And people wonder why we can't stop crime

[Zamboni]

In my city cops start out at $13.42 an hour which is hugely high for my state. Smaller towns less than 100 miles from me start their officers out at between $7.00 and $8.00 an hour and they have to pay to get insurance. No wonder the recruitment pool has shrunk. No wonder most cops have second jobs.

In my city, third biggest in Idaho by the way, our starting prosecutors make about 30 K a year and are expected to work 60 to 70 hours a week. How many experienced lawyers are going to work for thirty thousand a year. No wonder all we get are lawyers fresh out of law school. No wonder most of them quickly move on to private practice where their wages double in the first year.

[DMS 525]

I can go more in depth, concerning this one smaller city near me. They were advertising for a police officer some time back. They preferred someone who was already certified by the academy(in this state, we have a closed academy; one has to be hired by a city first before they can enroll), had at least 3 years of prior experience, and at least a 2 year college degree in Crimminal Justice. Starting pay? Between $18,000 to $21,000 DOE.
I was tempted to apply for that position, just for nothing else but to ask that city council if they were for f-ing real!

Cripes; as a lot of you in here already know, I have been out of the boots and badge for a few years. I have been driving a concrete mixer to make a living since then. Last year, I earned a little over $37,000. Sure, that was with a lot of overtime in the summer, but isn't that the rule rather than the exception in LE? I work with a lot of guys who never even finished high school, and know a couple who are in fact convicted felons!

I am at a crossroads as to whether I want to go back into LE again, or not. I miss it, that's for sure, but not at the expense of selling myself short, for the sake of being able to provide for my family. Also, this state, and too many of those who do the hiring have some pretty wacked out ideas of what they want in a police officer, as opposed to who they actually hire! Some of the biggest bozos who ever wore a badge!

Maybe see about being a reserve, just to "scratch that itch."

[Delta_V]

Those salaries are pathetic, I make more than that as a security officer. I do have to ask though, what's the cost of living in your areas, and do other jobs pay lower than the national average too?

Around here most agencies start out at around $30K per year, and the cost of living is about average.

[207]

Originally posted by Zamboni:
In my city cops start out at $13.42 an hour which is hugely high for my state. Smaller towns less than 100 miles from me start their officers out at between $7.00 and $8.00 an hour and they have to pay to get insurance. No wonder the recruitment pool has shrunk. No wonder most cops have second jobs.

I would've said you've got to be kidding but, I just read the latest issue of a Police magazine in which an officer from GA made only $25,000 a year! That's a shame... I don't know how one can make it on that!
My O.T. alone is almost that much per year!

[shooter1201]

I agree...LE pay SUCKS...but so does teacher pay.

I have been teaching for 19 years and have a Masters in Admin/Suprv. My salary is $33K, PLUS I also have to pay my insurance AND my yearly professional training out of MY pocket.

BTW...as a part-timer, I make $7.50/hr.

[klar]

Geesh it is hard to believe that I am making as much as some law enforcement officers out there. I know that here the last I knew average starting salary is around $33,000 a year. SO I know they make more than I do.

Klar

[JKT]

We recently got a raise. I now make $13.04 per hour.

I've been with my current department for over 13 years this time, and a total of 22 years in LE.

A rookie PD officer in this city, in the academy makes more than I do. (I work for the Sheriff's Office)

Talk about disparity

THe major diference is that the city is civil service and we aren't. The county population isn't high enough, and our County Commissioners sure aren't going to vote in civil service when it would cost the County money.

[klar]

JKT I think you should move up north. I just talked to a officer here and he told me the starting salary for law officers is $35,771 per year. A single person can live on $10 a hour in the economy that is currently in place here. Granted you will not have a lot of thrills but you could survive. LOL. Between my job and my girlfriends job we are suriving and feeding three kids so things are not tooo bad around here.

Klar

[SpecOpsWarrior]

This year with overtime, holiday pay, court time and uniform allowances I earned a whopping $27,987.39, and thats with four years on the job!!!

And yes it is hard to live on, between the rent, utilities, and groceries I dont have much left.

And yes I am just about fed up with this $HIT!!!

What really ****es me off the most is that as officers we are powerless to do a damn thing about it. I work for a sheriff, and he can give any of his employees the ax whenever he sees fit. Which means any attempts at forming any type of organization would fly like a led balloon.

Anybody got a spare jar of Vaseline, it would make the screwing much less painful!

Sorry, the rant is now over.

[Mike Tx]

Most of us don't deserve a police force. We are to stupid and unapperciative.

[Mike Tx]

See? I'm so stupid I can't even spell 'unappreciative'.

[Snoopy1]

I'm not unappreciative but I'm not rich and famous so nobody cares what I think.

[207]

Originally posted by klar:
JKT I think you should move up north. I just talked to a officer here and he told me the starting salary for law officers is $35,771 per year. Klar

To toss in some "northeast" numbers here from a small dept. My current figures are as follows:

$23.55 ph ($49,165.00) base. I grossed around $68,000.00 this year. (I'm an officer not a Sgt./supervisor).

$00.65 ph shift differential (approx. $1,248.00 a year addtional.)

$00.25 ph for O.I.C. duties when required.

ALL overtime is paid a time and a half and if you work on one of the 12 holidays it's double time and a half. I had around $19,000.00 of that. We had somewhere in the neighborhod of 6,000+ hours available for 2001. Yeah, we're short about 5 people.

I get a contract (union) increase in July and service rating step in January. It's like a raise every 6 months.

I do pay an extra $60.00 or so every two weeks for a better medical/dental plan coverage.

The Lake Patrol that I work for part time as a marine officer (summer only) pays $12.00 ph. and pays for any and all training.

With all due respect and no malice intended, I don't see how some out there get by. It must be very difficult especially for the officers with families.

[txinvestigator1]

The City of Dallas last year voted down a pay increase for LEO and FD. But they built a nice big pretty new sports arena, spent a bunch of money to try to get the olympics, and now want to spend some HUGE amount to build these pretty bridges over the smelly, ugly Trinity river where there ALREADY are friggin bridges.

Most agencies around Dallas start from upper 30's to lower 40's.

But we pay over indulged, sports stars how much??? And they do what for us??? And Actors??? What did I hear, Friends stars are now at $750K a friggin episode??

WTF???

[policewebdev]

You are all making more money than I am at my job as a web developer. This is a bad company, hence low pay.