What is the difference between an officer and a detective?

A Police Officer is someone that is hired at an entry level of police work, traffic is the start of their career. They also pull patrol duty through neighborhoods. read more

Patrol officers and detectives serve different functions in the law enforcement community, but both play important roles in deterring crime and keeping people safe. Each police department establishes its own job descriptions and duty assignments for patrol officers and detectives, but most departments use similar job descriptions. read more

The main difference between detectives and patrol officers is that detectives focus on crime solving by conducting investigations, rather than patrolling a designated area looking for suspicious activity. read more

A police officer answers calls for service and engages in some self initiated policing. Calls for service are generally 911 calls from the public. read more