How To Become A Senior Police Officer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior police officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a senior police officer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.85 an hour? That's $53,771 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior police officer?

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.

ScoreSenior Police OfficerUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,771

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.96%

Asian 2.86%

Black or African American 13.83%

Hispanic or Latino 20.39%

Unknown 4.46%

White 57.50%

Gender

female 12.45%

male 87.55%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior police officer

Explore senior police officer education requirements

Most common senior police officer degrees

Bachelor's

52.6 %

Associate

29.4 %

Master's

6.6 %

Start to develop specific senior police officer skills

Skills	Percentages
Patrol	18.17%
Police Academy	14.14%
Responder	11.35%
CPR	9.40%
Firearms	6.58%

Complete relevant senior police officer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior police officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior police officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior police officer resumes.

Research senior police officer duties and responsibilities

Re-Cover stolen revenue and firearms from the suspect.
Maintain current legal, firearms, and practical scenario training.
Interview suspects/witnesses, along with drafting/serving warrants and subpoenas.
Protect property and citizens through patrol activities, identify risks, investigate crimes, and contribute to criminal prosecution.

Get senior police officer experience

Prepare your senior police officer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior police officer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior police officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior police officer resume templates

Build a professional senior police officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior police officer resume.