recruitment and pay...

[makakona]

a thought... i know for our family, it was a conscious choice to weigh job satisfaction with a lower paycheck than we were used to. what was really hard, though, was getting accustomed to the MUCH lower income our family would have during the academy. we're a single income family and i stay home with our kids. we make a lot of sacrifices to ensure that we are financially able to do that, but the academy was a real strain on our finances. everyone that i could think of with a family either had "special circumstances" while at the academy (one received free rent for his family, another had his family stay with extended family, another had a wife and four kids in a one bedroom apartment) or they were a dual-income family.

for us, it was an easy decision to make, even though we knew it would be difficult. we're pretty low-maintenance financially (no car payments, no cell phones, no cable television, no eating out, et cetera), but i know most people aren't as cheap, haha, as we are. i think the average age of marriage is around 25 or 26 now? if you're looking for older and more stable applicants, you have to assume that a portion of them will be married, possibly with children. for the prior military folks, they're possibly even more frequently married and/or with kids at the same age as non-military and i think they're a huge asset to have in the hiring pool. it just makes me wonder if there aren't people who are turned off not just by the pay as an officer, but by the six months of even lower pay as a cadet.

yes, i know applicants and cadets should be grateful they're even getting paid, blahblahblah. ;) i just wonder if it wouldn't entice a few more of the older crowd if that six months of pay was a bit higher. thoughts?

[SB 405]

I'd say most couples today who have children work. I'd suggest a part time job for those who can't handle the financial hit.;)

[makakona]

sorry, no financial hit is worth babies being put into daycare. :smile: i'm not saying that's the chp's problem, just wondering aloud if a higher cadet pay wouldn't entice more applicants.

[NorCalN00b]

I think you're right. I was told the CHP pays its cadets approx $15K while training. Compared to other police departments, the CHP is considered the lowest (wayyyy low). Here are some figures. This is what the following P.Ds pay you while you're in their academy:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?

I think this is why the CHP is getting so little applicants.

I was told the CHP's contract will expire around June so I hope they'll get more pay!

[not5150]

From the CHP website

"The base salary for a CHP cadet is $3,268-$4,108. Cadets earn seven hours of overtime at the base pay for an additional $186.27. The CHP Academy is a "live-in" facility, and CHP cadets receive full room and board free and a monthly salary during their Academy training."

[Mac]

I think you're right. I was told the CHP pays its cadets approx $15K while training.
If you're talking about a yearly salary figure, you were told wrong. I don't know where you get your info about the CHP from, but it's been 25 years or so since cadets made the equivalent of $15K/yr. at the academy. Even if you're talking about only the 6 months of Academy time, you're way wrong. You need to find a better information source.

[undertow999]

I think you're right. I was told the CHP pays its cadets approx $15K while training. Compared to other police departments, the CHP is considered the lowest (wayyyy low). Here are some figures. This is what the following P.Ds pay you while you're in their academy:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?

I think this is why the CHP is getting so little applicants.

I was told the CHP's contract will expire around June so I hope they'll get more pay!

This info in very misleading. Even at the lowest payment, per month, for a cadet, your gross for a six month period would be $19,608. The salaries you posted about the SFPD, OPD, and LAPD are accurate, but those are salaries for the year, not the durration of an academy. Also, those are base salaries for officers. You also must keep in mind, that the CHP is a live in facility where your room & board, and food is all paid for.

Correction: Those earnings are accurate for the academy. The LAPD,SFPD,OPD pay their cadets the same base salary as their officers. Sorry :biggrin:shock:ubt:

[makakona]

free room and board is not an incentive to someone with a family. i'm sure they'd rather take that money as cash and live with their family... which i understand they are perfectly welcome to do with another agency. that's not my point. :smile:

i think my line of thought is getting sidetracked. with all of the talk of drug use, credit problems, and dishonesty being prevalent, i was just thinking about who you could target to alleviate some of those issues. if we aim for older candidates, assuming with age comes a bit more maturity, we might run into a problem with pay due to what the norm has been for that person or due to a family. if we look at people who might have more "traditional" values (and who thus eschew such things as drugs or other unseemingly behavior), there's also a good chance that there could be a family involved with a spouse who stays at home. obviously this is a thought process brought about by my own reality. :smile:

i guess i've been trying to tread lightly so as not to step on toes and in doing so i haven't really made a clear point.

[undertow999]

free room and board is not an incentive to someone with a family. i'm sure they'd rather take that money as cash and live with their family... which i understand they are perfectly welcome to do with another agency. that's not my point. :smile:

i think my line of thought is getting sidetracked. with all of the talk of drug use, credit problems, and dishonesty being prevelant, i was just thinking about who you could target to alleviate some of those issues. if we aim for older candidates, assuming with age comes a bit more maturity, we might run into a problem with pay due to what the norm has been for that person or due to a family. if we look at people who might have more "traditional" values (and who thus eschew such things as drugs or other unseemingly behavior), there's also a good chance that there could be a family involved with a spouse who stays at home. obviously this is a thought process brought about by my own reality. :smile:

i guess i've been trying to tread lightly so as not to step on toes and in doing so i haven't really made a clear point.

sorry fo going further off your topic, I was responding to someone else. And I agree with you, if I was in a situation like yours, I am sure I would prefer the extra money to live with my family. I think your argument is valid, and I wouldnt really be against cadets with families getting paid more than cadets with no other financial obligations. I am 21, and dont have a family or mortgage so I guess I never though about pay incentives for cadets with families.

