What Does a Police Sergeant Do?
For most officers, sergeant is the first taste of supervision. At roll call, police sergeants set the beats, breaks and backup for a patrol squad in a city or county department, then lead that squad in the field and change the plan one call at a time. They also check every report their officers file.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Captain, Deputy Sheriff, Detective Sergeant, Lieutenant, Patrol Sergeant, Police Captain, Police Chief, Police Lieutenant.
Police Sergeant Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a police sergeant include:
- Hold roll call, brief the squad on wanted persons and trouble spots, and assign beats.
- Respond to serious calls to take charge of the scene and request extra resources.
- Approve or return officers' reports for missing facts, weak probable cause or policy errors.
- Evaluate each officer's performance and document coaching and corrective steps.
- Review body camera video after force incidents and complaints.
- Oversee field training officers and sign off on recruits ready for solo patrol.
- Approve overtime, shift trades and leave requests within staffing limits.
- Investigate minor complaints against officers and refer serious ones to internal affairs.
- Ride or walk with officers to see their work up close and give direct feedback.
- Cover for the lieutenant as acting watch commander when needed.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a police sergeant, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Several years of patrol experience
- Leading by example on calls
- Legal standards for arrests, searches and reports
- Coaching and fair discipline
- Scene management and radio command
- Scheduling and time management
- Settling conflicts within the squad
- Credibility with officers and residents
Education and Training
A promotional exam decides who moves up in most departments, which fill sergeant posts from their own ranks. Time as a field training officer or corporal lays the groundwork. A college degree strengthens an application in many agencies, though a high school diploma plus on-the-job training is still the baseline BLS gives for police supervisors. Supervisor school tends to follow promotion.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $81,860 - $132,620 per year, with a median of $106,040.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives.
Employment of first-line supervisors of police and detectives, the group sergeants belong to, is projected to rise about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS. Sergeant posts, the most common supervisory rank, likely account for many of the group's roughly 10,600 openings a year. For most officers it is the natural next step.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of police and detectives.
Police Sergeant Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $63,350 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $81,860 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $106,040 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $132,620 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $165,110 |
Highest-Paying States for Police Sergeants
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are California ($163,960), New Jersey ($142,990), Hawaii ($140,590), Alaska ($137,320), Washington ($136,280). Pay is lowest in Louisiana ($70,470), Arkansas ($62,290), Mississippi ($59,860).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $75,970 |
| Alaska | $137,320 |
| Arizona | $104,850 |
| Arkansas | $62,290 |
| California | $163,960 |
| Colorado | $126,810 |
| Connecticut | $109,360 |
| Delaware | $131,080 |
| District of Columbia | $134,760 |
| Florida | $100,880 |
| Georgia | $80,120 |
| Hawaii | $140,590 |
| Idaho | $94,920 |
| Illinois | $135,080 |
| Indiana | $81,540 |
| Iowa | $98,840 |
| Kansas | $82,950 |
| Kentucky | $80,390 |
| Louisiana | $70,470 |
| Maine | $92,350 |
| Maryland | $120,700 |
| Massachusetts | $104,320 |
| Michigan | $98,140 |
| Minnesota | $118,750 |
| Mississippi | $59,860 |
| Missouri | $94,440 |
| Montana | $89,380 |
| Nebraska | $106,100 |
| Nevada | $132,100 |
| New Hampshire | $100,060 |
| New Jersey | $142,990 |
| New Mexico | $92,200 |
| New York | $124,080 |
| North Carolina | $91,100 |
| North Dakota | $98,300 |
| Ohio | $98,380 |
| Oklahoma | $82,830 |
| Oregon | $122,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $102,400 |
| Rhode Island | $97,690 |
| South Carolina | $73,700 |
| South Dakota | $87,810 |
| Tennessee | $74,770 |
| Texas | $111,000 |
| Utah | $110,500 |
| Vermont | $99,280 |
| Virginia | $101,230 |
| Washington | $136,280 |
| West Virginia | $74,280 |
| Wisconsin | $97,120 |
| Wyoming | $91,400 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of police and detectives about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% are on the phone every day
- 95% use email every day
- 91% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 90% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week
- 78% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 62% work outdoors in all kinds of weather every day
- 61% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 56% |
| Some college | 20% |
| Bachelor's degree | 19% |
Tools and Software Police Sergeants Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness.
Knowledge areas used most: Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 33-1012.00 (First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.