Salary & Benefits

• Starting salary: $36,275 -$39,998
• Lateral entry starting salary (See the lateral entry program section)
• Officers are eligible for a 5 percent merit increase after successfully completing six months of employment, and an additional 5 percent merit increase after completing a probationary period (one year).
• Officers are eligible for merit-based salary increases annually, until the maximum salary of their job classification is reached. (Maximum salary for a police officer is $62,275 annually).
• Officers are eligible for promotion after two years of service.

• Paid leave: vacation days, sick leave, military leave, and short-term disability leave
• Tuition assistance
• Life insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance, dental insurance, vision reimbursement program
• Flexible spending accounts
• Retirement benefits (vested at 10 years)

• Conscientious employees can advance in a number of ways.
• Every police executive in the Decatur department started as a police officer. Many acquired other advanced degrees along the way, taking advantage of the tuition assistance benefit.
• Police officers develop expertise in a variety of areas, from computer technology to community relations, making them eligible for positions with higher pay requiring those skills.