One up side, those with families and houses will have priority over cadets like myself when it comes to their first assignment. I know it doesnt help at all during the academy.

[Welpe]

makakona I think you bring up a good point. If all works out, I'll be going through the academy with just a wife and no kids. She'll be working her own job so there won't be much of a financial strain. For the applicants with families that is a very real consideration.

Also I'm confused about something, a while back you said you typed one of your posts on your cell phone but now you say you don't have a cell phone. :confused::

[SB 405]

Why would the CHP want to go after an older person vs. a young person in the first place? Sending a cadet through the academy who will stay on for 25-30 years makes more sense than training someone who's out after 10-15 years. Sorry but I say if an older person wants to apply he/she better make some sound financial plans well in advance.

[NorCalN00b]

I think you're right. I was told the CHP pays its cadets approx $15K while training. Compared to other police departments, the CHP is considered the lowest (wayyyy low). Here are some figures. This is what the following P.Ds pay you while you're in their academy:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?

I think this is why the CHP is getting so little applicants.

I was told the CHP's contract will expire around June so I hope they'll get more pay!

This info in very misleading. Even at the lowest payment, per month, for a cadet, your gross for a six month period would be $19,608. The salaries you posted about the SFPD, OPD, and LAPD are accurate, but those are salaries for the year, not the durration of an academy. Also, those are base salaries for officers. You also must keep in mind, that the CHP is a live in facility where your room & board, and food is all paid for.

Correction: Those earnings are accurate for the academy. The LAPD,SFPD,OPD pay their cadets the same base salary as their officers. Sorry :biggrin:shock:ubt:
Nope, the salaries I posted are approx what they pay you while you're training in their police academy. For the SFPD cadet pay, why don't you go ask an actual San Francisco Police Officer and they'll tell you it's true.

For Oakland Police Department, check here: http://www.oaklandpolice.com/jobinfo/benefit.html

Quoted from the OPD website: $69,162 to $87,172 annual salary range ($62,245 while in Academy)

As for LAPD, check here: http://www.joinlapd.com/salary.html

Quoted from above link: Base Salary
The starting base salary for high school graduates is $51,114. If you have at least 60 college units, with an overall GPA of 2.0 or better, you will start at $53,160. (These salaries are as of July, 2005) If you have a BA or BS (four year) degree you will start at $55,248.

You begin earning your full salary on your first day of Academy training.

And check out this article: http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=29438&siteSection=5

Quoted from the above link: The LAPD has required recruits to sign five-year contracts since a 1996 investigation found that some were quitting as early as the day after graduation to work for other departments that did not pay for training. Police Academy training takes seven months and costs $60,000 per officer, although the lawsuits seek amounts that have been prorated based on how long each officer served.

And regarding the CHP's cadet pay, check this thread out: http://www.chpforums.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=572

Said by a CHP officer and fellow forum member "Desert Rat" with this reply: http://www.chpforums.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=572

CHP officer "Desert Rat" said: I was their last year, I am married and claimed 4 dependents, I received $2600 dollars a month after taxes. $3249 before taxes.

So $2600 a/month times six months equal $15,600

Edit: Sorry, didn't see you edit your post. No worries.

[Cameron]

Of course, another wrinkle to keep in mind is that if you go to a police academy un-sponsored, agencies usually only pick you up during your last 1 or 2 months of training. That means you might pay for your entire training, and only receive a salary for one out of five months.

To return to Makakona's first post in this thread.... When the contract expires, are CHP Officers going to receive a pay raise?

[Welpe]

Of course, another wrinkle to keep in mind is that if you go to a police academy un-sponsored, agencies usually only pick you up during your last 1 or 2 months of training. That means you might pay for your entire training, and only receive a salary for one out of five months.

That really depends upon which agency you're talking about. I've seen some that will hire sooner than that.

Noob, you need to compare pre-tax salary to pre-tax. It's not fair to compare take home pay from the CHP with pre-tax pay from other agencies. That said the CHP's is still lower but it's not as drastic as you say it is. Also undertow is right, those figures from other agencies are ANNUAL figures.

[makakona]

Why would the CHP want to go after an older person vs. a young person in the first place? Sending a cadet through the academy who will stay on for 25-30 years makes more sense than training someone who's out after 10-15 years. Sorry but I say if an older person wants to apply he/she better make some sound financial plans well in advance.

obviously "kids these days" aren't cutting it. why NOT go for someone older? someone who didn't smoke weed at a frat party last week or someone who isn't going to drop out after a month without the xbox? is the investment in training really that lost on a late twenties guy versus an early twenties gal? heck, if anything, the state can save on retirement. ;) yes, i'm aware i'm speaking in VERY general terms... however i'm afraid the days of kids wanting to grow up to be cops and firefighters are fast fading.

Also I'm confused about something, a while back you said you typed one of your posts on your cell phone but now you say you don't have a cell phone. :confused::

ha! i thought about clarifying, but figured it wouldn't come up... the only reason i've ever had a cell phone was due to work. when i quit working, i happily left behind my electronic leash. the cell phones we have are a fairly recent occurrence and we do not pay for them. my husband is the oldest of six kids and he was the only one without a cell phone. everyone in his family has t-mobile sidekicks, so as a gift his sister bought us each a sidekick and my mother-in-law paid for the service. we can't justify the convenience in our budget and will go without once it's on our dime, even though they're awfully fun to have!

