utvolman99 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hey guys, I am considering changing professions and becoming a police officer (I know, I know). The pay where I am (the south) is so LOW I am having to look around at other regions. I am looking all over the country but am very interested in CA. I know that the cost of living is very high and would like to run these starting pay numbers buy you to see how they would stack up. I am not looking to be rich. I have just been told by others that this is near poverty level for these parts of CA Hayward PD Starts at $71,430 Vallejo PD Starts at $70,481 Fremont PD starts at $68,471 Sunnyvale PD starts at $73,123 Concord PD starts at $56,890 Riverside PD starts at $53,224 Huntington Beach PD starts at $54,424 San Bernardino PD starts at $51,600 In Knoxville, TN (my home town) the PD starts at $28,400! I couldn't imagine living off of that kind of money even if it is in Tennessee! I am currently living in a smaller town than Knoxville and am making around 65K. I know that no matter where I go I will have a step down in lifestyle... Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Just keep in mind that the State of CA is in financial crisis and government (State, regional and local) are on the chopping block. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utvolman99 Posted February 25, 2004 Author Share Posted February 25, 2004 Just keep in mind that the State of CA is in financial crisis and government (State' date=' regional and local) are on the chopping block.Tim[/quote'] I do understand that. I am comitted to my current job for the next year or so. At that point I will start applying for a police officer job. It normally takes 6-8 months to get a job offer so I am looking for a couple of years down the road. How did the pay figures look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayAreaZT Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Sunnyvale looks attractive. It's higher on the pay scale and the crime rate is probably lower than most cities in the bay area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Huntington Beach by FAR! You are close to the beach, there are lots of fine women around, and the weather is ALWAYS fair! San Bernardino is slummmmmmy. I used to live in a suburb of San Bernardino called Highland, it was so so borderline of uppermiddle class and lower middle class. You are gonna have more lower class problems to deal with in San Bernadino. Huntington Beach PD would be the best out of these you listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Don't know about the money but you might want to go to Best Places http://www.bestplaces.net/ plug in Knoxsville (or wherever) and the areas in CA an see how they compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Everyone I know wants to get the hell out of CA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Olphart Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Guess I should salute you and wish you luck... No amount of pay could entice me into donning a target and going out to hassle speeders and break up drunken family fights. Gotta remember that California is trying its' best to be sure only gang bangers are armed, and they like to shoot. There is currently a "You can't chase'em" law in the legislative works. (No pursuits except in very limited cases). Perhaps something will change in the next year If not, many more officers will be laid off than hired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguy95135 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 my father is a CHP officer, so I know some stuff. He is just a regular officer and makes about $65,000 a year, lots of vacation (like 2 months a years or something like that), and I think they just got a raise (albeit small). If you have a pilots liscence the pilots make $100,000 (fixed wing, and helicopter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moridin Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Check out places like Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Moraga, and Orinda. There are right around Concord and have a much lower crime rate. Unfortunately, you can't away with as much, because the police officers have little to do. The biggest problem though, is the cost of living. My tiny little house, that barely fits the whole family, costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000. We're talking one and a half bath, three bedroom, with a small garage. Maybe 1800 sq. ft. if I remember right. Might be smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Moridin has nailed it. It's the price of housing that kills out here. You won't be able to buy a home on those salaries. Even out here on the Delta prices have doubled in the last five years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 my father is a CHP officer, so I know some stuff. He is just a regular officer and makes about $65,000 a year, lots of vacation (like 2 months a years or something like that), and I think they just got a raise (albeit small). If you have a pilots liscence the pilots make $100,000 (fixed wing, and helicopter) your dad's chp? haha wow, i didn't know that. cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David K Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 your dad's chp? haha wow' date=' i didn't know that. cool![/quote'] something leads me to believe aux did something in front of his dad, and is now surprised to find this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 I lived in the Los Angeles area (Pasadena) in the late 1990's. Then I was forced to move to Ohio (job transfer). I wish I could move back!!! Let's examine the complaint about the high cost of housing in California. OK, a low-end 900 sq ft dilapidated house in Pasadena costs $350K, while a decent 4-bedroom house in Dayton, Ohio costs $150K. Dayton sounds like a deal, while Pasadena sounds like a ripoff, right? But consider this: The Pasadena house cost $250K in 1998, and will probably cost $450K in 2010. The Dayton house cost $140K in 1998, and might cost $160K in 2010. Meanwhile, you will pay $2500/yr in property taxes in Dayton, and maybe $4000/yr in Pasadena (only slightly more, for a much more expensive house). And when it comes time to sell, the house in Dayton will sit for several months on the market, while the one in Pasadena will sell in a week. So consider the real cost of living - the total cost of ownership over the long term. In that regard, the lowest cost of living is in Los Angeles, the SF Bay area, Boston, NYC, and Washington, D.C. The highest cost of living is in the Midwest, the rural south, and the plains. .... Not meaning to touch a nerve, but going back to the first post in this thread - making $65K in Tennessee sounds like an entirely reasonable income, especially for a young guy with no dependents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utvolman99 Posted February 26, 2004 Author Share Posted February 26, 2004 .... Not meaning to touch a nerve, but going back to the first post in this thread - making $65K in Tennessee sounds like an entirely reasonable income, especially for a young guy with no dependents. Your not touching a nerve. $65K in Tennessee is great, probably upper middle class. I just hate my current job (mechanical engineer) and have always wanted to be a cop. I have been doing this for five years and have hated every second of it. I feel that it is time to do what will make me happy and not worry so much about the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Everyone I know wants to get the hell out of CA!! Yep. And as was suggested earlier, Sunnyvale would be the town of choice among those listed--lowest crime and surrounded by fairly decent cities. Nothing wrong with Fremont except that it sits very close to Hayward... (sorry to the Hayward guys ) Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utvolman99 Posted February 26, 2004 Author Share Posted February 26, 2004 Still no one has commented on the actual pay. I do understand that I would not be able to buy a house in these cities making this kind of money but other than that how would my standard of living be? I can go to cost of living calculators on the net but those are not very accurate and dont take some things into account. I was planning on living in an appartment in the $1,000 to $1,200 range. From the looks of them on realtor.com they are pretty small 600 - 800 ft^2 but they seem to be pretty nice? Also, how much does food cost? Around here (in Nashville) two can go to a sitdown chain resturant for around $30 and a nicer trendy type place for around $40 - $50. There are also places where you can drop $150 but that is not the norm. I know that gas would be a HUGE difference. Here people are crying because its up to $1.65 for regular. I'm sure its closer to $3.00 out there. What it boils down to is that I would like to be in a financial postion that would allow me to not have to budget my groceries and be able to go out to eat, movies, dates without that much worry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Our local city (El Segundo, CA) is constantly hiring cops (lateral hires) at $3998 to $4860 per month. El Segundo is home to 200 of the fortune 500 companies. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayAreaZT Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 I think you will be fine with the pay scale. Because bay area has a unique housing market, lenders are a little more lenient and creative to get people in homes. A lot of cities may also have home buying programs for police officers like they do for teachers. I just bought my first home with 100% financing so I will have cash reserves and money for furniture. I don't have to pay PMI either. I would defenitly recomend buying if you can over renting for the tax benefit. Eating out will cost about the same. Typically $40 - $80 for two depending on your appetite . As long as you watch you budget for the first few months and adjust accordingly you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Find and ME job that you will like better, like designing Z parts! Start your own company, something like that. Money might only seem like it doesn't matter until you have none. You will lose all your toys, or you won't have time to play with them. Tough out the crap now while you have a job that makes you money, no job is permanant, you could get let go tomorrow, no matter what company you work for or how secure you THINK your job is. If you are making too much $$ now, save ALOT (20-30% before taxes if possible), retire early. Then do what ever it is you want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.