Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
- O*NET-SOC code
33-3051.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$76,210
Employment, U.S.670,520
Median hourly wage$36.64
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $47,510 | $59,290 | $76,210 | $97,600 | $115,120 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 11,710 | $51,270 | 1.29 |
| Alaska | 1,260 | $99,130 | 0.90 |
| Arizona | 12,010 | $78,880 | 0.86 |
| Arkansas | 5,710 | $47,670 | 1.02 |
| California | 65,940 | $118,880 | 0.84 |
| Colorado | 9,610 | $97,350 | 0.78 |
| Connecticut | 6,500 | $82,170 | 0.89 |
| Delaware | 1,800 | $92,970 | 0.86 |
| District of Columbia | 4,720 | $88,650 | 1.56 |
| Florida | 43,630 | $74,470 | 1.02 |
| Georgia | 22,170 | $58,120 | 1.05 |
| Hawaii | 2,420 | $83,820 | 0.90 |
| Idaho | 2,810 | $66,990 | 0.76 |
| Illinois | 29,180 | $100,520 | 1.11 |
| Indiana | 12,980 | $73,370 | 0.94 |
| Iowa | 5,130 | $74,470 | 0.76 |
| Kansas | 6,130 | $59,230 | 0.99 |
| Kentucky | 7,890 | $60,490 | 0.91 |
| Louisiana | 12,400 | $48,380 | 1.49 |
| Maine | 2,120 | $67,050 | 0.77 |
| Maryland | 9,720 | $77,970 | 0.82 |
| Massachusetts | 17,040 | $78,940 | 1.09 |
| Michigan | 16,750 | $73,730 | 0.88 |
| Minnesota | 9,160 | $83,360 | 0.72 |
| Mississippi | 8,070 | $46,140 | 1.61 |
| Missouri | 13,570 | $59,460 | 1.07 |
| Montana | 2,160 | $70,050 | 0.98 |
| Nebraska | 3,490 | $74,620 | 0.79 |
| Nevada | 5,720 | $78,140 | 0.85 |
| New Hampshire | 2,460 | $71,640 | 0.83 |
| New Jersey | 21,780 | $92,610 | 1.18 |
| New Mexico | 4,580 | $69,180 | 1.22 |
| New York | 53,470 | $92,790 | 1.28 |
| North Carolina | 22,370 | $59,300 | 1.05 |
| North Dakota | 1,630 | $74,500 | 0.88 |
| Ohio | 23,430 | $77,020 | 0.98 |
| Oklahoma | 9,660 | $59,700 | 1.31 |
| Oregon | 5,030 | $88,140 | 0.59 |
| Pennsylvania | 26,510 | $85,470 | 1.01 |
| Rhode Island | 1,940 | $77,230 | 0.90 |
| South Carolina | 12,930 | $58,070 | 1.30 |
| South Dakota | 2,000 | $60,740 | 1.01 |
| Tennessee | 15,630 | $59,280 | 1.11 |
| Texas | 63,100 | $75,900 | 1.04 |
| Utah | 5,500 | $77,310 | 0.73 |
| Vermont | 1,020 | $68,910 | 0.78 |
| Virginia | 19,970 | $65,870 | 1.13 |
| Washington | 9,160 | $102,080 | 0.60 |
| West Virginia | 2,900 | $56,960 | 0.96 |
| Wisconsin | 12,320 | $78,090 | 0.97 |
| Wyoming | 1,310 | $66,140 | 1.08 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transit and Railroad Police | 3 | 0.988 |
| 2 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators | 3 | 0.975 |
| 3 | Correctional Officers and Jailers | 1-2 | 0.968 |
| 4 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | 1-2 | 0.964 |
| 5 | Customs and Border Protection Officers | 3 | 0.963 |
| 6 | Animal Control Workers | 1-2 | 0.961 |
| 7 | Fish and Game Wardens | 3 | 0.960 |
| 8 | First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | 3 | 0.957 |
| 9 | Bailiffs | 3 | 0.951 |
| 10 | Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 1-2 | 0.949 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish and Game Wardens | Operation and Control | 1.00 | 0.960 |
| Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | Operation and Control | 0.88 | 0.949 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers | Management of Personnel Resources | 1.00 | 0.945 |
| Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | Management of Personnel Resources | 1.00 | 0.926 |
| Animal Trainers | Learning Strategies | 0.88 | 0.925 |
| Coroners | Science | 3.37 | 0.922 |
| Airfield Operations Specialists | Operations Monitoring | 0.88 | 0.918 |
| Facilities Managers | Management of Personnel Resources | 0.87 | 0.911 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers, excluding software Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Mapping software | 5 of 20 | 10.5x |
| Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP | 3 of 20 | 2.8x |
| Geographic information system GIS software | 3 of 20 | 2.0x |
| Linux | 3 of 20 | 1.1x |
| 3 of 20 | 1.0x | |
| Microsoft SharePoint | 3 of 20 | 0.8x |
