What does a Patrol Officer do?
The job of patrol officers is to enforce ordinances, laws, prevent crime, control crowds, arrest violators, and regulate traffic. They also perform other duties that may include monitoring an assigned area for unauthorized or suspicious activity, responding to reports of emergencies and possible crime such as robberies, and building good relationships with community members. To be a successful patrol officer, you should have solid judgment, excellent communication skills, and decision-making skills in stressful situations.
Patrol officer responsibilities
Patrol officers play a crucial role in maintaining law and order. They enforce traffic laws, respond to emergency situations, and collect evidence for criminal cases. As Dr. Latarcia Barnes, Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, notes, "Federal law enforcement is a great profession to enter...The underlying theme is to enforce the laws that the federal government has and to enforce the judgement of a federal judge." patrol officers also mediate disputes, manage crime scenes, and provide crowd control at major events. They are often involved in preliminary investigations, interviewing witnesses, and gathering facts. Their responsibilities extend to enforcing federal, state, and local criminal laws, and they are often the first responders to safety hazards and medical emergencies.
Here are examples of responsibilities from real patrol officer resumes:
- Manage surveillance of DUI traffic offenders in Jacksonville
- Report and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.
- Enforce NYS racing guidelines state, rules and regulations.
- Protect life and property at the largest regional aviation facility in NYS.
- Provide emergency medical assistance as a first responder.
- Utilize security vehicle to patrol all residential areas and parking lot ensuring resident safety.
- Maintain current training in firearms qualifications and proficiency in arrest control techniques through regular training.
- Handle security patrols, civil disturbance, criminal investigation, accident investigation and firearms certification training to local officers.
- Promote to the rank of Sgt.
- Prepare appropriate reports, ensure that proper school personnel and NYPD are notified when necessary.
- Arrest a DWI suspect and book into jail.
- Apply lifesaving procedures, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation as first responder to accidents.
- Detain perpetrators and/or summons and coordinate with NYPD.
- Provide safe ride for U.S. diplomats, VIP visitors, and representatives of U.S. Embassy.
Patrol officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 48% of Patrol Officers are proficient in Patrol, Customer Service, and Public Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Empathy, Leadership skills, and Physical strength.
We break down the percentage of Patrol Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 48%
Utilized security vehicle to patrol all residential areas and parking lot ensuring resident safety.
- Customer Service, 8%
Devised and implemented updated record keeping processes that resulted in more efficient customer service to a diverse military community.
- Public Safety, 7%
Performed citywide patrols and ensured public safety, investigated criminal activity, interviewed victims, witnesses, and suspects.
- Law Enforcement Agencies, 5%
Performed preliminary investigations at accident scenes, assess damage, assist injured motorists and assist other local law enforcement agencies.
- Emergency Situations, 5%
Responded to emergency situations, quickly evaluated situation and leveraged team members' skills to determine most effective solution.
- Incident Reports, 2%
Completed incident reports, interviewed witnessed, gathered facts, and conducted preliminary investigations.
Most patrol officers use their skills in "patrol," "customer service," and "public safety" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential patrol officer responsibilities here:
Empathy. The most essential soft skill for a patrol officer to carry out their responsibilities is empathy. This skill is important for the role because "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." Additionally, a patrol officer resume shows how their duties depend on empathy: "maintained thorough understanding of state, county, and municipal civil service laws, applicable federal laws, and county regulations. "
Leadership skills. Another essential skill to perform patrol officer duties is leadership skills. Patrol officers responsibilities require that "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." Patrol officers also use leadership skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided direct leadership and motivation for nearly 35 patrol officers and civilian support personnel concerning select community policing strategies and initiatives. "
Physical strength. patrol officers are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to patrol officer responsibilities, because "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." A patrol officer resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "balanced customer service with an awareness of physical security policy. "
Communication skills. patrol officer responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." This resume example shows what patrol officers do with communication skills on a typical day: "have excellent verbal and written communication skills in preparing case history for criminal cases for investigators and prosecutors for count. "
Good judgment. Another common skill required for patrol officer responsibilities is "good judgment." This skill comes up in the duties of patrol officers all the time, as "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." An excerpt from a real patrol officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a patrol officer does: "enforced the texas criminal/traffic laws of texas (resigned in good standing)"
The three companies that hire the most patrol officers are:
- Securitas AB152 patrol officers jobs
- Allied Universal15 patrol officers jobs
- American Security9 patrol officers jobs
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Compare different patrol officers
Patrol officer vs. Security specialist
A security specialist is responsible for maintaining the security of an organization's database, ensuring that it's free from cyber threats and unusual activities. Security specialists' duties include upgrading hardware and software applications, configuring networks to improve optimization, addressing any unauthorized access on the database, troubleshooting system discrepancies, conducting security audits on the system, and improving automated processes. A security specialist must have a strong command of programming languages and system codes, as well as broad experience with technical expertise.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, patrol officer responsibilities require skills like "law enforcement agencies," "traffic control," "crime scenes," and "safety hazards." Meanwhile a typical security specialist has skills in areas such as "ladders," "security incidents," "physical security," and "security clearance." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that security specialists earn slightly differ from patrol officers. In particular, security specialists are 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a patrol officer. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Patrol officer vs. Loss prevention analyst
A loss prevention analyst designs and develops loss prevention programs, typically for retail establishments. They are in charge of providing analytical services primarily to avoid or resolve cases of theft and fraud. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing financial and inventory data, inspecting alarm systems and protocols, performing research and analysis to identify the best practices, determining the strengths and weaknesses of current loss prevention techniques, and implementing solutions against vulnerable areas. Furthermore, a loss prevention analyst must maintain an active communication line with managers and loss prevention officers for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real patrol officer resumes. While patrol officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "patrol," "public safety," "cpr," and "traffic control," loss prevention analysts use skills like "loss prevention," "data loss prevention," "camera surveillance," and "basic math."
Loss prevention analysts may earn a higher salary than patrol officers, but loss prevention analysts earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $44,380. On the other hand, patrol officers receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,608.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Loss prevention analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than patrol officers. In fact, they're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Patrol officer vs. Criminal investigator
A criminal investigator is a law enforcement professional who endeavors to solve felony crimes. Criminal investigators may work alone or as a member of an investigative team whose goal is to uncover the certainty of a case and potentially keep suspects to prevent the ensuing criminal activity. Their tasks and responsibilities depend on various job functions and specialties. They may specialize in the information and evidence of a crime scene, conduct interviews and searches, or perform surveillance.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from patrol officer resumes include skills like "customer service," "public safety," "emergency situations," and "incident reports," whereas a criminal investigator is more likely to list skills in "investigative reports," "resourcefulness," "firearms," and "treasury. "
Criminal investigators earn the best pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $52,921. Patrol officers earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $39,608.When it comes to education, criminal investigators tend to earn higher degree levels compared to patrol officers. In fact, they're 6.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Patrol officer vs. Detective
A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.
Types of patrol officer
Updated April 25, 2024
