Law enforcement salaries are influenced by a number of factors but generally fall under the same restrictions as any other government employee. Federal law enforcement positions are paid on the pay scale of all federal employees which is called the “General Schedule Scale,” or the “GS Scale.” State salaries tend to be more reliant on the cost of living in the particular state as that will influence the amount of taxes the state takes in to pay for their law enforcement. Similarly, on the city and county level, the cost of living and tax revenue will greatly influence the areas ability to pay their law enforcement agents. Either way, you are usually paid significantly less while in training and receive a large increase once you have graduated.
For the GS Scale system, there are several different levels that you will work at within the federal government. The beginning level is generally the GS-5 step 1 or the GS-7 step one. Each pay level has several steps within it that you can move up and get an increase in pay. Each pay level itself will allow for a significantly higher increase than the steps within each pay grade. Generally the pay levels are only increased when you get a promotion to a new position though. This is different from a step increase which can usually occur on a regular basis based upon your performance within the position that you currently hold. FBI agents start at a GS-10 step one which is a bit higher than many other starting positions. Within the first few years working for the government you generally get a level increase until you reach the upper echelons, which is around GS-13. This is the point where the promotions become more competitive rather than based upon experience with the government.
Location and Time is money.
On a state level, the law enforcement salaries are generally based upon the cost of living in that state. California, for instance, will pay its starting officers more money than a state that costs a great deal less to live in. The starting salary while still being trained in the academy is usually around ten thousand less than the starting salary once you have completed your training. Also, there are incremental increases for each year that you are on the force which are dictated by the state’s budget.
Local governments usually follow the rule of the cost of living except for in cases when the local, be it county or city government, has not budgeted their funds well. Many large cities will draw police officers because they offer more room for growth than smaller departments and so their starting salaries may be lower than in more rural settings. The problem is just that the rural settings may not have many opportunities for a police officer to get a promotion as fewer positions exist overall.
Law enforcement salaries can vary depending on the organization and the location you work for. This is something that should be taken into account before trying to enter a career in law enforcement.
