Career
Police and sheriff's patrol officers
Protect a community and answer its calls for help.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“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.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Learning.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $76,210 a year and 51,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Criminal JusticeSee the degree →
- Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective ServicesCIP 03.0208
- Criminal Justice and Corrections, GeneralCIP 43.0100
- Criminal Justice/Police ScienceCIP 43.0107
- Law Enforcement Investigation and InterviewingCIP 43.0114
- Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence ManagementCIP 43.0115
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators$93,790 · +0.2%
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$106,040 · +3.3%
- Transit and Railroad Police$90,230 · +3.2%
- Bailiffs$56,600 · -1.9%
- Private Detectives and Investigators$51,220 · +5.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.