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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.
Other titles employers use
Deputy · Deputy Sheriff · Law Enforcement Officer · Patrol Deputy · Patrol Officer · Peace Officer · Police Officer · Police Patrol Officer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
- Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
- Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical, organizing and persuading work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
Subjects to know
- Public Safety and Security
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.0 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 2.9 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.3 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 40%
- A certificate or some college 36%
- A two-year degree 17%
- A four-year degree 7%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Spreadsheet software
- Presentation software
- Process mapping and design software
- Operating system software
- Word processing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 66,550
- Job openings each year
- 5,460
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 11.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 66,550 | 5,460 | 11.0% |
| California | 66,400 | 5,180 | 3.4% |
| New York | 63,950 | 1,090 | 20.5% |
| Florida | 52,560 | 4,220 | 7.7% |
| Illinois | 31,900 | 2,480 | 3.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 26,540 | 2,070 | 3.5% |
| Ohio | 24,840 | 1,920 | 2.1% |
| North Carolina | 23,100 | 1,910 | 12.1% |
| Georgia | 22,840 | 1,850 | 8.7% |
| New Jersey | 21,550 | 1,650 | 1.4% |
| Virginia | 18,630 | 1,470 | 4.9% |
| Michigan | 17,280 | 1,290 | −2.1% |
| Louisiana | 14,220 | 1,120 | 5.3% |
| Missouri | 13,550 | 1,060 | 3.8% |
| Tennessee | 13,350 | 1,110 | 13.0% |
| Alabama | 13,320 | 1,050 | 5.0% |
| South Carolina | 13,130 | 1,070 | 9.6% |
| Indiana | 12,850 | 1,000 | 2.8% |
| Wisconsin | 12,440 | 960 | 1.9% |
| Colorado | 12,430 | 1,040 | 15.1% |
| Minnesota | 11,190 | 880 | 5.1% |
| Washington | 11,100 | 1,020 | 10.6% |
| Oklahoma | 11,030 | 900 | 9.9% |
| Maryland | 10,680 | 870 | 9.1% |
| Arizona | 10,330 | 800 | 2.6% |
| Mississippi | 8,760 | 700 | 6.1% |
| Massachusetts | 8,490 | 670 | 5.5% |
| Kentucky | 6,930 | 550 | 4.7% |
| Connecticut | 6,590 | 540 | 10.0% |
| Nevada | 6,560 | 530 | 7.2% |
| Oregon | 6,320 | 520 | 12.5% |
| Kansas | 6,300 | 500 | 5.4% |
| Utah | 6,250 | 540 | 19.7% |
| District of Columbia | 6,180 | 480 | 3.2% |
| Iowa | 5,700 | 460 | 7.8% |
| Arkansas | 5,550 | 440 | 4.1% |
| New Mexico | 4,960 | 400 | 8.8% |
| New Hampshire | 3,260 | 260 | 6.9% |
| West Virginia | 3,230 | 250 | 3.2% |
| Nebraska | 3,070 | 240 | 4.8% |
| Idaho | 2,940 | 230 | 3.9% |
| Maine | 2,190 | 170 | — |
| Montana | 2,150 | 180 | 12.6% |
| Delaware | 2,040 | 160 | 4.6% |
| South Dakota | 2,030 | 160 | 3.0% |
| North Dakota | 1,930 | 150 | 5.5% |
| Rhode Island | 1,900 | 150 | 2.2% |
| Alaska | 1,460 | 110 | 2.8% |
| Wyoming | 1,380 | 110 | 7.0% |
| Vermont | 940 | 70 | 3.3% |
| Guam | 350 | 30 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Degrees each year
- 1,572
- Admit rate
- 57%
- Annual cost after aid
- $7,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 895
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Sam Houston State University
- Degrees each year
- 888
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 586
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
Florida State University
- Degrees each year
- 599
- Admit rate
- 25%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
California State University-Sacramento
- Degrees each year
- 539
- Admit rate
- 94%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Florida International University
- Degrees each year
- 543
- Admit rate
- 59%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Degrees each year
- 476
- Admit rate
- 85%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
Compare every college offering criminal justice and corrections