Police Officer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$76,210

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (O*NET-SOC 33-3051.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts. importance 4.7 of 5
3. Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved. importance 4.4 of 5
7. Investigate illegal or suspicious activities. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests. importance 4.4 of 5
9. Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area. importance 4.3 of 5
10. Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed. importance 4.3 of 5
11. Execute arrest warrants, locating and taking persons into custody. importance 4.3 of 5
12. Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers. importance 4.2 of 5
13. Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, or motorized conveyance, responding promptly to calls for assistance. importance 4.2 of 5
14. Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures. importance 4.2 of 5
15. Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases. importance 4.2 of 5
16. Evaluate complaint and emergency-request information to determine response requirements. importance 4.2 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Communicating with People Outside the Organization.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Supervise law enforcement staff, such as jail staff, officers, and deputy sheriffs.
• Process prisoners, and prepare and maintain records of prisoner bookings and prisoner status during booking and pre-trial process.
• Locate and confiscate real or personal property, as directed by court order.
• Conduct community programs for all ages concerning topics such as drugs and violence.
• Serve statements of claims, subpoenas, summonses, jury summonses, orders to pay alimony, and other court orders.

Knowledge areas: Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, English Language and Psychology.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a police officer.

The most common answer among police officers surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (42%).

Job title: Police Officer
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Police Officer to maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.
- Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.
- Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.
- Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.
- Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.
- Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.
- Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
- Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, social perceptiveness and speaking
- Working knowledge of Public Safety and Security and Law and Government
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Visio or Microsoft Access]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $76,210 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $36.64. BLS estimates about 670,520 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 51,500 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full police officer salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real police officer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only police officer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and social perceptiveness); police officer interview questions turns them into practice questions.