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Supervisors, Protective Services

These professionals oversee and coordinate the daily operations of protective service personnel across various settings including correctional facilities, police departments, fire stations, and security operations. They manage work schedules, ensure compliance with policies and regulations, and maintain safety and security within their assigned areas. Supervisors in this field provide guidance to front-line workers while handling administrative duties and emergency response coordination.

Median Annual Pay
$83,035
Range: $36,560 - $160,710
Training Time
Less than 6 months
AI Resilience
🟡AI-Augmented
Education
High school diploma or equivalent

🎬Career Video

🤖AI Resilience Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 3/6: balanced factors means AI will assist but humans remain essential

🟡AI-Augmented

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Medium+1

42% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Stable+1

+3% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Moderate+1

EPOCH score: 18/25

Total Score3/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

📋Key Responsibilities

  • Take, receive, or check periodic inmate counts.
  • Maintain order, discipline, and security within assigned areas in accordance with relevant rules, regulations, policies, and laws.
  • Maintain knowledge of, comply with, and enforce all institutional policies, rules, procedures, and regulations.
  • Respond to emergencies, such as escapes.
  • Supervise and direct the work of correctional officers to ensure the safe custody, discipline, and welfare of inmates.
  • Supervise or perform searches of inmates or their quarters to locate contraband items.
  • Monitor behavior of subordinates to ensure alert, courteous, and professional behavior toward inmates, parolees, fellow employees, visitors, and the public.
  • Restrain, secure, or control offenders, using chemical agents, firearms, or other weapons of force as necessary.

💡Inside This Career

Supervisors in protective services begin their days by reviewing overnight reports, checking staffing levels, and briefing their teams on priorities and potential challenges ahead. Whether overseeing correctional officers in a detention facility, police officers on patrol, firefighters at the station, or security personnel at various sites, these supervisors must quickly assess situations and deploy resources effectively. Their mornings often involve reviewing policies, conducting roll calls, and ensuring all safety equipment and protocols are current and operational.

Throughout their shifts, protective services supervisors balance administrative responsibilities with hands-on incident response. They might find themselves reviewing performance evaluations in their office one moment, then rushing to coordinate emergency response at a crime scene, fire, or security breach the next. These professionals regularly collaborate with other departments, government agencies, and community organizations, attending briefings with department heads, liaising with legal teams, or coordinating multi-agency responses to complex situations. They also spend considerable time mentoring and training their personnel, conducting safety drills, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations and best practices.

The unpredictable nature of protective services means supervisors must be prepared to adapt quickly as situations develop. They may oversee routine patrols and facility checks, then suddenly coordinate responses to emergencies that demand split-second decision-making and resource allocation. Documentation plays a crucial role in their daily work, as they compile reports, track performance metrics, and maintain detailed records that support both operational needs and legal requirements. Their leadership directly impacts both public safety and the professional development of the officers and workers under their command.

📈Career Progression

What does this mean?

This shows how earnings typically grow with experience. Entry level represents starting salaries, while Expert shows top earners (90th percentile). Most workers reach mid-career earnings within 5-10 years. Figures are national averages and vary by location and employer.

1
Entry (10th %ile)
0-2 years experience
$36,560
$32,904 - $40,216
2
Early Career (25th %ile)
2-6 years experience
$55,150
$49,635 - $60,665
3
Mid-Career (Median)
5-15 years experience
$83,035
$74,732 - $91,339
4
Experienced (75th %ile)
10-20 years experience
$121,873
$109,686 - $134,060
5
Expert (90th %ile)
15-30 years experience
$160,710
$144,639 - $176,781

📚Education & Training

Requirements

  • Entry Education: High school diploma or equivalent
  • Experience: One to two years
  • On-the-job Training: One to two years
  • !License or certification required

Time & Cost

Education Duration
0-0 years (typically 0)
Estimated Education Cost
$0 - $0
Source: college board (2024)
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💻Technology Skills

3M Electronic MonitoringEmail softwareGuardian RFIDJail management softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordRecords management systemsMicrosoft OfficeCAD dispatchScheduling softwareAnalytics tools

Key Abilities

Oral Comprehension
Oral Expression
Problem Sensitivity
Deductive Reasoning
Written Comprehension
Written Expression
Inductive Reasoning
Speech Clarity
Near Vision
Speech Recognition

🏷️Also Known As

Supervisors, Protective ServicesCorrection Officer SupervisorCorrection WardenCorrectional Case Records SupervisorCorrectional Officer CaptainCorrectional SupervisorDetention DirectorDetention SupervisorGuard ChiefGuard Supervisor+20 more

📑Specializations

This career includes 5 specialized roles with different focuses and compensation levels.

🔗Related Careers

Other careers in protective-services

🔗Data Sources

Last updated: 2026-01-09

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