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Sergeant vs detective

The differences between sergeants and detectives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a detective has an average salary of $57,984, 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 detective are physical evidence, patrol, and law enforcement agencies.

Sergeant vs detective overview

SergeantDetective
Yearly salary$48,557$57,984
Hourly rate$23.34$27.88
Growth rate-10%3%
Number of jobs79,33556,521
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4644
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 detective do?

A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.

Sergeant vs detective salary

Sergeants and detectives have different pay scales, as shown below.

SergeantDetective
Average salary$48,557$57,984
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $66,000Between $35,000 And $95,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NY-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyColumbia University in the City of New York-
Best paying industryGovernment-

Differences between sergeant and detective education

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

SergeantDetective
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeCriminal Justice
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityUniversity of Arizona

Sergeant vs detective demographics

Here are the differences between sergeants' and detectives' demographics:

SergeantDetective
Average age4644
Gender ratioMale, 85.0% Female, 15.0%Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%9%

Differences between sergeant and detective 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.
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Detective example responsibilities.

  • Manage all ABC issues and applications for liquor licenses.
  • Receive multiple letters of commendation for effective investigations that lead to successful prosecutions.
  • Monitor wire taps and conduct detailed surveillance of wire tap targets and associates.
  • Sole provider of data gathering from TIGTA's complaint management system and the IRS for biweekly phishing scam reports.
  • Connect GPS devices/recorder/audio/video by hard wiring to vehicle power for longer operations.
  • Optimize critical security of dignitaries by proficiently conducting foot and vehicle patrol of concentration areas.
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Sergeant vs detective skills

Common sergeant skills
  • Safety Procedures, 16%
  • Patrol, 14%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Emergency Situations, 7%
  • Combat, 6%
  • CPR, 5%
Common detective skills
  • Physical Evidence, 15%
  • Patrol, 13%
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 8%
  • Crime Scenes, 5%
  • Insurance Fraud, 5%
  • Public Safety, 5%

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