Protective Service
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Also called: Deputy Sheriff, K-9 Handler (Canine Handler), Law Enforcement Officer, Patrol Officer
US median pay
$76,210
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+3.5%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
51,500
693,200 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
- Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
- Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
- Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.
- Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
- Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Coordination3.6/5
- Persuasion3.5/5
- Negotiation3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
Knowledge
- Public Safety and Security4.8/5
- Law and Government4.7/5
- Customer and Personal Service4.3/5
- English Language4.0/5
- Psychology4.0/5
- Education and Training3.7/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Enterprising
Leading, persuading and starting things
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.