Criminal Justice School Guide

A Look at Police Incentive Pay Programs

Police Incentive Pay Programs are used to increase the quality and effectiveness of the American criminal justice system by upgrading the educational credentials of its law enforcement officers. While there is no nationwide policy that applies to all American law enforcement personnel, there are agency and state specific programs available to officers who wish to participate in higher education programs.

Police officers in Massachusetts, for example, currently benefit from a unique statewide statute that offers base salary increases to full time members Massachusetts city police departments as a reward for furthering their education in criminal justice. Under the Quinn Bill, each course or credit hour a Massachusetts police officer participates in will award an appropriate number of points. For example, earning a bachelor’s degree will award 120 points. Points can be translated into salary increases based on this scale:

• 10 points- 3% salary increase
• 25 points- 6% salary increase
• 60 points- 15% salary increase
• 120 points- 25% salary increase
• 150 points- 30% salary increase

Other states have chosen to offer similar programs, but through their individual law enforcement agencies as a part of their benefits packages- rather than as statewide programs. Here are a few examples:

Lincoln Nebraska Police Department Educational Pay:

• Officers with an Associate’s Degree earn $300 more annually
• Officers with a Bachelor’s Degree earn $750 more annually
• Employees may be reimbursed up to $600 annually for tuition at approved colleges.

Houston Texas Police Department Incentive Pay

• Officers with a Bachelor’s Degree can earn $3,640 more annually
• Officers with a Master’s Degree can earn $6,240 more annually
• Officers with a Doctorate Degree can earn $8,840 annually
• Officers will be reimbursed for the cost of additional eligible college hours

Oklahoma City Police Department Educational Incentive Pay Program

• Associate’s degree earn an extra $75.00 monthly
• Bachelor’s degree earn an extra $150.00 monthly
• Masters or advance degree earn an extra $175.00 monthly

Memphis Police Department Incentive Pay Program

• Offers college tuition reimbursement
• Offers other pay incentives such as salary increases for bi-lingual skills, EMT certification, etc.

Chesapeake Police Department Pay Incentive Program

Starting Salaries are as follows:

• $37,494 (while attending the Chesapeake Police Academy)
• $39,182 (upon completion of the Chesapeake Police Academy)
• $40,358 (with associate’s degree)
• $41,568 (with bachelor’s or master’s degree)
• Also offers tuition assistance.

Phoenix Police Department Career Enhancement Pay Program

This pay incentive program is based on the accumulation of points derived from credit hours, college degrees, training hours, physical fitness levels, firearms proficiency, training certifications, specialty assignments and other additional skills.

• Level 1 (30 points) $158.60 Per Month $1,903.20 Per Year
• Level 2 (50 points) $317.20 Per Month $3,806.40 Per Year
• Level 3 (70 points) $475.80 Per Month $5,709.60 Per Year
• Level 4 (90 points) $634.40 Per Month $7,612.80 Per year
• Offers an additional $10 an hour to those who have bilingual skills
• Offers $3,974 to pay for tuition, books, and lab fees to those who are attending accredited colleges or universities in a criminal justice related field of study.

Earning a criminal justice degree will not only open up the doors to many different job opportunities, it will also give you the ability to earn higher wages. If you are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement or wish to enhance your current career by earning a degree, be sure to check with different law enforcement agencies to see what types of educational pay incentive programs could be available to you.