What the job covers in US statistics
Police officers are counted in occupation 33-3051, police and sheriff's patrol officers, which has 693,200 jobs. Sample titles show the range: police officer, patrol officer, deputy sheriff, state trooper, peace officer, public safety officer, school resource officer and K-9 handler all fall under this code. Detectives and criminal investigators are counted separately, as are fish and game wardens and transit and railroad police. All figures on this page, including the median wage of $76,210, cover the patrol officer group.
Patrol officers are the most common type of police. They wear uniforms, patrol an assigned area, respond to emergency and nonemergency calls and observe people and activities to keep order. By law, they must write detailed reports and keep meticulous records, which is why paperwork takes a real share of every shift.
How the job differs by agency
Where you work shapes the job. City police departments, county sheriff's offices and state agencies all employ patrol officers. The work combines enforcing local, tribal, state or federal laws with patrolling a specific area, directing traffic, issuing traffic summonses, investigating accidents, arresting suspects and serving legal processes of courts. The mix depends on the agency: a city officer may spend most of a shift on calls for service, while a state trooper typically spends more of it on traffic enforcement. School and campus officers, part of the 3% of police and detectives employed in educational services, deal more with young people and prevention.
Department size matters too. In large departments, officers may join special units such as mounted, motorcycle or SWAT teams, or work only on a specific type of crime such as narcotics. Officers typically must work patrol for a certain number of years before they can join a special unit. Large departments also promote some officers to detective, where they usually specialize in one type of crime.
How the hiring process works
Requirements vary by agency, but the pattern is similar. Candidates usually must be at least 21, hold a high school diploma or equivalent and meet rigorous physical and personal qualifications. Expect written exams, physical tests of strength and agility, vision and hearing checks, a series of interviews and a background investigation; some agencies add polygraph and drug tests. A felony conviction or drug use may disqualify you, and most states and local jurisdictions require U.S. citizenship.
After hiring, recruits attend a training academy, which averages about 21 weeks. Training includes classroom instruction in state and local laws, constitutional law, civil rights and police ethics, along with supervised training in patrol, traffic control, firearm use, self-defense, first aid and emergency response. Field training on the job follows. States set the training standards, and some, such as Texas, require academy graduates to pass a state licensing exam. A degree is not usually required to start, but many entry-level applicants have some college and a significant number are graduates, and a foreign language is an asset in many regions.
Where the jobs and the pay are
California has the most patrol officer jobs (65,940) and the highest median wage, $118,880. Texas follows with 63,100 jobs and a median of $75,900, then New York (53,470 jobs, median $92,790), Florida (43,630 jobs, median $74,470) and Illinois (29,180 jobs, median $100,520). Washington has the second-highest median at $102,080. New York is the most concentrated of the large states, with a location quotient of 1.28.
Nationally, the middle half of officers earn between $59,290 and $97,600. Paid overtime is common, so actual earnings depend partly on how many extra shifts you work. Official statistics do not break pay down by years of service, so check the pay scale of the specific department you are applying to; promotion to corporal, sergeant, lieutenant and captain is the main way to move up.
The honest downsides
The risks are real. Police work can be physically demanding, stressful and dangerous, and patrol officers have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Officers must stay alert for their entire shift and regularly see suffering and the results of violence. Shift work around the clock is necessary, so nights, weekends and holidays come with the job, especially early in a career. Hiring also depends on local and state budgets, so demand varies by location. On the positive side, employment is projected to grow 3.5% over the next decade, with about 51,500 openings a year, and many officers find it rewarding to help their communities.