Also called: Police Officer, Patrolman, Beat Cop
Patrols a community, responds to 911 calls, and enforces laws.
A patrol shift might start with a briefing, then calls about a car crash, a shoplifter, a mental-health crisis, and a lost child, plus lots of report writing. No two shifts are the same. Officers often work nights, weekends, and holidays, especially early on.
Overtime often adds a lot to base pay.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma (many departments prefer some college), pass the police academy (about 6 months), and physical, background, and psychological tests.
Ways in: On-the-job training, 2-year college, 4-year college, Military. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Criminology, Psychology, Sociology.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). BLS police and detectives 2024-34.
Low risk for 10 years. AI drafts reports from body-cam audio and flags plates; answering calls, calming crises and making arrests stay human.
Classes: Spanish or another community language, Psychology, PE / strength training, Criminal justice CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-3051.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.