# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/police-and-sheriffs-patrol-officers
- SOC code: 33-3051.00
- Career family: Protective service
- Median annual pay: $76,210 (10th percentile $47,510, 90th percentile $115,120)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.5%
- Openings a year: 51,500
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 73 |
| Investigative (I) | 29 |
| Artistic (A) | 1 |
| Social (S) | 41 |
| Enterprising (E) | 51 |
| Conventional (C) | 56 |

## What you'd do

- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 98/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 98/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 97/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 94/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 93/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 92/100)
- Getting Information (importance 91/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 88/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 88/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 87/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, Service Orientation, Persuasion

## Knowledge

Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Psychology, Education and Training, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics, Geography, Therapy and Counseling

## Also called

Accident Prevention Squad Police Officer, Border Patrol Officer, Campus Police Officer, Certified Police Officer, Chief Deputy Sheriff, City Constable, Civil Division Deputy Sheriff, Community Service Officer (CSO), Community Service Patrol Officer, Constable

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Criminal Justice and Corrections](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4301) (CIP 4301, 1,742 colleges)
- [Security Science and Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4304) (CIP 4304, 513 colleges)
- [Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0302) (CIP 0302, 204 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Calumet College of Saint Joseph](https://www.collegesref.com/college/calumet-college-of-saint-joseph-380) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,078 | $106,465 | $20,417 |
| [Champlain College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/champlain-college-508) | Security Science and Technology | $68,425 | $101,401 | $28,520 |
| [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott](https://www.collegesref.com/college/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-prescott-909) | Security Science and Technology | $58,252 | $98,996 | $20,500 |
| [Florida State University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/florida-state-university-main-campus-985) | Security Science and Technology | $60,178 | $93,841 | $15,125 |
| [Robert Morris University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/robert-morris-university-2246) | Security Science and Technology | $64,104 | $90,206 | $26,000 |
| [California State University-Bakersfield](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-bakersfield-364) | Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | not reported | $82,315 | not reported |
| [National University-California](https://www.collegesref.com/college/national-university-california-1825) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $66,056 | $81,299 | $25,000 |
| [Fisher College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fisher-college-957) | Criminal Justice and Corrections | $48,983 | $80,136 | $26,875 |

## Related careers

- [Detectives and Criminal Investigators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/detectives-and-criminal-investigators): $93,790 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-police-and-detectives): $106,040 median pay
- [Transit and Railroad Police](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transit-and-railroad-police): $90,230 median pay
- [Bailiffs](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bailiffs): $56,600 median pay
- [Private Detectives and Investigators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/private-detectives-and-investigators): $51,220 median pay
- [Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/probation-officers-and-correctional-treatment-specialists): $66,270 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.