I think your argument is valid, and I wouldnt really be against cadets with families getting paid more than cadets with no other financial obligations. I am 21, and dont have a family or mortgage so I guess I never though about pay incentives for cadets with families.

One up side, those with families and houses will have priority over cadets like myself when it comes to their first assignment. I know it doesnt help at all during the academy.

now, i wouldn't go THAT far... while i wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, i am not for extra pay just because someone has more kids. leave that to the welfare system, you know? and families and houses only help if the kids are actually in school and you can actually afford to own something in this absurdly expensive state! neither applied to us when my husband received his assignment and even if they did, there were no openings in our area of choice (where we were both raised). one person in my husband's academy class was just minutes outside the boundary and despite having two kids in school and owning a house in northern california, this cadet was sent to la. NOT a happy camper.

[Welpe]

ha! i thought about clarifying, but figured it wouldn't come up... the only reason i've ever had a cell phone was due to work. when i quit working, i happily left behind my electronic leash. the cell phones we have are a fairly recent occurence and we do not pay for them. my husband is the oldest of six kids and he was the only one without a cell phone. everyone in his family has t-mobile sidekicks, so as a gift his sister bought us each a sidekick and my mother-in-law paid for the service. we can't justify the convenience in our budget and will go without once it's on our dime, even though they're awfully fun to have!

Ah ok, that makes sense. That's a nice gift! If you're finding you still need the cell phone (at least for when your car breaks down, etc) you can find some pretty inexpensive plans out there, especially if you look at regional as opposed to national carriers.

[NorCalN00b]

Also undertow is right, those figures from other agencies are ANNUAL figures.
Huh?

[Welpe]

What you said earlier:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?


Those are annual figures.

[Officer_Grady]

that's not top step, can't be.

[NorCalN00b]

What you said earlier:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?


Those are annual figures.
Yeah, that's what they pay you if you attend their own academy. Aren't taxes a bitch? ;)

[Lucky Seven]

It will be interesting to see what happens to recruitment over the next couple of years.

With the current mentality of taking away pay and benefits from state employees potentially coming to fruition recruitment will become even more difficult. This coupled with other departments having better pay, benefits, and incentives such as hiring bonuses and low or no interest loans for homes, the CHP faces an uphill struggle to maintain quality applicants.

[nobody33]

I think what the original post stated is not a CHP issue exclusively. It is a larger societal issue of the death of single income families. My parents raised me on a single income and my younger sister turned 18 at in 2002. I think the full time mother (or father), is a thing of the past, atleast in California. I was discussing this with my own mom, and I told her I tought she would be the last generation of full time mothers, and her response was that from the other moms she saw, it was actually the generation before her. Even the highest paying agencies in the state don't pay enough to cover the expenses for a new family with a single income. Particulary due to recent (last 5 years) in home and gas prices. In my county the income needed to buy a medien priced home is now over 130k a year. That's a struggle on two gov salaries now. I don't like this, but it's the way it is. It's not a problem everywhere, the majority of the rest of the US has a drastically lower cost of living.

[undertow999]

Why would the CHP want to go after an older person vs. a young person in the first place? Sending a cadet through the academy who will stay on for 25-30 years makes more sense than training someone who's out after 10-15 years. Sorry but I say if an older person wants to apply he/she better make some sound financial plans well in advance.

obviously "kids these days" aren't cutting it. why NOT go for someone older? someone who didn't smoke weed at a frat party last week or someone who isn't going to drop out after a month without the xbox? is the investment in training really that lost on a late twenties guy versus an early twenties gal? heck, if anything, the state can save on retirement. ;) yes, i'm aware i'm speaking in VERY general terms... however i'm afraid the days of kids wanting to grow up to be cops and firefighters are fast fading.



I think there is probablly equal risk when employing a young 21 year old to a 30 something year old person. There are benefits and risks to highering either person. An older higher, eventhough they may be more rounded, have more real world experience, their ability to perform certain job functions may deminish sooner than a younger applicant. Is it more worthwhile for the departement to employ a younger person and get 30years out of them, or an older person and gert 15?

BUt like you, I am also being very very general. Im not saying older applicants cant hack it, or younger applicants are incompetant.

[Welpe]

Those are annual figures.
Yeah, that's what they pay you if you attend their own academy.

Only if you go to their academy for a whole year...

Aren't taxes a bitch? ;)

Yeah but that's another complaint. :mad:

[undertow999]

that's not top step, can't be.

no, top step is around $80-85k fror the SFPD and OPD I think.

WHich for a CHP officer is about the same if you take overtime into account. Of cournse, and actuall officer like yourself would know how accurate that $10,000/year overtime average is.

[Officer_Grady]

undertow, thats about 20 hours of OT you would work a month. 20 hours is five times staying late 4 hours. you know how much golf can be had in that time :lol: and I don't even golf.

