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The differences between senior investigators and patrol officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior investigator has an average salary of $61,240, which is higher than the $35,621 average annual salary of a patrol officer.
The top three skills for a senior investigator include senior level management, local law enforcement and claims handling. The most important skills for a patrol officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.
| Senior Investigator | Patrol Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $61,240 | $35,621 |
| Hourly rate | $29.44 | $17.13 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,525 | 123,265 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
As a senior investigator, you will be responsible for managing investigations for crimes, including corruption, organized crime, and fraud. You will work closely with the district attorney and law enforcement to investigate and solve these crimes. This role will require you to perform other additional duties, including collecting DNA samples from the crime scene, suspects and victims, organizing live training on risk, compliance, and ethics, and testifying in criminal and civil courts, civil service hearings, and ethics commission.
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.
Senior investigators and patrol officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Investigator | Patrol Officer | |
| Average salary | $61,240 | $35,621 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $105,000 | Between $27,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Frederick, MD | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | DLA Piper | Mount St. Mary's University |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a senior investigator and a patrol officer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Investigator | Patrol Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between senior investigators' and patrol officers' demographics:
| Senior Investigator | Patrol Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6% | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 9% | 7% |