25+ Security & Public Safety Jobs in Salt Lake City, UT

Local police and sheriff's patrol officer pay is stronger than the category-wide posting sample suggests. BLS estimated a $76,000 median annual wage in Salt Lake City-Murray in May 2025, with the middle 50% around $59,000 to $98,000 and senior pay in the low-$120,000 range. But hourly postings across the broader protective-services category center on about $26 to $27 an hour, with a broader band of about $22 to $38, and Utah new openings in this occupation averaged about $53,428 in August 2026 on a postings-based measure (n=105).

Full August 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 20 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $45,760 at the 25th percentile, $52,000 at the median and $56,295 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of September 25, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

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What our analysts see this month

Balanced market | next 3-6 months

This is a balanced market rather than an easy one. Salt Lake City-Murray's unemployment rate was 3.5% in July 2026, and total metro nonfarm employment was about 858,900, up about 2.2% from a year earlier. For protective services specifically, Revelio Public Labor Statistics shows Utah postings up 7.8% year over year in August 2026 even as statewide employment in the occupation was down 1.4%. That mix fits a market with real openings—especially academy, deputy, fire, corrections, code-enforcement, and licensed-security paths—but selective hiring and slower approvals inside city government.

Best positioned: Your best odds are if you can clear background and driving-screen checks quickly and either already hold Utah POST-related credentials or are willing to enter an employer-paid academy path.

Main caution: The biggest mistake is assuming all public-safety roles pay like sworn police or move fast; about 95% of recent local postings were on-site, and Salt Lake City has been operating under a hiring freeze since January 2026.

From the August 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 26 openings in this market. 4 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. AUS: 5 open roles
2. Allied Universal Corp: 2 open roles
3. Maersk Company: 2 open roles
4. South Jordan City: 2 open roles
5. Air Force Civilian Service: 1 open role
6. Builders FirstSource: 1 open role
7. Builders FirstSource, Inc.: 1 open role
8. CMT Technical Services: 1 open role
9. Deer Valley: 1 open role
10. Department of Interior: 1 open role

Where the openings are

• Salt Lake City: 12
• West Valley City: 5
• Layton: 3
• South Jordan: 2
• North Salt Lake: 1
• Lehi: 1
• Park City: 1
• Magna: 1

Work arrangement

on-site 23 (92%), hybrid 2 (8%)

Where the demand is

The clearest local demand is in public agencies that are willing to build talent instead of waiting only for laterals. Salt Lake County is recruiting Trainee Deputies for a county-sponsored POST academy with paid training and full benefits aimed at a March 1, 2027 start, Salt Lake City Fire Department hired for an August 2026 academy, and the Utah Department of Corrections is recruiting correctional officers with paid POST training and a $6,000 signing bonus. A second cluster sits in hybrid enforcement and contract protection. South Salt Lake has a Code Enforcement Officer opening, Cottonwood Heights has kept a Police–Animal Control/Ordinance Enforcement Officer role open until filled at $23.46–$34.75 an hour, and a private employer is hiring multiple DOPL-licensed Armed Security Officers for a downtown government building. Specialized fire-protection infrastructure roles are thinner but still present, including a Fire Sprinkler Apprentice opening in Salt Lake City. This is not a broad office-style market. Recent local postings skew about 85% entry-level and about 95% on-site, so mobility depends more on licensure, schedule flexibility, and screen readiness than on general white-collar experience.

• Academy-backed sworn and corrections pipelines (high): County deputy training, entry-level firefighter academy hiring, and Utah corrections recruiting are the most visible build-from-scratch pathways in the current market.
• Municipal code and ordinance enforcement (moderate): South Salt Lake and Cottonwood Heights show active need for public-facing enforcement roles that sit below the full sworn barrier.
• Private armed security in government settings (moderate): There are multiple immediate openings for DOPL-licensed armed security officers serving a downtown government building, which creates a faster-entry lane for candidates with the right license and availability.
• Specialized fire-protection infrastructure (limited): Openings exist in life-safety support work such as fire sprinkler apprenticeship, but the evidence suggests a thinner market than sworn police, fire academy, or code-enforcement paths.

Where to focus: If you want the highest probability of landing somewhere in 30-90 days, prioritize academy-backed public roles first, then keep a parallel application track in code enforcement or licensed security.

