What Is A Public Safety Officer? | Career Path And Overview - Zippia

Overview

JobsSalaryResumeSkillsWhat They DoEducationCertificationsDemographicsJob DescriptionHow To HireBest CompaniesBest StatesBest CitiesJob OutlookComparePart Time jobsEntry Level jobsFull Time jobsWhat is a public safety officer and how to become oneWritten by Zippia teamUpdated January 8, 20254 min readQuoted expert Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

A public safety officer is responsible for keeping the peace in public areas, such as university campuses or state facilities. The broad term of public safety officer may refer to various professions related to public safety, such as firefighters, law enforcement officers, rescue squad members, or ambulance crew.

Depending on their area of expertise, public safety officers make the necessary arrangements to keep people on the premises safe and the area clear of suspicious activities. They go on patrols, are on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, perform emergency treatments, detain suspects, or make arrests, if necessary.

In order to become a public safety officer, you need to undergo appropriate and thorough training and obtain adequate licenses to perform these jobs. Similar positions to public safety officer roles exist in the non-public sector as well, such as lifeguards or security guards on private premises. Their activities and job requirements are regulated by different standards.

What general advice would you give to a public safety officer?

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.ScorePublic Safety OfficerUS AverageSalary2.9

Avg. Salary $36,596

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level10.0

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity6.1Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 3.44%

Black or African American 11.88%

Hispanic or Latino 19.47%

Unknown 4.59%

White 59.58%

Gender

female 23.34%

male 76.66%

Age - 39Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39Stress level10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Public safety officer career paths

Key steps to become a public safety officer

1. Explore public safety officer education requirements

   Most common public safety officer degrees

   Bachelor's

   38.3 %

   Associate

   27.1 %

   High School Diploma

   21.5 %Show more

2. Start to develop specific public safety officer skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Patrol	17.78%
   Patients	17.22%
   Public Safety	12.14%
   Customer Service	6.94%
   CPR	4.90%

   Show more

3. Complete relevant public safety officer training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New public safety officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a public safety officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real public safety officer resumes.

4. Obtain the necessary licensing

   Becoming a licensed public safety officer usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed public safety officer in most of states. 30 states require public safety officers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

   State	Education	Exam	License url
   Alabama	-	-	Licensed Personal Security Officer
   Maryland	-	-	GUARDS
   Alaska	Specific course required	-	Security Guard
   Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Private Security Officer (PSO)
   California	Specific course required	State exam required	Security Guard Registration

   Show more

5. Research public safety officer duties and responsibilities

   • Manage litigation and bankruptcy matters.
   • Apply hand cuffs, restraints and calm combative irate people, handling emergency situations, report writing, CPR, a.
   • Patrol campus, answer calls: fire, police, ems.
   • Engage in assistance for medical staff in dangerous situations, patient restraints, heavy lifting, and area access.

6. Prepare your public safety officer resume

   When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your public safety officer resume.

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a public safety officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose from 10+ customizable public safety officer resume templates

   Build a professional public safety officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your public safety officer resume.Use this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this templateUse this template

7. Apply for public safety officer jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a public safety officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams

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Average public safety officer salary

The average public safety officer salary in the United States is $36,596 per year or $18 per hour. Public safety officer salaries range between $29,000 and $46,000 per year.

Average public safety officer salary$36,596 Yearly$17.59 hourlyMore public safety officer salary info

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How do public safety officers rate their job?

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Based on 1 ratings

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Public safety officer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022Cons

The pay is not worth what you have to do sometimes

Pros

Meeting a lot of different people have helped people in this job

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020Pros

Yes because is a job that deal with helping people that your help and there's a wonderful happiness while working properly and helping people at the sometime.

Cons

One sometimes people will not like you but they need a help from you but to me a don't call it anything now because I know the status of the job even in a building I have work in that area as a security guard department with my license from United Arab Emirates.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020Pros

Working as a safety officer keeps a you alert at all time,you talk safety,act safety,wear safety, see safety,do everything safety,you even smell danger and prevent it before happening and that's cool.

Cons

Nobody loves to die but I guess its inevitable,working as a safety officer you must be ready for anything.

More ReviewsWorking as a public safety officer? Share your experience anonymously.Overall rating*Career growthWork/Life balancePay/SalaryPros of working as a Public Safety OfficerCons of working as a Public Safety OfficerSubmit anonymous review

Public safety officer FAQs

Public Safety Officer vs. Police Officer

Have more questions? See all answers to common protective service questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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