Government & Public SafetyCompare

Police Officer

O*NET: Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers·33-3051.00

The Verdict:Police work centers on physical patrols in unpredictable streets, hands-on interventions like arrests and first aid, and split-second judgment in volatile encounters. AI assists reports and dispatch but cannot replicate field presence, force decisions, or community trust-building. Legal requirements for sworn human officers ensure durability over the next decade.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$76k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+3%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 3 of 30 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

10%

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
21 of 30 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 20% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

3exposed

6AI leverage

21human-essential

View all 30 tasks

AI Can Handle This3 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.

Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.

Provide road information to assist motorists.

AI Leverage6 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.

Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.

Evaluate complaint and emergency-request information to determine response requirements.

Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.

Notify patrol units to take violators into custody or to provide needed assistance or medical aid.

Process prisoners, and prepare and maintain records of prisoner bookings and prisoner status during booking and pre-trial process.

Human Advantage21 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.

Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.

Render aid to accident survivors and other persons requiring first aid for physical injuries.

Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.

Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.

Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.

Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.

Execute arrest warrants, locating and taking persons into custody.

Patrol and guard courthouses, grand jury rooms, or assigned areas to provide security, enforce laws, maintain order, and arrest violators.

Photograph or draw diagrams of crime or accident scenes and interview principals and eyewitnesses.

Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, or motorized conveyance, responding promptly to calls for assistance.

Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed.

Transport or escort prisoners and defendants en route to courtrooms, prisons or jails, attorneys' offices, or medical facilities.

Direct traffic flow and reroute traffic in case of emergencies.

Question individuals entering secured areas to determine their business, directing and rerouting individuals as necessary.

Place people in protective custody.

Serve statements of claims, subpoenas, summonses, jury summonses, orders to pay alimony, and other court orders.

Inform citizens of community services and recommend options to facilitate longer-term problem resolution.

Locate and confiscate real or personal property, as directed by court order.

Conduct community programs for all ages concerning topics such as drugs and violence.

Supervise law enforcement staff, such as jail staff, officers, and deputy sheriffs.

Resilience Landscape

Police Officer lands in Stable & Well-Paid

Higher Resilience Paths in Government & Public Safety

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Police Officer

Task Analysis

Resilience Landscape

Higher Resilience Paths in Government & Public Safety

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