[makakona]

I think what the original post stated is not a CHP issue exclusively. It is a larger societal issue of the death of single income families. My parents raised me on a single income and my younger sister turned 18 at in 2002. I think the full time mother (or father), is a thing of the past, atleast in California. I was discussing this with my own mom, and I told her I tought she would be the last generation of full time mothers, and her response was that from the other moms she saw, it was actually the generation before her. Even the highest paying agencies in the state don't pay enough to cover the expenses for a new family with a single income. Particulary due to recent (last 5 years) in home and gas prices. In my county the income needed to buy a medien priced home is now over 130k a year. That's a struggle on two gov salaries now. I don't like this, but it's the way it is. It's not a problem everywhere, the majority of the rest of the US has a drastically lower cost of living.

our oldest was ENTIRELY unplanned. she cut short a killer job i had lined up and all of our plans to squirrel away that income for three years so we could buy a house. then, of course, the market here went out of control. i've never had to work a day since having my oldest, but we're also not california homeowners. for us, it comes down to priorities. does it suck paying $2000.00 a month to RENT someone else's home? heck YES! but it's not the worst thing in the world.

i don't necessarily think a stay-at-home parent is a thing of the past, but obviously it's not as common. you find your pockets of it here and there and i think you might have to be inside looking out to find a lot of it. my husband was in the military and it was pretty uncommon to not have a parent home with younger kids. if the non-military parent DID work, they almost always had older kids and it was usually a part-time job. some religions still strongly emphasize the importance of having a parent in the home when children are young. and, as all things are cyclical, i think society is at least starting to trend away from the career woman and (while not in full force the way it once was) towards stay-at-home moms.

we could afford, right now, to be homeowners, but it wouldn't be our dream home and it would be in a less-than-desirable area. we decided to wait a bit for the right area to come along (we're aiming to move closer to extended family), then worry about buying then. but, like i mentioned earlier, we live a life that's a bit different than most nowadays, forgoing a lot of the fun modern-day conveniences so that i CAN stay home. it can all be done, but i think many people today don't care to make the sacrifices necessary. my 1996 caravan isn't exactly a luxury car. ;) there are still some of us old-fashioned weirdos out there, but we're definitely fewer and further between than we used to be. i think society proves that's not necessarily a great thing.

[SB 405]

$2000 a month for rent is crazy.

[dw]

Why would the CHP want to go after an older person vs. a young person in the first place? Sending a cadet through the academy who will stay on for 25-30 years makes more sense than training someone who's out after 10-15 years. Sorry but I say if an older person wants to apply he/she better make some sound financial plans well in advance.

Well.... For overall compensation, you'd have to take into account the retirement benefits as well. The officer working 10-15 years will be entitled to far less compensation down the line. You'd have to look at average retirement longevity, etc... Numbers I don't have, to determine the total cost.

[dw]

What you said earlier:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?


Those are annual figures.
Yeah, that's what they pay you if you attend their own academy. Aren't taxes a bitch? ;)

Not to beat a dead horse here, but using Rat's figure, our Cadets make $22,743 total gross, assuming we round up to a 7 month Academy.

If the above numbers are annual figures, and assuming a comparable 7 month program, we get:
$37,312 for SFPD
$36,146 for Oakland
$30,899 for LAPD


The other factor that really needs to be considered in officer compensation (and Cadet, for that matter) is the State retirement contribution, i.e. 100%. Very few, if any local agencies I'm aware of, have 100% contribution. Maybe some of the local guys can help us out -- but the numbers can vary significantly and can eat up a good portion of take home pay. As I said in another thread (http://www.chpforums.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=287), the State paid almost $25k into retirement for me, which needs to be included in "total compensation."

[NorCalN00b]

Those are annual figures.
Yeah, that's what they pay you if you attend their own academy.

Only if you go to their academy for a whole year...
Umm yeah, it depends on how long the academy is. SFPD's academy is 7-8 months I think, OPD's academy is 6 months I think.

[makakona]

$2000 a month for rent is crazy.

such is life in southern california. :smile: we could have lived somewhere cheaper, but at the risk of putting our family in danger. i'm home all day with our kids and if my husband is working nights, we don't exactly want to live in the ghetto, you know? we're not even in THAT nice of an area, but it's the best we can do with what we have! :smile:

besides... it's just money. it'd be nice to squirrel it away, for sure, but in the end i try not to think about it too much because there are far worse situations we could be in. i'm just happy my husband has a job that can afford me to stay home AND waste that much a month on someone else's mortgage.

[UNICRON82]

I think you're right. I was told the CHP pays its cadets approx $15K while training. Compared to other police departments, the CHP is considered the lowest (wayyyy low). Here are some figures. This is what the following P.Ds pay you while you're in their academy:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?

I think this is why the CHP is getting so little applicants.

I was told the CHP's contract will expire around June so I hope they'll get more pay!

