Salary, Benefits, and Career Opportunities

2026 Act 120 Certified Police Officer Starting Rate: $85,918.56*
(Based on the annual 12-hour patrol schedule)
2026 Police Academy Rate: $19.67/hour plus health benefits*
(Upon successful graduation and Act 120 certification, salary increases to the Act 120 Certified Police Officer Starting Rate above)
2026 Police Officer Top Rate: $116,643.95*
(Achieved after 4 complete years of service and based on the annual 12-hour patrol schedule)
Thirteen (13) paid holidays a year*
(Paid in one check during the last pay period of November)
Two (2) personal days a year*
Paid $1,000.00 annual uniform allowance*
Up to 3% longevity pay*
Up to 4% shift differential pay*
(For police officers working on the 1900-0700 patrol schedule)
Off-duty attendance pay for magistrate hearings and Common Pleas court
Shift overtime opportunities available
Numerous extra-duty overtime details available

12-hour Pitman schedule that provides 182 pass days a year, including every other Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off
(Guaranteed 84 hours’ bi-weekly pay)
- The Uniform Patrol Division operates on two daily shifts (0700-1900 and 1900-0700), which rotate every twelve (12) weeks
Generous annual paid vacation, in which all hours can be used as single vacation days with only 72 hours’ notice*
- Completion of one (1) year: 96 hours
- Completion of five (5) years: 144 hours
- Completion of ten (10) years: 192 hours
- Completion of fifteen (15) years: 240 hours
- Completion of twenty (20) years: 288 hours
The ability to accrue up to 240 hours of compensatory time and request time off with only 48 hours’ notice*
120 hours’ of paid sick leave a year, which can accrue to 1,000 hours*
Paid bereavement leave for immediate and extended family members (including spouse’s family)
Paid military leave for police officers who are active reservists in the United States Armed Forces
The ability to trade shifts with other police officers (daily and full rotation trades)
All scheduling is done through PowerTime and police officers can complete their scheduling activities using a downloadable iOS or Android app

Twenty-five (25) nautical mile residency radius from the boundaries of the Municipality of Penn Hills*
(Includes all of Allegheny County and sizeable parts of Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties)
Newly hired police officers will have up to two (2) years to meet the residency requirement

Act 600 full retirement pension at fifty (50) years of age with twenty-five (25) completed years of service*
- Pension is based on a 50% average of the final thirty-six (36) months of employment, including overtime earnings
- Cost-of-living-allowance (COLA) of up to 75%*
- An early 20-year reduced retirement benefit is available*
The ability to purchase up to five (5) years of prior military service or Act 49 prior police service credit toward retirement*
(Can be prior military, prior police service, or a combination of both)
Eligible to participate in an additional, voluntary deferred compensation 457(B) retirement plan [similar to a 401(K) plan] offered through Mission Square Retirement
(Existing 457B plans can be merged through Mission Square Retirement)
Top-tier $0 deductible Highmark BCBS or UPMC healthcare, dental, and vision plans offered*
- An opt-out benefit of 40% of the plan premium cost is available to police officers using another plan (e.g., spouse)*
  (This benefit can typically exceed $10,000/year)

One of the largest law enforcement agencies in Southwestern Pennsylvania with nearly 60 full-time police officers and many career advancement opportunities
- Currently, there are over 25 promotional or specialized positions with increased pay rates that exist
- Typical patrol shifts operate with 6-9 police officers, not including sergeants
Paid police academy training for applicants who are not Act 120 certified*
Complete uniform outfitting upon hire, which includes summer and winter uniforms, jackets, footwear, full duty gear, ballistic vest, and much more!
Visible tattoos (while wearing a short-sleeve uniform shirt) and beards are permitted
(Certain restrictions apply)
Membership in the Fraternal Order of Police – Lodge 91
Membership in the Penn Hills Police Advisory Board (police union)
Eligible to join the Penn Hills Municipal Federal Credit Union, offering excellent personal and auto loan financing rates
Many other incentives offered in the police officers’ collective bargaining agreement

* Details are subject to the terms of the current police officers’ collective bargaining agreement, which expires December 31, 2026