What is a campus safety officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

By assisting area police and campus efforts, a campus safety officer supports and protects the college or university. Many of the duties of this role are carried out by means of public safety functions of law enforcement. In simple terms, they facilitate legal conduct and secure the safety of students, faculty, and staff as a single on-campus force.

A campus safety officer is responsible for performing foot and vehicle patrols of a college or university campus in order to track activity and protect buildings and resources. They also track the physical safety of campus buildings by checking locks and inspecting or tracking the systems by detecting and reporting suspicious activity. They also enforce traffic and parking laws and ticket the offenders if necessary.

During emergency situations, campus safety officers provide initial support and, if necessary, notify additional police and emergency staff. They connect via radio with other security workers and campus officers and help organize preparations for emergencies. They also track and send reports, if required, to supervisors of public safety or law enforcement departments.

ScoreCampus Safety OfficerUS Average
Salary
2.8

Avg. Salary $35,875

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
10.0

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 3.40%

Black or African American 10.24%

Hispanic or Latino 20.08%

Unknown 4.74%

White 60.43%

Gender

female 22.42%

male 77.58%

Age - 39
Race

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 - 39
Stress Level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
6.0

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Campus Safety Officer career paths

Key steps to become a campus safety officer

  1. Explore campus safety officer education requirements

    Most common campus safety officer degrees

    Bachelor's

    47.6 %

    Associate

    26.1 %

    High School Diploma

    16.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific campus safety officer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Patrol23.15%
    CPR13.58%
    Criminal Justice4.35%
    Medical Emergencies4.32%
    Public Safety4.25%
  3. Complete relevant campus safety officer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New campus 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 campus safety officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real campus safety officer resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed campus safety officer usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed campus safety officer in most of states. 30 states require campus safety officers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    State
    ascdesc
    Education
    ascdesc
    Exam
    ascdesc
    License Url
    ascdesc
    Alabama--Licensed Personal Security Officer
    Maryland--GUARDS
    AlaskaSpecific course required-Security Guard
    ArkansasSpecific course requiredState exam requiredPrivate Security Officer (PSO)
    CaliforniaSpecific course requiredState exam requiredSecurity Guard Registration
  5. Research campus safety officer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage litigation and bankruptcy matters.
    • Monitor CCTV for the inside and outside of buildings.
    • Render emergency first aid and CPR, then call paramedics.
    • Issue summonses, write reports of daily activities and irregularities such as unauthorized person or occurrences.
  6. Prepare your campus safety officer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your campus 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 campus 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 Campus Safety Officer Resume templates

    Build a professional Campus 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 Campus Safety Officer resume.
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  7. Apply for campus safety officer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a campus 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

How Did You Land Your First Campus Safety Officer Job

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Average campus safety officer salary

The average Campus Safety Officer salary in the United States is $35,875 per year or $17 per hour. Campus safety officer salaries range between $28,000 and $45,000 per year.

Average Campus Safety Officer Salary
$35,875 Yearly
$17.25 hourly

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How do campus safety officers rate their job?

-/5

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Campus Safety Officer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Pros

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

Cons

The pay is not worth what you have to do sometimes


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2021
Cons

There’s nothing about the officer that I don’t like


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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020
Cons

How political the job has become. There isn’t a correct way to do your job. Almost everyone wants to get you fired. It’s annoying.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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