Fort Wayne Police Salaries in Top 20 Nationally

According to a report by the 2006 PolicePay Index, Fort Wayne officers salaries rank 19th out of the 200 largest cities in the nation when adjusted for the local cost of living.

From the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette:

"The 2006 PolicePay Index ranks Fort Wayne Police Department salaries in the top 20 out of the largest 200 American cities. Although Fort Wayne officers are paid slightly below the national average, their wages are 17 percent higher than average because of the low local cost of living, the report said.

“The compensation is pretty good, but when you look at the cost of living – that’s what bumped Fort Wayne up,” PolicePay Index editor Matt Barnard said.

Fort Wayne officer pay ranks 109th when the cost of living isn’t factored in. But when that is included, the salary rank jumps 90 places to 19th – well above the other Indiana cities on the list. Evansville came in at 110 and Indianapolis at 114 when calculated against the cost of living."

Although pay level is but one factor in choosing a career path, it can make a large difference in recruitment of new officers. Smaller departments, such as Allen County ($35k) and New Haven ($32k) can't match the starting salary ($40k) that Fort Wayne offers. In addition, the smaller departments just can't match other benefits that Fort Wayne is able to offer such as a pension that pays 70 percent of an officer’s salary upon retirement.

More from the Journal Gazette:

"Beside size and budget, one factor that separates salaries for Fort Wayne Police Department officers from those of other local police is collective bargaining, Fort Wayne City Attorney Tim Mangus said. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association spent months negotiating its current contract with city officials.

Sweet said collective bargaining gives Fort Wayne Police Department officers a step up in requesting – and receiving – higher salaries.

Like Fort Wayne, many city police departments saw a great deal of movement in pay rankings between straight pay and an adjustment for cost of living.

California cities, when the cost of living isn’t factored in, dominate the top 25. Irvine, Calif., for example, ranks 17th for paying its officers. But it ranks 141st with the cost of living included.

Texas cities – Austin, Plano, Lubbock, Corpus Christi, Dallas and Fort Worth – are in the top 25 because of competitive pay and a relatively low cost of living, Barnard said.

Midwestern cities also tend to pay their police forces pretty well."