What Does a Police Lieutenant Do?
The hardest calls on a night shift usually end up with a police lieutenant. Most larger departments keep one on duty as watch commander around the clock, and that lieutenant makes the senior decisions on pursuits, shootings and serious complaints. Others lead investigations, traffic or training units.
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 Sergeant.
Police Lieutenant Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a police lieutenant include:
- Command a patrol shift as watch commander, making the calls sergeants escalate.
- Approve or end vehicle pursuits and authorize specialized units such as SWAT or canine teams.
- Review use-of-force, pursuit and injury reports and send concerns up the chain.
- Supervise sergeants, check their evaluations of officers and coach them on discipline.
- Balance shift staffing, leave requests and overtime against the division budget.
- Take citizen complaints at the front desk and start preliminary inquiries.
- Lead a specialized unit such as investigations, traffic or training in some departments.
- Brief the captain on overnight incidents, staffing gaps and emerging crime patterns.
- Set up command posts at barricades, missing-person searches and major crashes.
- Audit patrol reports and samples of body camera footage for quality and policy compliance.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a police lieutenant, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Experience as a sergeant
- Real-time decisions on critical incidents
- Use-of-force law and department policy
- Staffing and overtime management
- Incident command training
- Report review and writing
- Fair, consistent discipline
- A steady temperament on overnight shifts
Education and Training
Lieutenants are promoted from sergeant, usually after a written exam, an assessment center and an interview panel. BLS lists a high school diploma, less than 5 years of related experience and moderate on-the-job training as typical for police supervisors, though many departments now expect some college by this rank. Leadership courses help with the jump.
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.
Lieutenant posts sit inside a group BLS expects to grow about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035: first-line supervisors of police and detectives. Nationwide, about 10,600 openings a year are expected across it. Promotion depends on vacancies above, so patience is part of the job.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of police and detectives.
Police Lieutenant 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 Lieutenants
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 Lieutenants 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:
Applying for a Police Lieutenant Job
- Job application letter sample
- How to write the skills section of a resume
- How to describe your work experience
- Job interview tips
- Interview thank-you note
The Job Explorer never charges candidates any money. If someone asks you to pay to apply for a police lieutenant job or to get hired, treat it as a warning sign.
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.