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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Create a Law Enforcement Resume
in 5 Simple Steps

  • Step 1: Add Contact Info

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  • Step 2: Include Work Experience Details

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  • Step 3: Provide Education Details

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  • Step 4: Select Your Skills

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  • Step 5: Fill in Your Background

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Get Expert Writing Recommendations for Your Law Enforcement Resume

Turn to LiveCareer’s Resume Builder for help with category-specific phrases that grab the attention of hiring managers because they convey your abilities and accomplishments. The wording is created by our certified resume writers. The list below contains six examples of possible suggestions that you can use exactly as they are or adjust as needed to fit your situation.

  • Answered over 50 calls per day from automatic routing system and took basic information from callers.
  • Oversaw the work of more than 1,000 police officers, including establishing and enforcing performance policies.
  • Created and maintained arrest files on all 300 inmates processed through incarceration.
  • Prepared case reports from allegations, interview transcripts of interviews and physical evidence.
  • Patrolled designated areas in patrol vehicle and on foot to identify security and safety issues.
  • Served court documents and completed civil process duties for more than 5,000 cases in 14 years.

8 Do’s and Don’ts for Writing a Law Enforcement Resume

  • Do include certifications and training relevant to the role. For example, if you have court, judicial or homeland security certifications, they should likely be included. Similarly, a dispatcher applicant who has received domestic violence communication training should mention it. Likewise, prospective jail guards who took jail evacuation training should list that information.
  • Do tailor your resume to each job opening. It can be tempting to submit the same generic resume for every position. However, you miss the opportunity to include skills and credentials that each job posting specified. One police patrol officer job ad might emphasize skills such as community outreach and conflict resolution while another focuses on the ability to work independently and to communicate quickly with dispatchers.
  • Do quantify your work experience and accomplishments. Use metrics such as “Responded to over 30 daily caller requests” or “Trained over 50 new police officers” to drive home what you are capable of and the impact your work has had for past employers. Metrics don’t need to be in all of your bullet points, but try to have one or two per job description.
  • Do double-check your resume for mistakes. Attention to detail is important in any law enforcement job, whether as a dispatcher or judge. Let your resume breathe for a day, then reread it to catch any pesky typos or grammatical mistakes.
  • Don’t start from scratch with each application. Keep an updated master list of your work history, accomplishments, skills and education. Use what is relevant for each job posting and adjust as needed instead of having to remember past jobs and duties when creating a brand new resume each time.
  • Don’t forget about your hard skills. It’s true that soft skills such as communication, collaboration, leadership and observation are the foundation of many law enforcement jobs. Still, include relevant hard skills both in your skills list and your work history section. These may include fingerprint collection, computer skills and crime data analysis.
  • Don’t include your high school information if you have a degree (or one is in progress). Otherwise, do include it. Many law enforcement jobs such as police patrol officer, parking enforcement officer and police dispatcher are open to high school graduates and those with associate degrees. If you have a class, certification or degree in progress, put down your expected date of completion.
  • Don’t include old information without considering its purpose. Suppose you have been a police officer for 20 years, and your resume still lists a crime lab internship you had right after college. Consider why you want to include that job. Your resume space is limited, so it might be better to use more recent work to outline the skills you gained at the crime lab (or to showcase different skills).

Beat the ATS With These Law Enforcement Resume Keywords

Many law enforcement job seekers will have their resumes run through an applicant tracking system (ATS). Police departments, particularly larger ones, all over the country use these systems to reduce the number of resumes for hiring managers to review. That can be good, but it does mean hiring managers might not see your resume unless it contains certain keywords or phrases.

LiveCareer’s resume builder offers suggestions for skills you can use in your law enforcement resume. Here are some recommendations the builder might make for yours:

  • Evidence collection.
  • Emergency response.
  • Public disturbance investigation.
  • Interrogation.
  • DNA swabbing.
  • Criminal activity prevention.
  • Writing case reports.
  • Using lab equipment.
  • Processing crime scenes.
  • Information intake.
  • Multiline phone talent.
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Law Enforcement Resumes for Every Professional Level

Entry-Level
Crime Strategies Intern Resume Example Build my Resume

Crime Strategies Intern

A functional resume format works well for job applicants who have skills that are transferable to law enforcement but who have limited experience. This candidate’s Work History section consists of just two internships, so she describes her experience and duties as they relate to three skill sets: evidence collection, investigations and recordkeeping. Also, note that she does not yet have her bachelor’s degree, so she put down the date she expects to receive it.

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Mid-Career
Law Enforcement Detective Resume Sample Build my Resume

Detective

This combination resume format is perfect for applicants who have at least a few years of law enforcement experience to go along with their skills. The Professional Summary section at the top quickly points out that the detective’s career spans 10 years. This job seeker then briefly lists his skills before diving into his duties and accomplishments as a detective and police officer. Metrics such as “over 80 suspects” and “50 narcotics investigations” highlight the scope of his work as a detective and his capabilities.

