How hard is it to become a lieutenant?

Becoming a lieutenant is not too difficult; you must ensure you meet the requirements. To become a lieutenant, you must have a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, fire science, protection, or business.

How To Become A Lieutenant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lieutenant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

James Gibbens

A lieutenant monitors activities in the police department, examines departmental issues, and is cooperative during law enforcement inquisitions. Your job requires you to oversee internal events and make sure of the safeguarding and safety of the area. As a lieutenant, you have to execute laws and policies for everybody's strict adherence and examine police departments' establishments. You must also identify grievous crimes, seize contravene goods, and write any proof for investigation. Additionally, you have to often oversee City periods and give instructions to deputies about recent or modified policies. You must carry out equipment, vehicle, and uniform reviews, and you may have to train new workers and analyze present employees' efficiency. Sometimes, outside of the field, you have to carry out managerial duties like sustaining apprehension and property books. You must also ensure appropriate documentation of evidence.

To become a lieutenant requires you to have a bachelor's or an associate degree in criminal justice, fire science and protection, or business. Furthermore, you must exhibit excellent communication, leadership, and organization skills. In addition, as a lieutenant, you must be proficient in using specific weapons. You will earn an average of $43,329 yearly or $20.83 an hour.

What general advice would you give to a Lieutenant?

James Gibbens

Adjunct Professor for Criminal Justice, Website

Good Morning Alex, I am the Director of the Brevard Police Testing Center here at EFSC. While I am not an instructor or professor here at EFSC I have been an adjunct professor at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL since 2009 teaching Criminal Justice courses under the umbrella of the Psychology/Homeland Security Department. Prior to that I retired after 30 years from the Melbourne Police Department. If you want to send me some questions I can answer them.

ScoreLieutenantUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,781

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.37%

Asian 1.77%

Black or African American 11.19%

Hispanic or Latino 14.97%

Unknown 3.92%

White 66.78%

Gender

female 16.35%

male 83.65%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lieutenant

Explore lieutenant education requirements

Most common lieutenant degrees

Bachelor's

60.1 %

Associate

16.5 %

Master's

9.5 %

Start to develop specific lieutenant skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Safety	10.63%
Patrol	10.08%
Direct Supervision	7.97%
Security Procedures	7.18%
Incident Command	6.63%

Complete relevant lieutenant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lieutenants 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 lieutenant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lieutenant resumes.

Gain additional lieutenant certifications

Lieutenant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific lieutenant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for lieutenants include Certified Law Enforcement Analysts (CLEA) and Security 5 Certification.

More About Certifications

Research lieutenant duties and responsibilities

Manage a robust fire training program meeting NFPA, DoD, AFOSH, and German fire credentials.
Manage respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Facilitate the planning, delegation of duties, and conduct all training events for ROTC personnel.
Coordinate the logistics throughout fully simulate combat operations in preparation to deploy to Afghanistan.

Prepare your lieutenant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lieutenant 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 lieutenant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Lieutenant Resume templates

Build a professional Lieutenant 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 Lieutenant resume.

Apply for lieutenant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a lieutenant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do lieutenants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Lieutenant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

Cons

The pay is not worth what you have to do sometimes

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

I enjoy observing people and places. I like helping people and solve their problems.