Occupation · SOC 33-3051
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.
Median wage
$76,290
$47,640–$115,280
Projected growth
+3.1%
Average growth
Annual openings
2,200
per year
Employed (US)
666,990
Job Zone 3
Typical preparation
Medium preparation
Stackable credential programs
431 mapped
Core skills
SpeakingSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningCritical ThinkingActive LearningCoordinationPersuasionReading Comprehension
Knowledge areas
Public Safety and SecurityLaw and GovernmentEnglish LanguagePsychologyCustomer and Personal Service
Technology & tools
Graphics or photo imaging softwareHelpdesk or call center softwareOffice suite softwareMap creation softwareData base user interface and query software
Representative tasks
Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.Execute arrest warrants, locating and taking persons into custody.Patrol and guard courthouses, grand jury rooms, or assigned areas to provide security, enforce laws, maintain order, and arrest violators.Photograph or draw diagrams of crime or accident scenes and interview principals and eyewitnesses.Evaluate complaint and emergency-request information to determine response requirements.Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, or motorized conveyance, responding promptly to calls for assistance.Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed.Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.Transport or escort prisoners and defendants en route to courtrooms, prisons or jails, attorneys' offices, or medical facilities.Direct traffic flow and reroute traffic in case of emergencies.Question individuals entering secured areas to determine their business, directing and rerouting individuals as necessary.Notify patrol units to take violators into custody or to provide needed assistance or medical aid.Place people in protective custody.Serve statements of claims, subpoenas, summonses, jury summonses, orders to pay alimony, and other court orders.Inform citizens of community services and recommend options to facilitate longer-term problem resolution.Locate and confiscate real or personal property, as directed by court order.Provide road information to assist motorists.Conduct community programs for all ages concerning topics such as drugs and violence.Process prisoners, and prepare and maintain records of prisoner bookings and prisoner status during booking and pre-trial process.Supervise law enforcement staff, such as jail staff, officers, and deputy sheriffs.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Patrol routines and area familiarization — perform under a Field Training Officer's review on assigned beats.Radio communications and 10-codes — operate clearly within department standards.Traffic stops on routine violations — conduct safely with FTO observation in standard scenarios.Incident reports and citation paperwork — write accurately and completely on common calls.Use-of-force continuum — apply consistently with departmental policy on every interaction.Defensive tactics fundamentals — execute drilled techniques in training and on-duty under FTO oversight.Crime-scene preservation basics — secure perimeters and preserve evidence on minor calls.Search-and-seizure law fundamentals — apply correctly under FTO direction on routine stops.Vehicle operations including emergency response driving — perform per department driving policy.Body-worn camera protocols — activate and document per department policy across every contact.
developing
Solo patrol on assigned beats — handle a typical shift of routine calls without backup supervision.Domestic disturbance and mental-health calls — handle within crisis-intervention training and protocol.DUI investigations and field-sobriety tests — conduct, document, and testify reliably.Felony stops and high-risk traffic stops — execute safely using cover-and-contact tactics.Witness and victim interviews on standard cases — conduct with empathy and protocol compliance.Detective handoffs on cases needing follow-up — package case files completely for investigators.Court appearances and testimony on owned cases — deliver clearly under cross-examination.Community contacts and proactive policing — develop in assigned neighborhoods.Newer officers as a peer mentor or shadow FTO — guide on patrol craft and judgment.Department policy updates — incorporate into routine patrol within a single shift.
proficient
Major incident response (active shooter, barricaded subject, mass casualty) — function effectively as part of a coordinated response.Complex investigations within patrol scope — develop, document, and present cases that hold up at trial.Field Training Officer role for new recruits — train, evaluate, and progress through structured curricula.De-escalation in dynamic high-stress encounters — lead the contact and bring volatility down without force.Specialty unit assignments (K-9, traffic, school resource, mental health response) — operate within specialty roles.Tactical-team or critical-incident-team participation — train and respond as a tier-2 member.Community partnerships with neighborhood, schools, and businesses — develop trust over years on a beat.Internal-affairs and use-of-force reviews — represent oneself with documentation that withstands scrutiny.Mentorship of mid-tenure officers — provide on judgment, career, and ethics across the watch.Department initiatives (training programs, equipment evaluations) — contribute substantively from a senior officer perspective.
advanced
Patrol-supervisor or sergeant role — lead a squad with discipline, training, and operational responsibilities.Critical incidents on a shift — command on scene until the formal incident commander arrives.Use-of-force investigations and reviews — conduct or contribute as a peer reviewer with rigor and fairness.Department training program — develop and deliver across the agency.Community-trust and reform-oriented programs — lead with credibility on both the officer and community sides.Hiring, FTO, and probationary-officer development — shape the next generation of officers.Inter-agency operations (regional task forces, mutual aid) — represent the department credibly.Internal-policy authorship and revision — contribute with command staff to evolving department practice.Ethics and integrity culture — set the tone through example, mentorship, and intervention.Career-track development for officers — sponsor toward investigations, specialty units, and command.
Also known as
164 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Deputy Sheriff, Building GuardSpecial Reconnaissance Journeyman (Air Force 1Z451)City ConstableState-Highway Police OfficerCritical Skills Operator (Marine Corps 0372)Peace OfficerLight Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Operations Chief (Marine Corps 0393)Uniformed Security OfficerPolice Park OfficerInfantry Unit Leader (Marine Corps 0369)Patrol DriverSpecial DeputySWAT Team Member (Special Weapons and Tactics Team Member)State Patrol OfficerTactical Air Control Party (TACP) Craftsman (Air Force 1Z371)Deputy Sheriff LieutenantLaw Enforcement SpecialistLaw Enforcement OfficerPolice CorporalCourt Security Deputy SheriffCampus Police OfficerPolice InspectorSpecial Reconnaissance Apprentice (Air Force 1Z431)Patrol DeputyCanine Police Officer (K-9 Police Officer)Border Patrol OfficerSheriff's DeputyCity MarshalSecurity Forces (Air Force 31PX)Animal CopPatrol OfficerDeputy SheriffPolice RecruitDrug Abuse Resistance Education Officer (DARE Officer)Canine Handler (K-9 Handler)CopCommunity Service Officer (CSO)PatrolmanDeputy Certified SheriffHighway Patrol Officer