Let's take a closer look as a cadet in the academy...
(based on approximations but still gives you the idea.)
__________________________________________________ _________________________________
ACADEMY:
...........................CHP (West Sac/Yolo)...............OPD........................... LAPD.......................SFPD
1 year............................$39,216........... ...........62,245.........................51,114.. ..................64,347
6 month..........................$19,608............ .........31,122.........................25,559.... .................32,173
monthly........................$3,268............. ...........5,187.........................4,259.... .................5,362
__________________________________________________ __________________________________
COST OF LIVING:
(ex. if you make $3,268 per month in Yolo, you'll need to make $4,140 in Oakland to keep your current cost of living so the cost of living is higher in Oakland.)
cityrating.com.................................... ...............4,140...........................3,8 14.......................5,069
bestplaces.net.................................... .............3,900(19.3% higher).....3,333(2% higher)......4,488(37.3% higher)

Lets take the lower cost of living amount to be generous...
other academy pay.............................................5, 187...........................4,259............... ......5,362
cost of living(comparible to CHP cadet)................-3,900..........................-3,333....................-4,488
.................................................. ....................=1,287........................ .=926......................=874
__________________________________________________ ___________________________________

So now you may say...you still make appx. $1,287 more in Oakland...but don't forget to about the other factors such as Oakland is NOT a live-in academy. So now you have to pay for an apt. and buy groceries. Oh yeah, your stuck in Oakland for the rest of your career...:cry:

[makakona]

So now you may say...you still make appx. $1,287 more in Oakland...but don't forget to about the other factors such as Oakland is NOT a live-in academy. So now you have to pay for an apt. and buy groceries.
but that's a factor for half of the people at the chp academy anyway...

(man, if my husband thought he caught flack for me posting here BEFORE this thread...)

[UNICRON82]

So now you may say...you still make appx. $1,287 more in Oakland...but don't forget to about the other factors such as Oakland is NOT a live-in academy. So now you have to pay for an apt. and buy groceries.
but that's a factor for half of the people at the chp academy anyway...

(man, if my husband thought he caught flack for me posting here BEFORE this thread...)

I'll agree...but also this is just comparing a CHP CADET's salary. If we now take into account of an actual CHP officers pay then compare it back to the other agencies(since the cadet pay is the same as an officers pay) then we see that a CHP's wage is not so bad at all.

oh yeah, don' t forget about the gas to and from the academy...thats another $1k a month!!!:lol:

[NorCalN00b]

I think you're right. I was told the CHP pays its cadets approx $15K while training. Compared to other police departments, the CHP is considered the lowest (wayyyy low). Here are some figures. This is what the following P.Ds pay you while you're in their academy:

San Francisco Police: Approx $64K
Oakland Police: Approx $62K
LAPD: Approx $53K?

I think this is why the CHP is getting so little applicants.

I was told the CHP's contract will expire around June so I hope they'll get more pay!

Let's take a closer look as a cadet in the academy...
(based on approximations but still gives you the idea.)
__________________________________________________ _________________________________
ACADEMY:
...........................CHP (West Sac/Yolo)...............OPD........................... LAPD.......................SFPD
1 year............................$39,216........... ...........62,245.........................51,114.. ..................64,347
6 month..........................$19,608............ .........31,122.........................25,559.... .................32,173
monthly........................$3,268............. ...........5,187.........................4,259.... .................5,362
__________________________________________________ __________________________________
COST OF LIVING:
(ex. if you make $3,268 per month in Yolo, you'll need to make $4,140 in Oakland to keep your current cost of living so the cost of living is higher in Oakland.)
cityrating.com.................................... ...............4,140...........................3,8 14.......................5,069
bestplaces.net.................................... .............3,900(19.3% higher).....3,333(2% higher)......4,488(37.3% higher)

Lets take the lower cost of living amount to be generous...
other academy pay.............................................5, 187...........................4,259............... ......5,362
cost of living(comparible to CHP cadet)................-3,900..........................-3,333....................-4,488
.................................................. ....................=1,287........................ .=926......................=874
__________________________________________________ ___________________________________

So now you may say...you still make appx. $1,287 more in Oakland...but don't forget to about the other factors such as Oakland is NOT a live-in academy. So now you have to pay for an apt. and buy groceries. Oh yeah, your stuck in Oakland for the rest of your career...:cry:
I've never been to a police academy before so I don't know if they pay you like this or if they pay you a whole year's salary in just 6-8 months. I really don't know, but I'm assuming they pay you a whole year's salary while you're in the academy.

Take OPD for example, the website states you earn $62,245 while in the academy. I think OPD academy is 6 months so you'll be earning about $10,374 a month for six months.

Btw, it costs between $1500-$1800 for an average 1-bedroom apartment here in San Francisco. :rolleyes: :shock:

[Chipper]

Its not about what you make at the academy people, its about AFTER the academy that matters. And its not just about pay either, its about what type of work you will be doing AFTER the academy. Its 6.5 months of lower pay and live in life for one of the greatest jobs in the world.

And yes, you may end up in LA/SF/Oakland after the academy and have a high cost of living, but you CAN transfer after 1 year, unlike the PD officers.

[makakona]

Its not about what you make at the academy people, its about AFTER the academy that matters. And its not just about pay either, its about what type of work you will be doing AFTER the academy. Its 6.5 months of lower pay and live in life for one of the greatest jobs in the world.

i understand that and even addressed it in a few of my posts. i was just wondering aloud if a higher cadet pay would entice more candidates and this more candidates of better quality.

[makakona]

oh yeah, don' t forget about the gas to and from the academy...thats another $1k a month!!!:lol:

you lost me... gas to and from what academy and from where?

[Kojak]

Take OPD for example, the website states you earn $62,245 while in the academy. I think OPD academy is 6 months so you'll be earning about $10,374 a month for six months.

so you get paid more while attending the academy than after you're a sworn officer? Wouldn't OPD recruits earn $5187.00/mo ?

