A Police Sergeant is responsible for supervising patrol officers and agents, as assigned. They oversee and assess the performance of subordinates, such as disciplinary actions, continued training, and counseling.

Police Sergeant Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real police sergeant resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
  • Collaborate with federal and state agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS and SBI.
  • Perform data entry into NCIC system, protection from abuse database, and automate incident memo systems.
  • Provide keen oversight to multiple divisions, including animal control, records, communications, training, and docket detention.
  • Coordinate department's firearms training and qualification programs for officers.
  • Complete advanced firearms, interviewing, interrogation, and supervision training.
  • Institute new tracking and organizational protocols for patrol equipment to increase accountability and equipment care.
  • Develop a comprehensive time management/accountability program for patrol officers that increase self-initiated productivity, individual efficiency, and unit effectiveness.
  • Investigate complex incidents, to include but not limit to narcotics trafficking, money laundering, sexual assaults and homicide.
  • Ensure court subpoenas are adhere to by assign personnel.
  • Serve subpoenas at direction of prosecutors.
  • Arrange quarterly Compstat, take complaint reports (CRs), handle special attentions and conduct roll call training.
  • Specialize training for investigation of narcotics, robbery, vice and intelligence gathering.
  • Serve as lead investigator on numerous homicides and other felonies resulting in arrests and successful prosecutions.

Police Sergeant Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 32% of Police Sergeants are proficient in Patrol, Public Safety, and Emergency Situations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Empathy, and Good judgment.

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

  • Patrol, 32%

    Obtained instructor certification from the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council, Applied Patrol Procedures for full-time and reserve intermittent police academies.

  • Public Safety, 8%

    Planned Police Department response to numerous significant events, assuring adequate staffing to maintain public safety while remaining within budget.

  • Emergency Situations, 5%

    Provided specialized pedestrian and traffic control services in connections with ceremonies, emergency situations, and similar events.

  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%

    Transported parole violators apprehended by allied law enforcement agencies from one jurisdiction to another and to local detention facilities.

  • Field Training, 3%

    Qualified Field Training Officer recognized for critical thinking as area of expertise conducting investigations and provided recommendations.

  • CPR, 3%

    Provided first aid and CPR to victims as necessary.

Some of the skills we found on police sergeant resumes included "patrol," "public safety," and "emergency situations." We have detailed the most important police sergeant responsibilities below.

  • Communication skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a police sergeant to have. According to a police sergeant resume, "police and detectives must be able to speak with people when gathering facts about a crime and to express details about a given incident in writing." Police sergeants are able to use communication skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "developed and cultivated an email-based communication system to alert residents and businesses to crime trends and enhance police / community relations. "
  • Another trait important for fulfilling police sergeant duties is empathy. According to a police sergeant resume, "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a wide variety of people in their jurisdiction and have a willingness to help the public." Here's an example of how police sergeants are able to utilize empathy: "demonstrated expertise in the application and understanding of criminal law, human behavior, investigation techniques, evidence collection and analysis. "
  • Police sergeants are also known for good judgment, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a police sergeant resume: "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve a wide array of problems quickly." We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "exercised independent judgment in meeting emergency situations. "
  • In order for certain police sergeant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "leadership skills." According to a police sergeant resume, "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for assistance in emergency situations." As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "provide leadership, motivation, direction and resources as well command critical incidents. "
  • As part of the police sergeant description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "physical strength." A police sergeant resume included this snippet: "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend offenders." This skill could be useful in this scenario: "utilized verbal and physical techniques to maintain control of criminal investigations. "
  • See the full list of police sergeant skills.

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    What Deputy Commanders Do

    We looked at the average police sergeant annual salary and compared it with the average of a deputy commander. Generally speaking, deputy commanders receive $7,982 lower pay than police sergeants per year.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a police sergeant responsibility requires skills such as "patrol," "public safety," "emergency situations," and "law enforcement agencies." Whereas a deputy commander is skilled in "logistics support," "oversight," "emergency operations," and "combat support." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    The education levels that deputy commanders earn is a bit different than that of police sergeants. In particular, deputy commanders are 15.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a police sergeant. Additionally, they're 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Co-Captain?

    Next up, we have the co-captain profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a police sergeant annual salary. In fact, co-captains salary difference is $15,803 lower than the salary of police sergeants per year.

    While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that police sergeant responsibilities requires skills like "patrol," "public safety," "emergency situations," and "law enforcement agencies." But a co-captain might use skills, such as, "championship," "scholarship," "all-conference," and "soccer."

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, co-captains tend to reach lower levels of education than police sergeants. In fact, they're 5.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Deputy Chief Of Staff Compares

    The third profession we take a look at is deputy chief of staff. On an average scale, these workers bring in higher salaries than police sergeants. In fact, they make a $53,968 higher salary per year.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from police sergeants resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "patrol," "public safety," "emergency situations," and "law enforcement agencies." But a deputy chief of staff might have skills like "human resources," "logistics support," "direct support," and "legal assistance."

    Interestingly enough, deputy chief of staff earn the most pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $102,164. As mentioned previously, police sergeants highest annual salary comes from the government industry with an average salary of $62,320.

    When it comes to education, deputy chief of staff tend to earn higher education levels than police sergeants. In fact, they're 11.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Command Master Chief

    Command master chiefs tend to earn a higher pay than police sergeants by about $42,281 per year.

    Each job requires different skills like "patrol," "public safety," "emergency situations," and "law enforcement agencies," which might show up on a police sergeant resume. Whereas command master chief might include skills like "morale," "human resources," "combat," and "logistics support."

    Command master chiefs reach higher levels of education when compared to police sergeants. The difference is that they're 6.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree more, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.