Special police vs patrol officer

The differences between special polices and patrol officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special police has an average salary of $41,873, which is higher than the $35,621 average annual salary of a patrol officer.

The top three skills for a special police include patrol, public safety and emergency situations. The most important skills for a patrol officer are patrol, customer service, and public safety.

Special police vs patrol officer overview

	Special Police	Patrol Officer
Yearly salary	$41,873	$35,621
Hourly rate	$20.13	$17.13
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	70,973	123,265
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Special police vs patrol officer salary

Special polices and patrol officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Special Police	Patrol Officer
Average salary	$41,873	$35,621
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $52,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	North Dakota
Best paying company	The George Washington University	Mount St. Mary's University
Best paying industry	Transportation	Government

Differences between special police and patrol officer education

There are a few differences between a special police and a patrol officer in terms of educational background:

	Special Police	Patrol Officer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	California State University - Long Beach

Special police vs patrol officer demographics

Here are the differences between special polices' and patrol officers' demographics:

	Special Police	Patrol Officer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1%	Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 3.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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	7%	7%

Differences between special police and patrol officer duties and responsibilities

Special police example responsibilities.

Manage litigation and bankruptcy matters.
Monitor and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
Maintain annual qualifications and training standards for firearm and CPR certifications.
Participate in annual CPR, firearm training, arrest, MEB and handcuff procedures.
Evaluate and protect information, facilities and personnel through CCTV monitoring and remote camera surveillance.
Check identification for all visitors entering the shelter, monitor CCTV equipment for suspicious activity.

Patrol officer example responsibilities.

Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville
Report and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
Enforce NYS racing guidelines state, rules and regulations.
Protect life and property at the largest regional aviation facility in NYS.
Provide emergency medical assistance as a first responder.
Utilize security vehicle to patrol all residential areas and parking lot ensuring resident safety.

Special police vs patrol officer skills

Common special police skills

Patrol, 22%
Public Safety, 14%
Emergency Situations, 9%
Incident Reports, 5%
CCTV, 5%
Property Damage, 4%

Common patrol officer skills

Patrol, 48%
Customer Service, 8%
Public Safety, 7%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Incident Reports, 2%