[SB 405]

$2000 a month for rent is crazy.

such is life in southern california. :smile: we could have lived somewhere cheaper, but at the risk of putting our family in danger. i'm home all day with our kids and if my husband is working nights, we don't exactly want to live in the ghetto, you know? we're not even in THAT nice of an area, but it's the best we can do with what we have! :smile:

besides... it's just money. it'd be nice to squirrel it away, for sure, but in the end i try not to think about it too much because there are far worse situations we could be in. i'm just happy my husband has a job that can afford me to stay home AND waste that much a month on someone else's mortgage. Are you living in So.Cal now? I own a home in So. Cal in a middle class area and my monthly payment runs about $1,465. And this is our first home which we purchased about eight years ago so it's not like we had a ton of cash from selling another home for a down payment. I hope you understand my reaction to $2000 to rent. But then as you said..."it's just money"

[Welpe]

Take OPD for example, the website states you earn $62,245 while in the academy. I think OPD academy is 6 months so you'll be earning about $10,374 a month for six months.

so you get paid more while attending the academy than after you're a sworn officer? Wouldn't OPD recruits earn $5187.00/mo ?

Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell him. Those quotes are annual salary figures, they need to be divided by 12 to see how much the cadet is making per month.

[NorCalN00b]

Take OPD for example, the website states you earn $62,245 while in the academy. I think OPD academy is 6 months so you'll be earning about $10,374 a month for six months.

so you get paid more while attending the academy than after you're a sworn officer? Wouldn't OPD recruits earn $5187.00/mo ?
Read this again: http://www.oaklandpolice.com/jobinfo/benefit.html

Copy & pasted from the above link:

$69,162 to $87,172 annual salary range ($62,245 while in Academy) plus shift differential, advanced degree / certification pay, and bilingual pay.

You will earn $62,245 while you're training in the OPD academy. Starting pay for a sworn in OPD officer is $69,162.

[Mac]

Read this again: http://www.oaklandpolice.com/jobinfo/benefit.html

Copy & pasted from the above link:

$69,162 to $87,172 annual salary range ($62,245 while in Academy) plus shift differential, advanced degree / certification pay, and bilingual pay.

You will earn $62,245 while you're training in the OPD academy. Starting pay for a sworn in OPD officer is $69,162.
Read the part that says *ANNUAL* salary range - that means how much you would earn in a year (ANNUAL) at that pay rate. If you divide the ANNUAL pay by 12, you'll get the MONTHLY pay rate while attending their academy - $5187.08. Multiply that by however many months their academy is, and you'll get the figure they'll earn while in the academy. Cadets don't get paid an entire year's salary for six months of academy training.

Think about it for a minute - if you were paid $62,245 for six months at the academy, then $69,162 for the next entire YEAR as an officer, you'd be taking a huge pay cut when you graduated! It doesn't work that way.

[undertow999]

Read this again: http://www.oaklandpolice.com/jobinfo/benefit.html

Copy & pasted from the above link:

$69,162 to $87,172 annual salary range ($62,245 while in Academy) plus shift differential, advanced degree / certification pay, and bilingual pay.

You will earn $62,245 while you're training in the OPD academy. Starting pay for a sworn in OPD officer is $69,162.
Read the part that says *ANNUAL* salary range - that means how much you would earn in a year (ANNUAL) at that pay rate. If you divide the ANNUAL pay by 12, you'll get the MONTHLY pay rate while attending their academy - $5187.08. Multiply that by however many months their academy is, and you'll get the figure they'll earn while in the academy. Cadets don't get paid an entire year's salary for six months of academy training.

Think about it for a minute - if you were paid $62,245 for six months at the academy, then $69,162 for the next entire YEAR as an officer, you'd be taking a huge pay cut when you graduated! It doesn't work that way.

What do you mean, cadets dont get paid more then actual sworn officers. :lol: :lol:

[UNICRON82]

oh yeah, don' t forget about the gas to and from the academy...thats another $1k a month!!!:lol:

you lost me... gas to and from what academy and from where?

IT WAS A JOKE!:shock: ;)

[Kojak]

You will earn $62,245 while you're training in the OPD academy. Starting pay for a sworn in OPD officer is $69,162.

I changed my mind... I no longer want to be a CHP officer; I want to be an OPD recruit instead. Do you think they'll let me be a recruit for my entire career so I can earn $124,490 a year for the next 15-20 years? I'll have a great retirement package once I reach top step!!! :lol:

[Darth Choke]

sorry, no financial hit is worth babies being put into daycare. :smile: i'm not saying that's the chp's problem, just wondering aloud if a higher cadet pay wouldn't entice more applicants.

You have my full support!!! Never let someone else raise your babies!!! You are a dulah? Again, you have my full support! That is absolutely wonderful!!! I'm sending you a question through the private message.

Hold to your beliefs! There are far too few of people like you out there :!: :!: :!: ;)

[Officer_Grady]

Its not about what you make at the academy people, its about AFTER the academy that matters. And its not just about pay either, its about what type of work you will be doing AFTER the academy. Its 6.5 months of lower pay and live in life for one of the greatest jobs in the world.

i understand that and even addressed it in a few of my posts. i was just wondering aloud if a higher cadet pay would entice more candidates and this more candidates of better quality.

no, I think most of our applicants are from militery backgrounds and right now most are deployed overseas.

[makakona]

oh yeah, don' t forget about the gas to and from the academy...thats another $1k a month!!!:lol:

you lost me... gas to and from what academy and from where?

IT WAS A JOKE!:shock: ;)

:::hanging head::: a bit slow on the uptake over here... ;)

[makakona]

You have my full support!!! Never let someone else raise your babies!!! You are a dulah? Again, you have my full support! That is absolutely wonderful!!! I'm sending you a question through the private message.

Hold to your beliefs! There are far too few of people like you out there :!: :!: :!: ;)

i AM a doula! i'm so impressed that you know what a doula is! :smile: i volunteer at ucsd medical center in san diego (used to do at least two twelve hour shifts a month, but am commuting for just one a month on the same day as our monthly meeting) and i take two births per month for my private practice. it's the PERFECT way to bring in some extra income while still being able to stay home with my kids! it was perfect when we were closer to family, but now requires some finagling with making sure i have adequate childcare for the little while i'm gone. :smile:

[makakona]

you lost me... gas to and from what academy and from where?

IT WAS A JOKE!:shock: ;)

:::hanging head::: a bit slow on the uptake over here... ;)

no, I think most of our applicants are from militery backgrounds and right now most are deployed overseas.

DOH! another head hanging moment. why have i not thought of that?!?! sheesh... what an obvious answer.

[Mac]

To return to Makakona's first post in this thread.... When the contract expires, are CHP Officers going to receive a pay raise?
Backing up a bit to pick up this one that went unanswered. The answer is....nobody knows at this point. Contract negotiation is an arduous, adversarial process with nothing given easily. It would be nice if it were as simple as going in and saying "We want a 20% pay raise, and this is why we deserve it..." and the State saying "Sure, OK - no problem, you DO deserve it" - but it's not. The bargaining process hasn't even begun to take shape at this point, so nobody has any idea what the new contract will hold for us. The rumor mill hasn't even started pumping out disinformation and half-truths yet!

[THEDARKKNIGHT]

you see i want to be a CHP officer and the only thing that i ever see negative is the pay. i mean haveing a job is one thing but if it doesn't pay the bills, its not worth it. but i still applied and have my written test next month.

[Cameron]

haha, Mac! Thanks for the reply. I laughed at your update on the status of the rumor mill.

[Chippy'swife]

you see i want to be a CHP officer and the only thing that i ever see negative is the pay. i mean haveing a job is one thing but if it doesn't pay the bills, its not worth it. but i still applied and have my written test next month.

Chill.......It is totally worth it!!! It's funny to see so many applicants complaining about officer pay! LE jobs are definitely not at the top of the food chain when it comes to salary. Clearly choosing a career in LE is a combination of making pretty good money and getting to do a job that makes you happy. We could all sit here and complain that officers should make more money, (I personally think they should ) but when you work for the state, the raises are hard to come by and they typically involve a promise followed by a few years of waiting for them to come to fruition. We are currently supporting a family of 6 on an officers salary, and I think we live fairly well. I'm sure many officers will agree that whenever you need a new couch or a vacation, it gets calculated into hours of OT. Instead of saying hey, we can go to Disneyland for about $2000, you start thinking in terms of hey, we can go to Disneyland for about XX hours of OT. It isn't that everyone wouldn't love to make more money, but if you end up working in an area where there is enough OT to go around, you can take home more $$ than you think. We know several people who work executive type jobs for large companies, work 12 hour days WITH NO OT, and have to kiss their bosses butt all day to take home what we do. My brother always reminds me that it's so cool that my hubby will put in an extra couple hours here and there to provide the extras for our family. He has reminded me that he doesn't have that luxury. He is paid a set salary, during his busy season is expected to work 12-15 hour days, and then if his boss feels generous at the end of the year, he gets a couple grand for his efforts. Paying your bills shouldn't be a problem on a CHP salary, buying a ferrari might be.

[retchp]

Yeah, but I want a Ferrari and I also heard that at OC Academy they make 65K per year and at LAPD Cadets make 72K. And it just isn't fair that CHP Academy Cadets are so underpaid. And besides that, in SFPD Academy they get to have naked ladies do massages on them after PT, and I'd like that too.
Besides I don't want to go to LA and besides that my brother is a pilot for TWA and he makes 250K so I think I'll do that as soon as I quit here at McDonalds! Ooops, my brother just got laid off and TWA went belly up, so I think I'll become a Movie Star instead of a CHP.
Sheesh :mad:

[Mac]

Yeah, but I want a Ferrari and I also heard that at OC Academy they make 65K per year and at LAPD Cadets make 72K. And it just isn't fair that CHP Academy Cadets are so underpaid. And besides that, in SFPD Academy they get to have naked ladies do massages on them after PT, and I'd like that too.
Besides I don't want to go to LA and besides that my brother is a pilot for TWA and he makes 250K so I think I'll do that as soon as I quit here at McDonalds! Ooops, my brother just got laid off and TWA went belly up, so I think I'll become a Movie Star instead of a CHP.
Sheesh :mad:
LOL!!! :badgrin:

Retchp hit it on the head. Bottom line is, if you're looking to get rich and don't care that you hate every minute you're at work, can be laid-off/downsized at any time, and can tolerate being backstabbed by your co-workers who want your position - stay in school, get your degree in whatever you're going to do, and go into the private sector. You'll make a whole lot more money (as long as your company doesn't go under or you don't get laid off), have a lot less fun, and be able to afford all the bling-bling. You may have to start at the bottom and take a looooong time, kiss a busload of butts and work a lot of unpaid overtime to climb your way up to the high-paying positions, but hey - I guess it's better than taking one of those low-paying cop jobs, right?!? :rolleyes:

I've said it before and I'll say it again - you'll never get rich as a cop, but you'll never wonder where your next meal is coming from, either.

[undertow999]

And besides that, in SFPD Academy they get to have naked ladies do massages on them after PT

You sure its naked ladies, we are talkin about San Fran

ok sorry, that was a low blow:shock: :shock: :shock:

[uoplax13]

And besides that, in SFPD Academy they get to have naked ladies do massages on them after PT

You sure its naked ladies, we are talkin about San Fran

ok sorry, that was a low blow:shock: :shock: :shock:

HA! I could....nope, not gonna bite...er...I'm just going to agree that the last few posts were funny and leave it at that before I cross the line!

[makakona]

:::sigh::: can't win for trying. oh, well. :biggrin:shock:ubt:

anyhow, i appreciated chippywife's post. my husband's parents managed a family of eight on a chp salary. they always loved that christmas and summer vacation was easily managed by just bulking up on some ot. but they also bought a home big enough for a family of eight back when it only cost $100k. that house is now worth 3/4 of a million and it's definitely not anything fancy!

[NorCalN00b]

Yeah, but I want a Ferrari and I also heard that at OC Academy they make 65K per year and at LAPD Cadets make 72K. And it just isn't fair that CHP Academy Cadets are so underpaid. And besides that, in SFPD Academy they get to have naked ladies do massages on them after PT
Just to let you know, I would choose the naked ladies massage after PT rather than recieving cadet pay. ;) :smile:

[THEDARKKNIGHT]

im not worried about the pay, it was just the only negative thing i had about the CHP. hell, im still going for it all or nothing. its all about the job!

[Metllcafan]

This info in very misleading. Even at the lowest payment, per month, for a cadet, your gross for a six month period would be $19,608. The salaries you posted about the SFPD, OPD, and LAPD are accurate, but those are salaries for the year, not the durration of an academy. Also, those are base salaries for officers. You also must keep in mind, that the CHP is a live in facility where your room & board, and food is all paid for.

Correction: Those earnings are accurate for the academy. The LAPD,SFPD,OPD pay their cadets the same base salary as their officers. Sorry :biggrin:shock:ubt:
Nope, the salaries I posted are approx what they pay you while you're training in their police academy. For the SFPD cadet pay, why don't you go ask an actual San Francisco Police Officer and they'll tell you it's true.

For Oakland Police Department, check here: http://www.oaklandpolice.com/jobinfo/benefit.html

Quoted from the OPD website: $69,162 to $87,172 annual salary range ($62,245 while in Academy)

As for LAPD, check here: http://www.joinlapd.com/salary.html

Quoted from above link: Base Salary
The starting base salary for high school graduates is $51,114. If you have at least 60 college units, with an overall GPA of 2.0 or better, you will start at $53,160. (These salaries are as of July, 2005) If you have a BA or BS (four year) degree you will start at $55,248.

You begin earning your full salary on your first day of Academy training.

And check out this article: http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=29438&siteSection=5

Quoted from the above link: The LAPD has required recruits to sign five-year contracts since a 1996 investigation found that some were quitting as early as the day after graduation to work for other departments that did not pay for training. Police Academy training takes seven months and costs $60,000 per officer, although the lawsuits seek amounts that have been prorated based on how long each officer served.

And regarding the CHP's cadet pay, check this thread out: http://www.chpforums.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=572

Said by a CHP officer and fellow forum member "Desert Rat" with this reply: http://www.chpforums.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=572

CHP officer "Desert Rat" said: I was their last year, I am married and claimed 4 dependents, I received $2600 dollars a month after taxes. $3249 before taxes.

So $2600 a/month times six months equal $15,600

Edit: Sorry, didn't see you edit your post. No worries.

LAPD pays 48K a year gross while attending the academy. like the CHP they do not give education incentives until you are an officer. you have to remember that the annual income for academy has to be divided by 2 because you are only there for 6 months. LAPD recruits make about 3200 gross a month while in the academy, which works out to about 2600-2700 monthly. chp cadets do get paid less, but room and board are free, and you dont have to drive to work everyday. for a state agency that hires people from throughout the state, not just locally like a city PD it is a much better system. look at the "product" that they put out as compared to other agencies who don't have a live in academy... it speaks for itself.

[dw]

LAPD recruits make about 3200 gross a month while in the academy, which works out to about 2600-2700 monthly. chp cadets do get paid less, but room and board are free, and you dont have to drive to work everyday.

If we pay $3249/month gross, how is that less?

[bcjack]

Interesting reading here...Bottom line...If the pay isn't what you want or like, don't look at the job...

[uoplax13]

I'm totally stoked to go from school to a lame job at 12 per hour......to something with a salary, training, professionalism.....something I'm thinking I'm going to love doing until I retire....just my thoughts.