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Executive-Level
Chief Of Police Resume Template Build my Resume

Chief of Police

A chronological resume format like this one is ideal for seasoned professionals with management experience. Skills go near the bottom, while work experience and accomplishments make up the bulk of the resume. As always, metrics are important. This resume uses numbers such as “over 1,000 police officers” and “5 high-profile criminal cases” to showcase the job seeker’s leadership experience. In addition, the resume lists his degrees. Both his work and educational credentials appear with the most recent information first.

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More Law Enforcement Resume Samples

Find resume examples for your desired law-enforcement career. Get access to expert writing recommendations, do’s and don’ts and everything you need to write a perfect resume.

atfauxiliary police officerborder patrol processing coordinatorborder patrol processing coordinator gs06 01chief of policecommunity corrections officercorrectional case managercorrectional corporalcorrectional counselorcorrectional lieutenantcorrectional lvncorrectional officer retiredcorrectional sergeantcorrections officercrime scene clean up biohazard techniciancrime scene techniciancriminal investigatordale county sheriff officedeputy jailerdeputy wardendesk sergeantdetectivedetective corporaldetective lieutenantdetective sergeantdetention corporalfbi special agentfield investigatorfingerprint technicianforensic interviewergame wardengeo correctional officerhomicide detectiveinvestigative case managerJailerJailer SergeantJr. Investigative AnalystJudiciary ClerkLaw Enforcement Information Systems Specialistnarcotics detectivenarcotics detective dea task force officerparking enforcement officerparole officerpatrol corporalpatrol lieutenantpatrol officerpatrol sergeantpeace officerpolice administrative aidepolice armorerpolice cadetpolice captainpolice chiefpolice communication technicianpolice communications technicianpolice corporalpolice detectivepolice field training officer ftopolice lieutenantpolice officer corporalpolice officer recruitpolice records specialistpolice sergeantpolice sergeant promotionpolice service technicianpolice services technician iprocess serverresident agent in chargeretired police officerretired police officer objectivesheriffsheriff custody assistantsheriff of dale countysheriff road patrolsheriff security officersheriff sergeantsheriff traineestate troopersupervisory border patrol agentsupervisory detention and deportation officerswat officertraffic enforcement agenttraffic officerunit anti terrorism officer

Resume Success Stories

Statistics and Facts About Law Enforcement Jobs

Typical Job Titles

  • Police Detective
  • Police Patrol Officer
  • Fish and Game Warden
  • Intelligence Analyst
  • Immigration and Customs Inspector
  • Parking Enforcement Worker
  • Criminal Investigator and Special Agent
  • Administrative Law Judge, Adjudicator and Hearing Officer
  • Transit and Railroad Police
  • Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teacher, Postsecondary

Source: O*Net

Median Annual Pay

Annually

Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates$133,920 annual
Criminal Investigators and Special Agents$81,920 annual
Police Detectives$81,920 annual
Police Patrol Officers$61,380 annual
Fish and Game Wardens$57,710 annual
Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers$40,660 annual
Parking Enforcement Officers$39,840 annual
075K150K

Hourly

Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates$64.39 hourly
Criminal Investigators and Special Agents$39.38 hourly
Police Detectives$39.38 hourly
Police Patrol Officers$29.51 hourly
Fish and Game Wardens$27.75 hourly
Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers$19.55 hourly
Parking Enforcement Officers$19.15 hourly
0K50%100%

Source: O*Net

Projected Job Growth (2018–2028)

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary7% to 10% growth
Police Patrol Officers4% to 6% growth
Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers4% to 6% growth
Fish and Game Wardens2% to 3% growth
Criminal Investigators and Special Agents2% to 3% growth
Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates2% to 3% growth
0%5%10%

Education Level Required

  • 3

    Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates: Doctoral degree

  • 2

    Police Detectives: High school diploma, some college or associate degree

  • 2

    Parking Enforcement Officers: High school diploma

  • 2

    Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers: High school diploma

  • 2

    Police Patrol Officers: High school diploma, postsecondary certificate or associate degree

  • 3

    Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary: Master’s or doctoral degree

Source: O*Net

Number of Projected Job Openings (2018–2028)

  • Police Patrol Officers: 52,900
  • Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary: 1,700
  • Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers: 10,100
  • Judges, Magistrate Judges and Magistrates: 1,500
  • Criminal Investigators and Special Agents: 7,500
  • Fish and Game Wardens: 500
  • Police Detectives: 7,500
  • Parking Enforcement Workers: 200

Source: O*Net

Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement
Administration Degree Recipients

  • 1 5

    Associate Degree

    White Male: 2,166 degrees

    White Female: 1,475 degrees

    Hispanic or Latino Female: 969 degrees

  • 6 Layers

    Bachelor’s Degree

    White Male: 4,993 degrees

    White Female: 3,660 degrees

    Black Female: 2,078 degrees

Source: Data USA

Schools that Graduate the Most Degree Recipients in Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement Administration

  • University of Phoenix-Arizona
  • University of Phoenix-California
  • CUNY (City of New York) John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  • CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
  • Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs

Source: Data USA

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