patrol lieutenant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a police patrol lieutenant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do police patrol lieutenants rate their job?

-/5

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Police patrol lieutenant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023

Pros

Nobody listens to me because we are friends, now they are putting me a the position to charge them

Cons

It’s hard

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020