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The differences between protective officers and community services officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a protective officer has an average salary of $40,529, which is higher than the $38,039 average annual salary of a community services officer.
The top three skills for a protective officer include customer service, emergency situations and patrol. The most important skills for a community services officer are patrol, public safety, and traffic control.
| Protective Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $40,529 | $38,039 |
| Hourly rate | $19.49 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 103,885 | 181,257 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A protective officer is in charge of preventing theft and damages in stores and other establishments. Among their responsibilities include monitoring alarm systems and surveillance cameras, patrolling areas, keeping an eye on suspicious activities and behavior, developing strategies to enforce security protocols, and responding to distress. There are also instances where they must conduct inspections and produce reports. Furthermore, as a protective officer, it is essential to coordinate with law enforcement should the situation require.
Community service offers or CSO support in crime response, investigation, and prevention where police powers are not necessary. The community service officers assist the police officers in terms of upholding order and law in the community. They provide citizens with customer service, community outreach, and patrol. It is their job to implement city codes and other non-criminal police associated duties. They provide non-EMS in-home and on-site assistance to the citizens. Also, they respond to non-criminal complaints, building checks, and more.
Protective officers and community services officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Protective Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Average salary | $40,529 | $38,039 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $58,000 | Between $27,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | National Security | City of Los Angeles |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a protective officer and a community services officer in terms of educational background:
| Protective Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between protective officers' and community services officers' demographics:
| Protective Officer | Community Services Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% | Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 2.9% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |