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Sergeant vs chief of police

The differences between sergeants and chiefs of police can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief of police has an average salary of $77,582, which is higher than the $48,557 average annual salary of a sergeant.

The top three skills for a sergeant include safety procedures, patrol and direct supervision. The most important skills for a chief of police are patrol, public safety, and criminal justice.

Sergeant vs chief of police overview

SergeantChief Of Police
Yearly salary$48,557$77,582
Hourly rate$23.34$37.30
Growth rate-10%3%
Number of jobs79,33569,344
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4646
Years of experience--

What does a sergeant do?

A Sergeant is responsible for supervising a group of five or more Soldiers. Sergeants must oversee their daily activities, ensuring they are in proper disposition and are living under the conditions that adhere to the laws and regulations and training them according to the standards of the military. Furthermore, it is a Sergeant's responsibility to serve the public and report to the higher-ups, instill discipline to oneself, and serve as a role model to lower-ranked soldiers.

What does a chief of police do?

A Chief Of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department. They plan, coordinate, supervise, and evaluate police department operations.

Sergeant vs chief of police salary

Sergeants and chiefs of police have different pay scales, as shown below.

SergeantChief Of Police
Average salary$48,557$77,582
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $66,000Between $49,000 And $120,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBerkeley, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkMaine
Best paying companyColumbia University in the City of New YorkOhlone College
Best paying industryGovernmentGovernment

Differences between sergeant and chief of police education

There are a few differences between a sergeant and a chief of police in terms of educational background:

SergeantChief Of Police
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University

Sergeant vs chief of police demographics

Here are the differences between sergeants' and chiefs of police' demographics:

SergeantChief Of Police
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 85.0% Female, 15.0%Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between sergeant and chief of police duties and responsibilities

Sergeant example responsibilities.

  • Manage critical incidents including barricade gunmen, VIP visits, homicides, shootings and in-progress crimes.
  • Manage and submit all schedules for maximum security unit, and all non security staff assign to that unit.
  • Monitor and manage enlisted promotion boards and actions; publish promotion orders for soldiers being promote to SGT and SSG.
  • Assist in establishing overall S3 objectives and accomplishing assign missions.
  • Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
  • Implement USAF, DoD and MAJCOM security policies while balancing operational needs with security requirements for the protection of classify information.
  • Show more

Chief of police example responsibilities.

  • Lead, train and mentore a team of 11 senior logistics and business consultants.
  • Plan, manage, develop, implement and revise the training FTO program, as needed.
  • Enable senior leadership to accomplish combat objectives.
  • Provide first aid and CPR to victims as necessary.
  • Investigate burglary and theft crimes with extensive attention to details.
  • Investigate state and federal narcotics violations on a DEA lead strike-force team.
  • Show more

Sergeant vs chief of police skills

Common sergeant skills
  • Safety Procedures, 16%
  • Patrol, 14%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Emergency Situations, 7%
  • Combat, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
Common chief of police skills
  • Patrol, 23%
  • Public Safety, 13%
  • Criminal Justice, 9%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Emergency Management, 4%
  • Police Services, 3%

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