$70k starting salary + 4 day week + car + $20k signing bonus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what jobs would someone get after retiring from MPD in their 40’s? I see this often with military as well where the skills they learned in don’t count for much out.

Many people have a distorted perception of law enforcement officers as low I.Q. knuckledraggers. Many are entering the profession with college degrees. Others are earning their B.A./B.S./M.A./M.S. while on the job. Those that enter from the military might have intelligence backgrounds, flew helicopters, were combat medics, or explosives detection and disposal technicians.

Many departments have continued specialized training that comes with advanced certifications and real world experience. There are local and regional task forces of all kinds(drugs, human trafficking, search and rescue, cybersecurity, homeland security), especially in the D.C area. Officers gain emergency management experience, crisis intervention training, and critical incident command and control exposure. S.W.A.T. operators receive the tactical and operational training that is applicable beyond law enforcement.

Fairfax County Police have several specialty units.

Canine Section

Special Weapons And Tactics(S.W.A.T.)

Explosive Ordinance Disposal(EOD)

Marine Unit

Special Response Unit

Underwater Search and Recovery

Search and Rescue

Tactical (TAC) Medical Unit

Helicopter Division

Threat Assessment and Management Unit

Criminal Intelligence Unit

Financial Crimes Unit

Digital Forensics Unit

The experience they accumulate, and the local/state/federal cross-agency contacts they develop can be leveraged in the civilian world as they transition to the private sector.

I remember a court case maybe 20 years ago or so where the court ruled the police department rightfully excluded someone because their IQ was too high under the theory they would become bored with police work. I think the guy had a 125 which is high but not exceptionally high so I can see the basis for this belief.

It was in the Northeast. It was an anomaly. A single specific lawsuit has become a propaganda piece for anti-police people. I challenge anyone to find a police department that has an I.Q. ceiling for recruits. Law enforcement doesn’t need strong test takers. If a person can’t think on their feet in a stressful situation their I.Q. is irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Many departments offer stacking 5% starting salary adjustments for specific qualifications.

Bachelor’s Degree

Foreign language proficiency

Specialized certifications

[Anonymous]

Were there any state or local law enforcement layoffs in July?

[Anonymous]

ICE is offering some impressive hiring bonuses for workers.

$50,000 hiring bonus

$60,000 student loan repayment

For the more “mature” among us that have been downsized they offer an over 40 job listing. It pays between $63,000 to $102,000. The bonuses above apply if you sign a service agreement.

https://ice.usajobs.gov/job/842936600

[Anonymous]

Today’s press conference put the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in the national spotlight. That should result in higher recruiting numbers. They offer a nice package to new hires.

$25,000 hiring bonus

$66,419 salary day 1 of the academy through the probationary period

$72,668 after 18 months (9.4% increase)

$88,327 after 5 years

Expansive overtime possibilities at $48/hr - $63/hr in the first 5 years

Temporary housing benefit

Rental assistance of $1.000/month for six months

Employer assisted 0% loan with matching funds for first down payment

$4,800/year tuition reimbursement for ongoing education

Retirement after 25 years no matter your age

Pension of 62.5% of tour highest 3 years of salary after 25 years

(457b) Deferred Compensation Plan

Union membership

Excellent health, vision, dental and life insurance coverage

[Anonymous]

Law enforcement will now receive Social Security when they retire. That’s a wonderful development. Now their golden years will include Social Security, a pension, and a (457b)deferred compensation plan. Hopefully the younger generation will also take the new overtime tax credit and invest at least $7,000 in an additional Roth IRA. A rookie officer in 2025 could easily retire with investments that allow for a better lifestyle than they enjoyed while working.

[Anonymous]

Baltimore PD offers a $10,000 signing bonus.

The starting salary is $64,416 but there are progressive pay increases for an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.

They offer:

$12,000 relocation bonus

$5,000/year student loan assistance

Referral bonus of $2,500 - $7,500 per employee per hire

$2,500 per year property tax credit

Retirement after 25 years with a pension

(457b) deferred compensation retirement plan

All the typical health, dental and vision benefits

[Anonymous]

The job market for recent grads is currently horrible and most likely will deteriorate even further for the class of 2026. It amazes me that students aren’t looking towards law enforcement more frequently. Per the ZipRecruiter annual grad report linked below the average salary for recent grads is $68.4k while the expectation of current seniors is a starting salary of $101.5k. They even highlight the high law enforcement salary recent grads are getting, ranking higher than CS and Engineering.

“Interestingly, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources majors report making the most in their first year, at approx. $85,000. Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement grads reported earning an average of $77,300 and both Computer Science and Engineering grads cited an average income of approx. $75,000. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, and/or Design majors are making the least income with an average salary of just $48,000.”

https://www.ziprecruiter-research.org/annual-grad-report

When you’re an unemployed recent grad, or you’re an upcoming 2026 grad looking to land that first job, the articles below should make you realize the value of stable and plentiful law enforcement jobs that pay well and frequently offer hiring bonuses.

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/13/nx-s1-5462807/college-graduates-jobs-employment-unemployment

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/job-market-report-college-student-graduates-ai-trump-tariffs-rcna221693

https://fortune.com/2025/08/08/college-degrees-unemployed-american-dream-graduates-gen-z-masters-struggling-to-land-careers-ai-job-hunting/

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/careers/2025/08/04/report-shows-rising-unemployment-and-layoffs-ba-grads

https://phys.org/news/2025-07-void-young-college-employment-crisis.html

[Anonymous]

People shouldn’t underestimate the value to law enforcement the new tax deduction for overtime offers. For the young and single officers $12,500 is the maximum deduction. For married officers filing jointly it’s $25,000.

[Anonymous]

My niece is a law enforcement officer in NoVA. Year to date she’s had 3 pay bumps that total almost 20%. She and her husband are doing very well. She never gets less than a 5% raise every year. Her organization is currently enjoying an influx of money that allows for new equipment and vehicles. It’s like the local government has gone all in on RE-funding the police. I’m happy she has a well paying and stable job when everyone else seems to be getting laid off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is that good or bad? Seems like a whole lot of nothing.

It’s a better package than most engineering majors get fresh out of college. When you factor in overtime it’s not even close.

The potential for growth is much higher for most engineering majors in the 10+ years following. Also, most engineering majors I know make $80K+ starting out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is that good or bad? Seems like a whole lot of nothing.

It’s a better package than most engineering majors get fresh out of college. When you factor in overtime it’s not even close.

The potential for growth is much higher for most engineering majors in the 10+ years following. Also, most engineering majors I know make $80K+ starting out

Do they get a hiring bonus? What about a pension? Do engineers get overtime if they work more than 40 hours? I’m guessing engineers work 5 days a week?

[Anonymous]

If your purpose is chasing status, acceptance and a wonderfully curated social media presence then law enforcement isn’t for you.

If you want to serve your community and try to make a difference there are opportunities for you to do quite well in law enforcement.

It’s a demanding job. Most people here couldn’t handle it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is that good or bad? Seems like a whole lot of nothing.

It’s a better package than most engineering majors get fresh out of college. When you factor in overtime it’s not even close.

Starting salaries for engineers in this area are $80-$90k+ depending on the industry and type of engineering. We are starting our new grads in the spring at $110k. These are computer sci/related majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starting salaries for engineers in this area are $80-$90k+ depending on the industry and type of engineering. We are starting our new grads in the spring at $110k. Those are computer sci/related majors.

I wouldn’t recommend computer science to anyone right now.