Pittsburgh Police?

[Flanker]

I am from north of Pittsburgh and was looking at various agencies, Pittsburgh among them.

Are there any officers on here that can tell me a little more about Pittsburgh PD?

Namely:

1. Does the starting pay allow for (relatively) comfortable living, or will I be stretching my paychecks?

2. How busy/intense is the work?

3. What is the work schedule like (i.e. is it a compressed schedule)?

4. How about opportunities to work in specialized units such as Narcotics/vice?

5. Are internship/student experience programs available?


Thanks...

[e-man]

IN my vast {limited} knowledge of the current state of the Picksburg PD, I can tell you
the starting pay is around $32-34,000
Top pay is {supposedly} 4th year and is around $54,000
OT is now plentiful. From court time, to traffic details to security etc.

Schedule is standard {re: crappy} 5- 8 hour shifts picked yearly. Days off stay the same, vehicle assignment stays the same, stuff opens up all the time but its usually given by seniority.

the moral is ok at best, poor and pathetic more frequently.
MUST LIVE IN CITY, no questions asked, you will be fired if living out of the city.
Not bad but once u have kids start pricing private schools
Good if wife works, cost of living is going up over the entire area, taxes in city are probably going higher.
Not a bad gig in not a bad city. GREAT guys there, good money with OT to be made, but its a longshot if the pension is stable in 20+ years.

Im here few times a week if u need more, PM me.
E

[mrc27]

Know someone who just went through the hiring process. He made it to the very end, but didn't get picked. Whole process he said took 2 years.

[Fatty Matty]

IN my vast {limited} knowledge of the current state of the Picksburg PD, I can tell you
the starting pay is around $32-34,000
Top pay is {supposedly} 4th year and is around $54,000
OT is now plentiful. From court time, to traffic details to security etc.

Schedule is standard {re: crappy} 5- 8 hour shifts picked yearly. Days off stay the same, vehicle assignment stays the same, stuff opens up all the time but its usually given by seniority.

the moral is ok at best, poor and pathetic more frequently.
MUST LIVE IN CITY, no questions asked, you will be fired if living out of the city.
Not bad but once u have kids start pricing private schools
Good if wife works, cost of living is going up over the entire area, taxes in city are probably going higher.
Not a bad gig in not a bad city. GREAT guys there, good money with OT to be made, but its a longshot if the pension is stable in 20+ years.

Im here few times a week if u need more, PM me.
E

E-Man is a good dude, and has actually answered the questions about as well as I could have myself. IIRC, first 4 years go something like this...
PO1 = around $38k
PO2 = around $43k
PO3 = around $48k
PO4 = around $54k

E-Man's first year figure is probably pretty accurate because you only get 2/3 pay your first 6-7 months in the academy. I could give you more exact numbers if I had our contract in front of me (it's in my locker at work right now )

That being said, with details and court time, you can make $50k-$60k in your first 12 months after you finish the academy.

Know someone who just went through the hiring process. He made it to the very end, but didn't get picked. Whole process he said took 2 years.

I was the first class hired from my list and from written test to start of academy was only about 8-9 months. It's only longer if you have to wait for the people who scored higher than you to go through the academy first.

[e-man]

Lets just say when I went through waaaay back during the first World Trade Center bombing time frame I was in in less then 2yrs.
It was sped up a lot quicker over the late 90s early 00s
Again not a bad department in not a bad city. I wanted something different and I have it.
Good luck, its still the greatest job on earth

[palmore]

I have an additional question. I am a sworn officer in Tennessee and may move to Pittsburgh to be closer to family. I have always heard that if you are a sworn officer you can get a job pretty much anywhere in the US. Do you guys think this is true? Will it be hard for me to get on in Pitt or easier for me? It took me 5 yrs to get on in TN and Im not moving unless I can get on the department. I know since I did not go through an academy in PA that I will not be able to lateral transfer so I will have to go through the academy again. I look at it as weekends off and nights free.

[Goldmember]

Check with Pitt, I think they're hiring hiring officers for the University PD

[e-man]

Palmore,
Check with Pittsburghs website, I think its www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us
They can give you the academy number or maybe personnel and check with them if they're doing laterals.
As far as getting in on a small suburban department without PA certification,
thats not gonna happen. PA is a very tough nut to crack. Military guys get help but not out of state cops. Philly is hiring I think, Pittsburghs giving another test soon
Certified cops are in demand now, the southwest, Florida, Cali but most not in the northeast.