EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of The Pay Check, an in-depth look at every dollar earned by 24,000 law enforcement officers across N.J. in 2019. Find the full database here: The Pay Check.
Police officers in New Jersey make some of the best money in the nation. But how much— and for what, exactly— police officers are being paid has never been fully documented. Until now.
NJ Advance Media reviewed 2019 payroll records from all of New Jersey’s local police departments and the State Police, and the contracts and budgets of more than three dozen departments. What we found was a patchwork of ways police officers can make money in addition to their base salaries.
The Pay Check: Database | Glossary of Terms | How We Did It
The bulk of extra payments are for overtime and outside jobs such as traffic control at a construction site or security at a high school football game. Those types of payments are fairly standard across departments.
But officers can add hundreds or thousands of dollars to their paychecks in a variety of ways, hidden inside of contacts not typically seen by the public.
Police officers make a
lot of money in N.J.
On average, they earn $99,000 in base salary a year. But when overtime and outside jobs are included that number jumps to $123,000.
They earn some of that in ways
you see: sitting at the side of a
construction site or providing security
at a football game.
Other ways they earn money might surprise you:
There are bonuses for having college degrees, with some degrees worth more than others.
Some shifts earn officers extra money, like working overnight, on holidays, or doing a shift in a rank that earns more per hour.
Officers who have been at a department a long time get “longevity bonuses,” just for not leaving.
And if you’re particularly in shape, that can lead to a payout in at least one department.
And not working can bring in just as big a buck.
Contracts also cover some non-salary payouts, too, like clothes, mileage, ammunition, and more.
These contract quirks differ by department, but one thing is the same across the state: They can lead to big, big paychecks.
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Have a question or a comment about this project? Email the authors at [email protected].
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