Senior investigator vs police officer

The differences between senior investigators and police 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 $52,638 average annual salary of a police 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 police officer are patrol, public safety, and law enforcement agencies.

Senior investigator vs police officer overview

	Senior Investigator	Police Officer
Yearly salary	$61,240	$52,638
Hourly rate	$29.44	$25.31
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	4,525	116,287
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	2	-

What does a senior investigator do?

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.

What does a police officer do?

Police officers are responsible for keeping peace and security in a community. They uphold and enforce the law. They ensure that people in their assigned community follow the law. They also ensure that proper sanctions are given out to anyone who does not follow. Some police officers are assigned in the field, meaning they work outside of police stations. Those assigned to police stations are responsible for maintaining administrative matters as well, aside from maintaining peace and order. Police officers are expected to be trustworthy, to work with honor, and to keep their integrity intact.

Senior investigator vs police officer salary

Senior investigators and police officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Investigator	Police Officer
Average salary	$61,240	$52,638
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $105,000	Between $38,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Frederick, MD	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	Maryland	Alaska
Best paying company	DLA Piper	Icma-rc
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between senior investigator and police officer education

There are a few differences between a senior investigator and a police officer in terms of educational background:

	Senior Investigator	Police Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	Pennsylvania State University

Senior investigator vs police officer demographics

Here are the differences between senior investigators' and police officers' demographics:

	Senior Investigator	Police Officer
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%
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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between senior investigator and police officer duties and responsibilities

Senior investigator example responsibilities.

Investigate allegations of suspect FWA / prioritize and manage case load / maintain comprehensive case files.
Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
Create budget friendly evidence collection boxes for investigations and patrol officers.
Send specimens to laboratory to obtain DNA.
Participate on committees and teams supporting GMP compliance programs.
Collect possible DNA samples from the scene, victims, and suspects.

Police officer example responsibilities.

Apprehend violators and log evidence, complete require USAF and DoD forms, and accomplish report.
Train in CPR and first aid, radar speed enforcement, domestic violence intervention, pepper spray, and basic anti-terrorism.
Gather preliminary investigation information as a first responder to crime scenes.
Perform basic patrol functions including criminal and traffic law enforcement, incident reporting and community relations.
Complete numerous testimonies at criminal hearings and traffic violations, serve summons, subpoenas and other official documentation.
Patrol MARTA trains and bus lines.

Senior investigator vs police officer skills

Common senior investigator skills

Senior Level Management, 13%
Local Law Enforcement, 9%
Claims Handling, 8%
Court Proceedings, 8%
Data Analysis, 4%
Management System, 3%

Common police officer skills

Patrol, 27%
Public Safety, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Field Training, 4%
CPR, 3%

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Senior Investigator
Senior Investigator vs Police Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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