State patrol officer vs officer candidate

The differences between state patrol officers and officers candidate can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an officer candidate has an average salary of $44,036, which is higher than the $42,229 average annual salary of a state patrol officer.

The top three skills for a state patrol officer include patrol, field training and background investigations. The most important skills for an officer candidate are platoon, combat, and leadership.

State patrol officer vs officer candidate overview

	State Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Yearly salary	$42,229	$44,036
Hourly rate	$20.30	$21.17
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	76,228	55,985
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

State patrol officer vs officer candidate salary

State patrol officers and officers candidate have different pay scales, as shown below.

	State Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Average salary	$42,229	$44,036
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $66,000	Between $25,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between state patrol officer and officer candidate education

There are a few differences between a state patrol officer and an officer candidate in terms of educational background:

	State Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	California State University - Bakersfield

State patrol officer vs officer candidate demographics

Here are the differences between state patrol officers' and officers candidate' demographics:

	State Patrol Officer	Officer Candidate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6%	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 3.3% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.2% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between state patrol officer and officer candidate duties and responsibilities

State patrol officer example responsibilities.

Supervise cadets (new highway patrol cadets) undergoing firearms training and accurately detect causative factors for inadequacies.
Provide patrol duties on the state's highways being vigilant for any factors compromising the safety of all motorist and pedestrians.
Qualify and utilize firearms provide emergency assistance, conduct investigations, report writing and presenting testimony in a court of law.
Conduct driving while intoxicate (DWI) and traffic-relate investigations.

Officer candidate example responsibilities.

Lead a platoon of officer candidates through physical training warm-ups and cool downs, focusing on proper technique and execution.
Manage procurement operations and export-import logistics operations of recreational vehicles from U.S. to Venezuela.
Garrison leadership positions include serving as platoon leader and squad leader
Apply leadership, management and supervision techniques when receiving operational orders, disseminating information and assigning mission essential tasks.
Complete physical testing standards as well as many academic exams that analyze leadership potential as well as mental cognitive capabilities.
Join extracurricular ROTC activities, such as color guard.

State patrol officer vs officer candidate skills

Common state patrol officer skills

Patrol, 79%
Field Training, 9%
Background Investigations, 6%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 3%
Emergency Situations, 1%
Traffic Crashes, 1%

Common officer candidate skills

Platoon, 15%
Combat, 11%
Leadership, 9%
Physical Fitness Test, 9%
Logistics, 6%
Physical Fitness Training, 6%

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State Patrol Officer
State Patrol Officer vs Officer Candidate

Updated January 8, 2025

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