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Public safety officer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.,

T.Christopher Bell

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical public safety officer skills. We ranked the top skills for public safety officers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 17.8% of public safety officer resumes contained patrol as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a public safety officer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 public safety officer skills for your resume and career

1. Patrol

Here's how public safety officers use patrol:

Patrol assigned areas Assisted in interview and interrogation Assigned to several specialized units Established a vetted network of confidential informants
Patrol and secure assigned areas to detect and report unauthorized or suspicious persons, unsafe conditions or other irregularities.

2. Patients

Here's how public safety officers use patients:

Provided instructions in safety practices to hospital staff and directions to patients and visitors during any internal or external disasters.
Provided assistance to various departments as needed, including staff assists and greeting/directing visitors and patients

3. Public Safety

Public safety can be defined as the well-being or protection of a community, citizen, or nation as a whole. There are 4 basic elements that come under public safety namely: national security, border policy, countering crime, and emergency management.

Here's how public safety officers use public safety:

Followed all safety policies and procedures and attended all scheduled safety meetings/training as required by the Director of Public Safety.
Communicated with public safety officers on assigned shifts to heighten awareness of potential situations and coordinate logistics throughout the mall.

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how public safety officers use customer service:

Developed security protocols and customer service protocols that are currently being used to insure safety for both security officers and workers.
Provided excellent customer service and used excellent community oriented policing tactics with students, staff and visitors of the university.

5. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how public safety officers use cpr:

Apply hand cuffs, restraints and calm combative irate people, handling emergency situations, report writing, CPR, AED.
Perform defensive tactics and provide medical services such as first aid, CPR and AED as needed and as trained.

6. Emergency Situations

Here's how public safety officers use emergency situations:

Respond to emergency situations; work closely with local police and emergency service personnel; establish and foster community relationships.
Propose alteration of emergency response procedures based on regulatory changes, technological changes, or outcomes of previous emergency situations.

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7. Motor Vehicle

A motor vehicle is a mode of transportation such as a car, truck or bus.

Here's how public safety officers use motor vehicle:

Performed motor vehicle accident investigations including leaving the scene and DWI investigations.
Conducted traffic enforcement operations against violators of community motor vehicle ordinances.

8. Incident Reports

An Incident Report, in a medical facility such as hospitals and nursing homes, is a type of paperwork filled out immediately after and in the case of an incident of some sort, with the goal of describing the incident and its consequences, as well as the measurements taken after or during the incident, as well as any other information relevant to said incident. Such an incident might be a patient acting out or a patient being injured.

Here's how public safety officers use incident reports:

Formulated incident reports and recorded irrational student behavior * Immense skills providing protection services to individuals on campus * Metal detector search
Investigated theft cases, prepared detailed incident reports, retrieved and updated computerized records, and maintained sensitive confidential case files.

9. Criminal Justice

Here's how public safety officers use criminal justice:

Graduated in the top 10% of my class at the Criminal Justice Academy in SC.
Selected for multiple special projects based on academic background in criminal justice.

10. Security Services

Security services provide security to a customer who can pay for the service. They offer different services and packages that start with the basic security to more thorough security. This could include a security guard, with a weapon and a guard dog.

Here's how public safety officers use security services:

Provide campus wide safety and security services for campus community members and university's physical property.
Provide Security Services for Hospital environment at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

11. Traffic Control

Traffic control helps in the supervision of the movement of vehicles, goods, and people for safety and efficiency.

Here's how public safety officers use traffic control:

Provided traffic control for funeral processions.
Provide traffic control and investigative resources.

12. CCTV

Here's how public safety officers use cctv:

Completed incident/accident reports -Operated the CCTV System -Signed visitors in and out
Monitor activity observed through CCTV system and operate central security console.

13. Safety Hazards

Safety hazards are defined as any potential source of danger or harm to a person's health and safety. The term commonly refers to the risks associated with the kind of occupation or work. The five common types of occupational safety hazards are; biological (health risks from viruses, bacteria, insect,s, etc.), chemical (dangerous substances used in manufacturing plants), physical (risk of injury associated with labor), Ergonomic (worker's efficiency during work), and Psychosocial (mental health risks involved with certain occupations).

Here's how public safety officers use safety hazards:

Responded to dispatched calls for service to investigate complaints of potential crimes.- Counseled students on safety hazards
Performed risk management inspections and communicated potential safety hazards and vulnerability to management.

14. Restraints

Here's how public safety officers use restraints:

Involved in patient restraints and aggressive patient/visitor confrontations.
Trained and certified security personnel in ASP baton, (4) & (5) point restraints and pepper spray.

15. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how public safety officers use loss prevention:

Developed and instituted loss prevention departments and programs for several organizations.
Retail Loss Prevention associate/Door Security Company subcontracted with various retail establishments.

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What skills help Public Safety Officers find jobs?

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What skills stand out on public safety officer resumes?

Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg

Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):

Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills

What type of skills will young public safety officers need?

T.Christopher Bell

Professor, La Sierra University

The skills graduates will need are much improved in VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS skills-the ability to de-escalate and resolve conflict through verbal communication. Students who are majoring in Criminal Justice must be able to understand multiculturalism. The ability to understand different and not perceive it as harmful.

Do you want to know more?

List of public safety officer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a public safety officer resume and required skills for a public safety officer to have include:

Patrol
Patients
Public Safety
Customer Service
CPR
Emergency Situations
Motor Vehicle
Incident Reports
Criminal Justice
Security Services
Traffic Control
CCTV
Safety Hazards
Restraints
Loss Prevention
Emergency Response

Medical Emergencies
Fire Alarms
Parking Enforcement
Federal Laws
Public Safety Security
Local Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Agencies
Emergency Services
EMS
Hospital Grounds
Fire Drills
Computer Aided Dispatch
Security Checks
Excellent Guest
Surveillance Cameras
Foot Patrol

State Laws
EMT
Pepper Spray
Alarm Systems
Hospital Property
Property Damage
Security Systems
Medical Services
Crime Prevention
Non-Emergency Calls
Radio Communications
Physical Security
Traffic Accidents
Criminal Acts

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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