First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 33-1012.00United States

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $106,038
Projected change: +5.4%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 167.68K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What first-line supervisors of police and detectives do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedures are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations.
Prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates.
Investigate and resolve personnel problems within organization and charges of misconduct against staff.
Direct collection, preparation, and handling of evidence and personal property of prisoners.
Explain police operations to subordinates to assist them in performing their job duties.
Maintain logs, prepare reports, and direct the preparation, handling, and maintenance of departmental records.
Inform personnel of changes in regulations and policies, implications of new or amended laws, and new techniques of police work.
Train staff in proper police work procedures.
Discipline staff for violation of department rules and regulations.
Monitor and evaluate the job performance of subordinates, and authorize promotions and transfers.
Review contents of written orders to ensure adherence to legal requirements.
Conduct raids and order detention of witnesses and suspects for questioning.
Cooperate with court personnel and officials from other law enforcement agencies and testify in court, as necessary.
Meet with civic, educational, and community groups to develop community programs and events, and to discuss law enforcement subjects.
Inspect facilities, supplies, vehicles, and equipment to ensure conformance to standards.
Direct release or transfer of prisoners.
Requisition and issue equipment and supplies.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $63,357
25th percentile: $81,848
50th percentile: $106,038
75th percentile: $132,621
90th percentile: $165,110

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $106,038 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.4%average or slower

2025167,678 jobs

2035 projected176,750 jobs

9,072 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 56.4%
Some college: 19.6%
Bachelor's degree: 19.4%
Associate degree: 3.6%
Certificate: 0.9%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Law Enforcement
Crime Prevention
First Aid
Law Enforcement Practices
Office Equipment
Good Driving Record
Public Administration
Public Relations
Performance Review
Community Policing
Traffic Control
Law Enforcement Operations
Emergency Response
Patrolling
Criminal Investigation
Criminal Justice
Data Entry
Criminal Law
Statistics
Emergency Management

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Deputy Sheriffs1,632 postings
02Chiefs of Police559 postings
03Police Sergeants478 postings
04Police Lieutenants202 postings
05Sheriff's Deputies138 postings
06Police Captains119 postings
07Deputy Police Chiefs71 postings
08Assistant Police Chiefs62 postings
09Public Safety Telecommunicators53 postings
10Police Records Technicians45 postings
11Sheriff's Sergeants44 postings
12Telecommunicators36 postings
13Campus Polices34 postings
14Police Records Clerks33 postings
15Patrol Deputies26 postings
16Sergeants26 postings
17Lieutenants25 postings
18Police Officers/Sergeants24 postings
19Patrol Officers23 postings
20Directors of Public Safety/Chiefs of Police22 postings

Top employers

01Keloland Television42 postings
02Commonwealth of Kentucky23 postings
03County Of San Diego21 postings
04San Bernardino County21 postings
05Pinellas County Sheriff's Office20 postings
06Douglas County19 postings
07State of Louisiana19 postings
08County Of San Mateo18 postings
09Kansas Peace Officers Association17 postings
10Commonwealth of Massachusetts16 postings
11County of El Dorado16 postings
12Herc16 postings
13County Of Santa Clara13 postings
14County Orange-Health Care Agency13 postings
15Johns Hopkins University13 postings
16The County Of El Dorado13 postings
17Alameda County12 postings
18Hennepin County12 postings
19Shelby County Government12 postings
20County Of Mendocino11 postings

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