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The differences between security specialists and patrol officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a security specialist has an average salary of $49,892, which is higher than the $35,621 average annual salary of a patrol officer.
The top three skills for a security specialist include ladders, security incidents and physical security. The most important skills for a patrol officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.
| Security Specialist | Patrol Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $49,892 | $35,621 |
| Hourly rate | $23.99 | $17.13 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 96,226 | 123,265 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A security specialist is responsible for maintaining the security of an organization's database, ensuring that it's free from cyber threats and unusual activities. Security specialists' duties include upgrading hardware and software applications, configuring networks to improve optimization, addressing any unauthorized access on the database, troubleshooting system discrepancies, conducting security audits on the system, and improving automated processes. A security specialist must have a strong command of programming languages and system codes, as well as broad experience with technical expertise.
The job of patrol officers is to enforce ordinances, laws, prevent crime, control crowds, arrest violators, and regulate traffic. They also perform other duties that may include monitoring an assigned area for unauthorized or suspicious activity, responding to reports of emergencies and possible crime such as robberies, and building good relationships with community members. To be a successful patrol officer, you should have solid judgment, excellent communication skills, and decision-making skills in stressful situations.
Security specialists and patrol officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Security Specialist | Patrol Officer | |
| Average salary | $49,892 | $35,621 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $98,000 | Between $27,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Okta | Mount St. Mary's University |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a security specialist and a patrol officer in terms of educational background:
| Security Specialist | Patrol Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between security specialists' and patrol officers' demographics:
| Security Specialist | Patrol Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |