NYPD salary for Sergeant and above

[rockyj]

We all know what the starting salary is for P.O.'s but what about Sgt's and above. I've heard that once captains settle their contract they will be making 120k base (closer to 135K with bennies such as longevity and holiday pay) which isn't that bad. I guess my question is: how easy is it to move up the ranks? There are a few 35 year old captains out there (they look like they are 35 anyway) is it worth it?

[KiDWoNDeRZzZ]

Moving up the ranks is based on a civil service exam. You need time on to take the test. For example, to take the Sgt. exam you need to have a minimum of 3 years and won't be promoted until you have 5 years on. It is all based on a list number just like the one you take for becoming PO. You can take the civil service exam up to the rank of Captain. Anything above that is political. There is about a $10,000 jump each rank. That is what my OCI told me.

[phantasm]

Right now top pay for a PO is about 60k
Right now top pay for a sgt is about 72k, you make a tiny bit more than a cop until you reach top pay, and with night dif, etc, a midnight cop at top pay makes more than a day tour rookie sgt.

[pghpol]

Phantasm,
I know there are quite a few LEO's in NY. But, I have a friend I served with that is a LEO in a small city outside of NY (I can't remember the name, but it was one of the highest paid in the nation a few years back). His name is [I doubt he wants his real name all over the Internet -Valor55], do you happen to know him? I know the chances are slim, but just wanted to know.

[vengeance05]

We all know what the starting salary is for P.O.'s but what about Sgt's and above...

Pay scale for NYPD Police Officers:
Police Academy (first six months): $25,100 (Annualized)
Upon completion of six months: $32,700
1 ½ years: $34,000
2 ½ years: $38,000
3 ½ years: $41,500
4 ½ years: $44,100
5 ½ years: $59,588

Pay scale for NYPD Detectives:
entry level= $62,264
1 year=$62,444
2 years=$62,624
3 years=$62,830
4 years=$63,036
5 years=$63,242
6 years=$70,032

Pay scale for NYPD Sergeants:
1st year $61,093
2nd year $61,250
3rd year $61,500
4th year $62,500
5th year $76,403

There are small longevity increases, uniform allowance and night-dif. OT is capped for most officers at 35 hours. Supervisors generally don't get much OT. Don't be one of the people who thinks "I will make a ton of money on OT". You may not get OT you want and you will be given OT when you need off. If you take this job, be financially sound and make sure you can survive off of the base salary - otherwise you may be tying your own noose.

The pay scale is stretched out with 5+ years to make top pay. If you already have 5 years on before you can even make Sgt - that means you won't make $76,000 at that rank until you have 10-11 years on the job!

It is also stretched so that there are a number of small pay increases and then finally you get a larger increase to the top pay at the end. That is a lot of added responsibility for $2000 more per year.

I've heard that once captains settle their contract they will be making 120k base (closer to 135K with bennies such as longevity and holiday pay)...

Yes, I imagine Captains will make close to $120k base salary. There is a lot of responsibility for that job, such as being a precinct's Commanding Officer, etc. It is also 3 civil service jobs and 10+ years away. (not counting your test and processing just to become a cop in the first place) It's hard to say what extra money will be added in, but I doubt it would be $15k. Captains also don't make OT money.

...I guess my question is: how easy is it to move up the ranks?

Are not eligible to be a Sgt until you have over 5 years on the job. You have to take a Sgt Exam, get a passing score, and obtain a rank on the Sgt List. If you passed and are ranked high enough to fall within the number of people they need for Sgt - then you will eventually be promoted when there's an opening.

Supervisory positions have a probationary period, just like the rank of Police Officer. If you screw up during that period your position can be taken away. After your probationary period you will need several years in the position before you will be eligible to even take an exam for another promotion. You will also have to wait until there is another exam scheduled. If you become eligible just after an exam was given, then although eligible, you may have to wait several years before the next test comes up.

There are a few 35 year old captains out there (they look like they are 35 anyway)...

Yes, it is possible to obtain the rank of Captain when you are 35. If you are first hired at age 21 then you would would have 14 years to obtain rank while at that age.

Hypothetically, let's say you're an extremely intelligent person who knows all of the laws, rules and regulations that will be asked about on the exam. You could be promoted to: Sgt at 5 years, Lt at 8 years, Capt at 11 years. If you were hired at 21 you could make Captain by age 32!

...is it worth it?

The answer to this question is entirely up to you. There are several key factors to weigh in.

The most obvious is that there are a lot of jobs in the greater NYC area that offer a $100k base salary to Police Officers with half the amount of time on the job as an NYPD Captain!

Some area PD's start at a higher salary than NYPD Officers, but their Officer salary is lower than that of an NYPD Captain. If you went the NYPD route: do you think that you're smarter than your peers and have the ability to make rank quickly? There are a lot of people to compete with. If you do have the ability to achieve the rank of Captain or get into a high paying area Dept, would you make more money in the end by starting with very low pay and gradually ending high - or starting high and going up only a little more? Would you be able to live comfortably on the low salary until such time that you may make rank?

[Joeyd6]

We all know what the starting salary is for P.O.'s but what about Sgt's and above...

Pay scale for NYPD Police Officers:
Police Academy (first six months): $25,100 (Annualized)
Upon completion of six months: $32,700
1 ½ years: $34,000
2 ½ years: $38,000
3 ½ years: $41,500
4 ½ years: $44,100
5 ½ years: $59,588

Pay scale for NYPD Detectives:
entry level= $62,264
1 year=$62,444
2 years=$62,624
3 years=$62,830
4 years=$63,036
5 years=$63,242
6 years=$70,032

Pay scale for NYPD Sergeants:
1st year $61,093
2nd year $61,250
3rd year $61,500
4th year $62,500
5th year $76,403

There are small longevity increases, uniform allowance and night-dif. OT is capped for most officers at 35 hours. Supervisors generally don't get much OT. Don't be one of the people who thinks "I will make a ton of money on OT". You may not get OT you want and you will be given OT when you need off. If you take this job, be financially sound and make sure you can survive off of the base salary - otherwise you may be tying your own noose.

The pay scale is stretched out with 5+ years to make top pay. If you already have 5 years on before you can even make Sgt - that means you won't make $76,000 at that rank until you have 10-11 years on the job!

It is also stretched so that there are a number of small pay increases and then finally you get a larger increase to the top pay at the end. That is a lot of added responsibility for $2000 more per year.

I've heard that once captains settle their contract they will be making 120k base (closer to 135K with bennies such as longevity and holiday pay)...

Yes, I imagine Captains will make close to $120k base salary. There is a lot of responsibility for that job, such as being a precinct's Commanding Officer, etc. It is also 3 civil service jobs and 10+ years away. (not counting your test and processing just to become a cop in the first place) It's hard to say what extra money will be added in, but I doubt it would be $15k. Captains also don't make OT money.

...I guess my question is: how easy is it to move up the ranks?

Are not eligible to be a Sgt until you have over 5 years on the job. You have to take a Sgt Exam, get a passing score, and obtain a rank on the Sgt List. If you passed and are ranked high enough to fall within the number of people they need for Sgt - then you will eventually be promoted when there's an opening.

Supervisory positions have a probationary period, just like the rank of Police Officer. If you screw up during that period your position can be taken away. After your probationary period you will need several years in the position before you will be eligible to even take an exam for another promotion. You will also have to wait until there is another exam scheduled. If you become eligible just after an exam was given, then although eligible, you may have to wait several years before the next test comes up.

There are a few 35 year old captains out there (they look like they are 35 anyway)...

Yes, it is possible to obtain the rank of Captain when you are 35. If you are first hired at age 21 then you would would have 14 years to obtain rank while at that age.

Hypothetically, let's say you're an extremely intelligent person who knows all of the laws, rules and regulations that will be asked about on the exam. You could be promoted to: Sgt at 5 years, Lt at 8 years, Capt at 11 years. If you were hired at 21 you could make Captain by age 32!

...is it worth it?

The answer to this question is entirely up to you. There are several key factors to weigh in.

The most obvious is that there are a lot of jobs in the greater NYC area that offer a $100k base salary to Police Officers with half the amount of time on the job as an NYPD Captain!

Some area PD's start at a higher salary than NYPD Officers, but their Officer salary is lower than that of an NYPD Captain. If you went the NYPD route: do you think that you're smarter than your peers and have the ability to make rank quickly? There are a lot of people to compete with. If you do have the ability to achieve the rank of Captain or get into a high paying area Dept, would you make more money in the end by starting with very low pay and gradually ending high - or starting high and going up only a little more? Would you be able to live comfortably on the low salary until such time that you may make rank?

Wow! He did a Joeyd6 post! Rep for you! Thansk for saving me the time!

[Newstart]

LOL. Merry Christmass and Happy New Year everyone.

[rookieagain]

If you plan to go up the ranks, the NYPD is the place to go. IF you have the stamina to study for 3 promotional exams that tests book knowledge exclusively (no "soft" questions like "what's your favorite color?" that Suffolk/Nassau asks as a result of a consent decree with the justice dept [that's another story]) then captain is attainable w/i approx 10-12 years. As far as salary goes, here it is:

NYPD Captain contract expired on 10/03. A 5%, 5%, 3% and 3.15% contract similar to what the DEA and LBA settled for would bring the current, base pay at top pay (currenty 3 years to achieve) to: $121,324. Longevity pay with 15 years is $6245, holiday pay is $5132 and the uniform allowance is $980.

Grand total, top pay captain with 15 years OTJ and no night diff. (it's 7% if you are on a chart and 10% if you submit. Night diff. is paid after 1600hrs)
is: $133,681. This contract would cover the period from 10/31/03 through 10/31/07.

[sixsense26]

don't forget the take home car that you get as a captain.

[rookieagain]

don't forget the take home car that you get as a captain.

...with EZ pass, gas and insurance taken care of. XO's don't get take home cars though, just CO's. You can get a take home as a Lt if you work in a specialized unit (IAB, CTD, gangs etc) Best part is the wake-up/show-up tours, basically come to work whenever you want (except when you have meetings or the duty) Although cops in suffolk/nassau/PA make more than cops in the NYPD, captain is where it all evens out. For example, cops in Jersey City make 14-15K more than NYPD P.O.'s, but their captains make
7-10k less than NYPD captains. In white plains, cops make close to NYPD lt's pay, but their captains make only 2k more than NYPD captains.

[tommyjk]

don't forget the take home car that you get as a captain.

It depends on where you live and what category car you get. There are category 1 and category 2 cars. Category 1 cars can be taken anywhere at any time. Category 2 cars can only be used in the city. So if you get a category 2 car and you live in Nassau County, you cant take it home. If you get a category 1 car, you can take it home. Most of the captains who live outside the city and have category 2 cars, park it at a command close to the border, and then take their car from there.