Police officers – because of their dangerous line of work – tend to be compensated fairly well and typically receive good benefits packages. Most are employed by local city governments as officers, while the smallest numbers are employed by federal agencies – which often require more education and experience.
If you’re looking for police work in larger cities, chances are you’ll have more luck, since they tend to house larger police forces. Smaller cities and towns generally hire few officers and rely on state troopers for backup, if needed.
Average Police Officer Salaries
As far as job opportunities go, most entry level officers begin in local police departments. This is mostly due to the education and experience requirements for posts in specialized forces and agencies. To join a federal agency like the FBI or CIA, officers need to have several years of experience and training under their belts. A college degree in law enforcement or criminal justice is also required for many of these upper-level positions. In addition, you'll often face stiff competition for positions in federal agencies.
Job Growth
Looking forward, the police officer field is expected to have average growth – so while there won’t be a flood of new jobs, you'll still be able to find employment fairly easily.
As more officers retire or move into higher positions, entry level positions will continue to open up.
Of course, location determines a lot when looking for a police officer position. Smaller towns tend to have fewer positions available, while traditional “bad” neighborhoods have a very high turn-over rate and almost always have some openings. A college degree or military experience can help you beat out other applicants for many of the more competitive positions.
Government Funded
Police officers are one of the few people whose jobs are dependent on the government's budget. If the state police budget is slashed, there will be fewer entry level positions available. However, layoffs rarely occur since many officers retire each year. Even if an officer does lose his or her job, finding a new position with another agency or even in the private security field is fairly easy.
Salary
The average earning of a police officer in 2006 was $47,500/year, with most falling in the $35,000/year to $60,000/year range. The lowest reported salary was $27,000/year and the highest was above $72,000/year. Surprisingly, the highest median salary was not in one of the federal agencies or state departments, where the average earning was $52,500/year. Supervisors, detectives, and higher-ranking individuals earned on average between $15,000/year and $20,000/year more.
In addition, in positions where you're expected to work many hours of overtime – such as federal special agents – you may receive LEAP, or Law Enforcement Availability Pay, as compensation for all of the extra time and work you put in.
Other Perks
Many agencies will pay for their officers to go to continuing education courses (which are often required) and to go to college part-time to finish their degree. Officers also get very generous pension plans that allow many officers to retire at half-pay after only 25 to 30 years.
