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What does a police records clerk do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

Police records clerks must possess good interpersonal skills. They are responsible for answering the telephone, helping visitors fill out police forms, and answering requests for information; they are often the face of the police department. This career requires only a high school degree or GED, but some employers will require a bachelor's degree and offer on-the-job training. Those who choose this career path are responsible for the management and preservation of records of criminal justice activities. They will also be needed to assist in providing accurate and clear information to various departments.

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Police records clerk responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real police records clerk resumes:

  • Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
  • Classify and enter all incidents, arrests, citations, and summonses into AS400.
  • Process subpoenas for officers and citizens.
  • Perform supervisory duties in preparing subpoenas for different attorneys and law firms.
  • Maintain cleanliness of the company warehouse, operate warehouse machinery and organize the warehouse to ensure proper product placement.
  • Provision DSL in Adtran, Alcatel, Cisco and Citrix DSLAMS.

Police records clerk skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Police Records Clerks are proficient in Data Entry, Police Reports, and NCIC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Organizational skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Police Records Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Data Entry, 15%

    Maintain training manuals and data entry information for statistical purposes.

  • Police Reports, 11%

    Transcribed dictated police reports from officers of several counties in Colorado.

  • NCIC, 10%

    Certified in ILETS, LEADS & NCIC and Police Dispatch related courses

  • Criminal History, 9%

    File, maintain and secured criminal history files and furnishes authorized information to authorized person only.

  • Patrol, 8%

    Patrol designated districts in patrol cars and on foot.

  • Customer Service, 6%

    Worked the customer services counter and answered phones to help the customers locate their records they were looking for.

"data entry," "police reports," and "ncic" are among the most common skills that police records clerks use at work. You can find even more police records clerk responsibilities below, including:

Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a police records clerk to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public." Police records clerks often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "typed police records for customers assisted customers at front desk maintained files"

Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling police records clerk duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "general office clerks file and retrieve records." According to a police records clerk resume, here's how police records clerks can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "prepare confidential reports, powerpoint presentations, correspondence, organizational charts and other documents as required. "

Detail oriented. police records clerks are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to police records clerk responsibilities, because "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills." A police records clerk resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "prepare and present detailed customer service and safety contacts during meetings with command staff. "

Most common police records clerk skills

The three companies that hire the most police records clerks are:

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Compare different police records clerks

Police records clerk vs. Data entry associate

Data entry associates are a group of professionals using computers and data processing programs to supply information into a database or documentation platform or to transcribe data via phone conversations or recordings. They can multitask effectively with excellent verbal and written communication skills and perform repetitive tasks accurately with excellent attention to detail. Part of their task is to maintain the database by encoding new and updated customer account information by preparing source data for computer entry, compiling, and sorting information. To be effective, typing speed and accuracy must be considered.

If we compare the average police records clerk annual salary with that of a data entry associate, we find that data entry associates typically earn a $1,361 lower salary than police records clerks make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between police records clerks and data entry associates are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like data entry, customer service, and word processing.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, police records clerk responsibilities require skills like "police reports," "ncic," "criminal history," and "patrol." Meanwhile a typical data entry associate has skills in areas such as "computer database," "payroll," "wpm," and "powerpoint." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Data entry associates tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,978. In contrast, police records clerks make the biggest average salary, $39,771, in the government industry.On average, data entry associates reach similar levels of education than police records clerks. Data entry associates are 2.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Police records clerk vs. Clerk

Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.

A career as a clerk brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a police records clerk. In fact, clerks salary is $6,282 lower than the salary of police records clerks per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both police records clerks and clerks have skills such as "data entry," "customer service," and "word processing. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, police records clerk responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "police reports," "ncic," "criminal history," and "patrol." Meanwhile, a clerk has duties that require skills in areas such as "basic math," "math," "cleanliness," and "pos." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Clerks may earn a lower salary than police records clerks, but clerks earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $31,380. On the other hand, police records clerks receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,771.In general, clerks achieve similar levels of education than police records clerks. They're 2.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Police records clerk vs. Data clerk

A data clerk is responsible for performing administrative support tasks, mainly focusing on data-entry. Their responsibilities typically include updating databases, maintaining records on spreadsheets and other documents, preparing and processing files, creating and organizing reports, coordinating with different departments to gather or disseminate data, and performing research and analysis. They may also handle calls and correspondence, monitor schedules and office supply inventory, and complete support tasks for staff as necessary. Furthermore, as a data clerk, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with teams and adhere to the company's data security policies and regulations.

On average, data clerks earn lower salaries than police records clerks, with a $5,895 difference per year.Using the responsibilities included on police records clerks and data clerks resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "data entry," "computer system," and "front desk.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a police records clerk is likely to be skilled in "police reports," "ncic," "criminal history," and "patrol," while a typical data clerk is skilled in "database systems," "computer entry," "hr," and "purchase orders."

Data clerks earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $35,533. Police records clerks earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $39,771.When it comes to education, data clerks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to police records clerks. In fact, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Police records clerk vs. General clerk

General clerks are responsible for a variety of miscellaneous and administrative tasks within an organization. These include answering and transferring calls, sorting and delivering incoming emails, and scheduling appointments. They are also responsible for providing information to clients and staff members, preparing and processing bills and office documents, and performing data entry tasks. General clerks are often employed in almost all industries. This position typically requires a high school diploma and basic knowledge of computer applications such as spreadsheet software and word processing.

General clerks typically earn lower pay than police records clerks. On average, general clerks earn a $4,191 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, police records clerks and general clerks both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "data entry," "customer service," and "word processing. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A police records clerk uses "police reports," "ncic," "criminal history," and "patrol." General clerks are more likely to have duties that require skills in "office procedures," "veterans," "citizenship," and "math. "The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for general clerks, with average annual pay of $32,575. Comparatively, the highest police records clerk annual salary comes from the government industry.general clerks reach similar levels of education compared to police records clerks, in general. The difference is that they're 2.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of police records clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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