Protective Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 33-1012

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

The published band from $63,350 to $165,110 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Transit and Railroad Police.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives: Transit and Railroad Police ($90K) , Bailiffs ($57K) , Fire Inspectors and Investigators ($76K) , First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers ($78K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 33-1012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedu…
  2. 2. Prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates
  3. 3. Direct collection, preparation, and handling of evidence and personal property of prisoners
  4. 4. Investigate and resolve personnel problems within organization and charges of misconduct against staff
  5. 5. Explain police operations to subordinates to assist them in performing their job duties
  6. 6. Maintain logs, prepare reports, and direct the preparation, handling, and maintenance of departmental records
  7. 7. Inform personnel of changes in regulations and policies, implications of new or amended laws, and new techniques of police work
  8. 8. Train staff in proper police work procedures
  9. 9. Discipline staff for violation of department rules and regulations
  10. 10. Monitor and evaluate the job performance of subordinates, and authorize promotions and transfers
  11. 11. Review contents of written orders to ensure adherence to legal requirements
  12. 12. Conduct raids and order detention of witnesses and suspects for questioning

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 33-1012 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 4.0
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  7. 7. Management of Personnel Resources 4.0
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.7
  2. 2. Law and Government 4.5
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  4. 4. Administration and Management 4.0
  5. 5. English Language 3.8
  6. 6. Psychology 3.8
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$63,350 to $165,110
median $106,040 · ~2.6× spread
$106K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
10,900
Annual openings
154,610
Estimated US jobs
Transit and Railroad Police
Highest-pay peer · $90K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

1. Illinois $135,080
2. Colorado $126,810
3. Hawaii $140,590
4. Washington $136,280
5. Delaware $131,080
6. California $163,960
7. Nevada $132,100
8. New Jersey $142,990
9. District of Columbia $134,760
10. Alaska $137,320

Other Protective Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Fire Inspectors and Investigators $75,920
  2. 2. First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers $77,970
  3. 3. Transit and Railroad Police $90,230
  4. 4. Bailiffs $56,600
  5. 5. Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $76,210
  6. 6. Fish and Game Wardens $74,060

The OEWS band for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives runs from $63,350 (10th) to $165,110 (90th), about 2.6× wide, with median $106,040. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 10,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Illinois at $135,080. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Transit and Railroad Police at $90,230. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives pay-rank #1 in Protective Service Occupations

Among 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations with a published OEWS median, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives is pay-rank #1, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 33-1012 · national median $106,040 · upper third of Protective Service Occupations (#1/24). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 33-1012

Illinois · top state for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

$135K published median

Colorado · #2 state pay

$127K · behind Illinois

Transit and Railroad Police

Highest-pay peer vs First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives · $90K

Bailiffs

Lower-pay peer beside First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives · $57K

Compare First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Protective Service Occupations titles sit near First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives at the top of the pay table? ▼
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives is pay-rank #1 of 24 detailed Protective Service Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Detectives and Criminal Investigators ($94K), First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($94K), Transit and Railroad Police ($90K), First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers ($78K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do first-line supervisors of police and detectives do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives. Leading ones include: Supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedu…; Prepare work schedules and assign duties to subordinates; Direct collection, preparation, and handling of evidence and personal property of prisoners; Investigate and resolve personnel problems within organization and charges of misconduct against staff. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for first-line supervisors of police and detectives? ▼
For SOC 33-1012, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $63,350 and the 90th at $165,110 for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives (2.6× spread). The national median is $106,040. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 10,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives? ▼
Illinois ($135,080), Colorado ($126,810), Hawaii ($140,590) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 33-1012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics