
Salary Information
- 2027 Act 120 Certified Police Officer Starting Rate: $89,369.28*
(Annual rate reflects the 12-hour patrol schedule, including 104 additional scheduled hours each year) - 2027 Police Academy Rate: $20.46/hour plus health benefits*
(Upon successful graduation and Act 120 certification, salary increases to the Act 120 Certified Police Officer Starting Rate above) - 2030 Police Officer Top Rate: $136,456.32*
(Achieved after 4 complete years of service. Annual rate reflects the 12-hour patrol schedule, including 104 additional scheduled hours each year.) - Thirteen (13) paid holidays a year*
(Paid in one check during the last pay period of November) - $1,000 annual uniform allowance, paid directly to officers in two installments each year*
($1,200.00 in 2029) - 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
Schedule and Time Off Benefits
- 12-hour Pitman schedule providing 182 scheduled days off per 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*
- 32 personal hours a year*
- Paid bereavement leave for immediate and extended family members (including spouse’s family)
- Paid parental leave for new mothers and fathers
- 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
Residency Information
- 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
Retirement, Pension, and Healthcare Benefits
- Act 600 full retirement pension at fifty (50) years of age with twenty-five (25) completed years of service*
- Pension benefit is based on 50% of the average annual earnings during 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 healthcare plan premium cost is available to police officers using another plan (e.g., a spouse’s plan)*
(This benefit can typically exceed $10,000/year)
- An opt-out benefit of 40% of the healthcare plan premium cost is available to police officers using another plan (e.g., a spouse’s plan)*
Other Notable Benefits
- One of the largest law enforcement agencies in Southwestern Pennsylvania with nearly 60 full-time police officers and many career advancement opportunities
- More than 25 promotional or specialized positions are available, many of which include increased pay rates.
- Typical patrol shifts operate with 5-9 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, a Glock 47 duty pistol, 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
Career Advancement Opportunities
- Extensive training and professional development opportunities are available
- Traffic Officer
(5% salary increase from Police Officer top rate*) - K-9 Handler
(5% salary increase from Police Officer top rate*) - Detective
(5% salary increase from Police Officer top rate*) - Sergeant
(10% salary increase from Police Officer top rate*) - Lieutenant
(10% salary increase from Sergeant top rate*) - Special Response Team (SRT) Operator
- Firearms / Taser® / Use of Force Instructor
- Drone Operator
- Field Training Officer

* Details are subject to the terms of the current police officers’ collective bargaining agreement, which expires December 31, 2030