| SAP software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.25 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.62 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.25 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.88 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Public Safety and Security | 4.77 | 5.71 |
| Law and Government | 4.74 | 5.26 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.33 | 6.26 |
| English Language | 4.05 | 4.47 |
| Psychology | 4.01 | 5.58 |
| Education and Training | 3.72 | 4.27 |
| Telecommunications | 3.32 | 2.77 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.31 | 4.00 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 3.30 | 4.51 |
| Geography | 3.30 | 3.30 |
| Transportation | 3.30 | 3.29 |
| Communications and Media | 3.29 | 3.01 |
| Administration and Management | 3.27 | 3.54 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 3.15 | 3.63 |
| Administrative | 3.13 | 3.51 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.03 | 3.33 |
| Mathematics | 2.43 | 2.46 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 2.30 | 2.44 |
| Foreign Language | 2.27 | 1.88 |
| Biology | 2.17 | 2.10 |
| Production and Processing | 2.09 | 2.04 |
| Physics | 2.07 | 1.58 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.93 | 1.61 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.91 | 1.67 |
| Chemistry | 1.88 | 1.93 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.87 | 1.45 |
| History and Archeology | 1.72 | 1.45 |
| Mechanical | 1.67 | 1.28 |
| Design | 1.62 | 1.21 |
| Building and Construction | 1.53 | 0.84 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.44 | 0.74 |
| Fine Arts | 1.09 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.09 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.50 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.50 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.25 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 3.88 |
| Far Vision | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Written Expression | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Response Orientation | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Reaction Time | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Static Strength | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Time Sharing | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Memorization | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Stamina | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Rate Control | 2.75 | 3.25 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Control Precision | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Sound Localization | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Night Vision | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.12 | 2.38 |
| Number Facility | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.62 | 0.62 |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Computer aided composite drawing software
- Computer aided dispatch software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Crime mapping software
- Database software
- DesignWare 3D EyeWitness
- ESRI ArcView
- Email software
- IBM Lotus 1-2-3
- Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System IAFIS
- Law enforcement information databases
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database
- National Integrated Ballistics Information Network NIBIN
- SmartDraw Legal
- SmugMug Flickr
- Spillman Technologies Records Management
- The CAD Zone The Crime Zone
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles, LA | 1,780 | 4.07 | $56,290 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | 10,770 | 3.62 | $45,510 |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 230 | 2.85 | $61,050 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 900 | 2.14 | $47,790 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | 1,010 | 2.02 | $49,990 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 1,370 | 1.95 | $60,130 |
| Jacksonville, NC | 440 | 1.92 | $59,540 |
| Macon-Bibb County, GA | 770 | 1.87 | $46,630 |
| Hammond, LA | 380 | 1.84 | $40,560 |
| Springfield, MA | 1,570 | 1.81 | $83,050 |