Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
What Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 0.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.8/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 4.8/5
- English Languageimportance 4.3/5
- Psychologyimportance 4.1/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.0/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.8/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.5/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
- In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment4.7/5
- Telephone Conversations4.7/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Compliance Officers98% skill match
- Animal Control Workers97% skill match
- Psychiatric Aides97% skill match
- Community Health Workers97% skill match
- Emergency Medicine Physicians97% skill match
- Occupational Therapy Assistants96% skill match
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators96% skill match
- Tellers96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.5/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.4/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- 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
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Stress Tolerance
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Self-Control
- Cautiousness
- Adaptability
- Self-Confidence
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- SocialMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where police and sheriff's patrol officers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Lake Charles, LA4.07× national avg
- 2San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR3.62× national avg
- 3Eagle Pass, TX2.85× national avg
- 4Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA2.14× national avg
- 5Columbus, GA-AL2.02× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsLateral Move
- BailiffsLateral Move
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsCareer Change
- Compliance OfficersCareer Change
See the full career path from Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY)grads earn ~$59,343
- Rio Salado College (Tempe, AZ)grads earn ~$60,390
- Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH)grads earn ~$61,027
- Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX)grads earn ~$51,748
- University of Phoenix-Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)grads earn ~$56,662
Geospatial Intelligence
- Farmingdale State College (Farmingdale, NY)grads earn ~$60,464
- The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
- Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, GA)
- University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond, OK)grads earn ~$54,876
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY)grads earn ~$60,416
Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services
- University of Denver (Denver, CO)grads earn ~$88,331
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR)grads earn ~$52,730
- California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA)grads earn ~$68,965
- University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)grads earn ~$58,938
- American Public University System (Charles Town, WV)