Roles worth searching next

• Code Enforcement Officer: South Salt Lake is actively recruiting a Code Enforcement Officer tied to safeguarding public health and safety, making it a practical municipal bridge if you want enforcement work without the full sworn path.
• Service Desk Specialist III in a Sheriff's Office: Salt Lake County's Sheriff's Office posted a Service Desk Specialist III role, showing a real pathway into law-enforcement operations through technical support instead of frontline enforcement.
• Fire Sprinkler Apprentice: Pye-Barker Fire Safety is actively recruiting a Fire Sprinkler Apprentice in Salt Lake City, which makes life-safety infrastructure a nearby option if you want public-safety impact with a trades path.
• Public Safety Telecommunicator: The updated APCO PST 1 curriculum signals a clear communications-side pathway for candidates who want to work inside emergency operations without moving into patrol, fire suppression, or corrections.

What postings ask for

• Utah POST basic or Category I readiness (premium | immediate): Utah POST-related credentials show up directly in recent local requirements, including Utah P.O.S.T. certified as either L.E.O. or S.F.O., POST basic law enforcement certification, and Utah P.O.S.T. Category I certification. Who: Entry-level sworn applicants, laterals, and serious career switchers.
• Background check and clean driving-record readiness (table_stakes | immediate): Background checks and motor vehicle record checks were among the most common explicit requirements in recent local postings. Who: Everyone applying to sworn, corrections, security, and enforcement roles.
• Emergency response, surveillance, and law-enforcement basics (table_stakes | immediate): Local postings most often asked for emergency response, law enforcement, and surveillance skills, making them core screening terms rather than nice-to-haves. Who: Entry-level applicants and career switchers who need to match posting language fast.
• Report writing and incident reporting (differentiator | immediate): Report writing and incident reporting each appear frequently in local postings, and law-enforcement agencies are also using generative AI to help improve and organize reports, which raises the value of clear human documentation skills. Who: All applicants, especially mid-career candidates who want to stand out beyond basic patrol or guard experience.
• First aid, physical fitness, and interoperability (differentiator | near-term): First aid appears in local postings, and firefighter hiring signals emphasize physical fitness, emergency medical skills, and interoperability with other agencies. Who: Fire, corrections, security, and any applicant seeking a physically active field role.
• APCO PST 1 training for dispatch-adjacent roles (differentiator | near-term): APCO International released the Public Safety Telecommunicator 1, 8th Edition and Instructor courses beginning September 30, 2026, which matters for candidates aiming at dispatch and communications roles. Who: Career switchers and applicants who want agency access without the sworn path.

Questions about this market

What do Protective Services & Public Safety roles pay in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT?

Local police and sheriff's patrol officer pay is stronger than the category-wide posting sample suggests. BLS estimated a $76,000 median annual wage in Salt Lake City-Murray in May 2025, with the middle 50% around $59,000 to $98,000 and senior pay in the low-$120,000 range. But hourly postings across the broader protective-services category center on about $26 to $27 an hour, with a broader band of about $22 to $38, and Utah new openings in this occupation averaged about $53,428 in August 2026 on a postings-based measure (n=105). Sworn police tracks can support a middle-class income locally, but the broader category also includes lower-paid security and enforcement jobs. Salt Lake City's cost-of-living index is approximately 110, so category-wide offers in the low-to-mid $50,000s can feel tighter than they first appear.

Where is demand for Protective Services & Public Safety roles in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT concentrated?

The clearest local demand is in public agencies that are willing to build talent instead of waiting only for laterals. Salt Lake County is recruiting Trainee Deputies for a county-sponsored POST academy with paid training and full benefits aimed at a March 1, 2027 start, Salt Lake City Fire Department hired for an August 2026 academy, and the Utah Department of Corrections is recruiting correctional officers with paid POST training and a $6,000 signing bonus. A second cluster sits in hybrid enforcement and contract protection. South Salt Lake has a Code Enforcement Officer opening, Cottonwood Heights has kept a Police–Animal Control/Ordinance Enforcement Officer role open until filled at $23.46–$34.75 an hour, and a private employer is hiring multiple DOPL-licensed Armed Security Officers for a downtown government building. Specialized fire-protection infrastructure roles are thinner but still present, including a Fire Sprinkler Apprentice opening in Salt Lake City. This is not a broad office-style market. Recent local postings skew about 85% entry-level and about 95% on-site, so mobility depends more on licensure, schedule flexibility, and screen readiness than on general white-collar experience.

Which employers are hiring the most Protective Services & Public Safety talent in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT?

Recent postings show the most activity from AUS (5 postings), Hobby Lobby (5 postings), Park City (5 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Protective Services & Public Safety roles in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT be done remotely?

Of recent postings, 5% are remote and 0% hybrid, with 95% on-site. Use the Remote filter above to see only remote openings.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

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