Patrol communities, respond to calls, enforce laws, and investigate crimes to keep people safe.
You may also see this posted as: Deputy, Deputy Sheriff, Patrol Officer, Law Enforcement Officer, Patrol Deputy, Peace Officer.
Streets, vehicles, and stations; outdoors and in, physical and unpredictable.
Shift work including nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call.
Realistic
working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world
Conventional
organizing information, following systems, and getting details right
Enterprising
leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action
O*NET job zone 3 of 5
Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.
Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.
May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
BLS estimates 0.1% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.
Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.
High school / no degree
Training path: Paid police academy.
Related work experience: None.
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.
Requires completing a police academy and meeting state certification standards.
You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.
Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.
Pension math matters here: 20-25 years to retirement with benefits.
Run the Reality Check — build the life you want and see the salary it takes, then compare it to this one.
Browse verified internships, fellowships, and programs — many paid — that lead into fields like this.
Free resume templates, interview practice, and getting-hired guides in the Careers kit.
Standard Occupational Classification 33-3051. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.