Pay and Benefits
Learn more about the competitive compensation and benefits that we offer our Suffolk Police Department personnel.
Salary
Police Officer Recruit
$5,000 hiring bonus upon completion of the Academy
$49,642 upon hire, through the Academy
$54,606 upon completion of the Academy
Emergency Communications Operator
$2,500 hiring bonus
$48,487 upon hire
Certified Police Officer
$10,000 hiring bonus
Starting salary is dependent upon years of service and certification. Certified Police Officers are awarded 50% credit for years of eligible service.
Certified Emergency Communications Operator
$4,000 hiring bonus
Starting salary is dependent upon years of service and certification. Certified Emergency Communications Operators are awarded 50% credit for years of eligible service.
Benefits
Take Home Car Program
All officers who live within a fifty (50) mile radius (does not extend into North Carolina) of Suffolk Police Department Headquarters are eligible to participate in the Take Home Car Program. Police Officer Recruits are eligible upon completion of the one-year probationary period. Certified Officers are eligible upon completion of field training.
Paid Time Off & Sick Leave
Newly-hired full-time Officer Recruits will receive 24 hours of Recognition Leave, and newly-hired Certified Officers will receive 40 hours of Recognition Leave. Newly-hired full-time sworn personnel will accrue eight (8) hours of Sick Leave each month, in addition to eight (8) hours of Annual Leave per month. These numbers may increase with years of service.
Full-time civilian personnel accrue ten (10) hours of PTO each month. This number may increase with years of service.
All employees receive three (3) days of personal leave per year that they are able to use at their discretion.
Any employee who is or may become a member of any reserve component of the armed forces of the United States shall be entitled to a leave of absence from their respective duty without loss of time, regular leave, vacation, impairment of employee evaluation, or any other rights or benefits to which they are otherwise entitled, for all periods of military service during which they are engaged in the performance of duty or training in the service of the state or the United States, under competent orders. A full-time employee while on such leave shall be paid their salary or compensation for a period not exceeding fifteen (15) workdays in any one federal fiscal year.
Health Insurance & Other Coverage
The Suffolk Police Department and the City of Suffolk provides employees with health care coverage. There are a variety of coverage levels you can select based on your needs. You will have access to benefits such as dental, vision, accident and illness, disability, identity protection, and legal services.
Tuition Assistance
The City of Suffolk provides a Tuition Assistance Program designed to encourage employees’ professional development and continual learning while enhancing job performance and preparing the employee for a reasonable job promotion. Under this program, the City will provide reimbursement to an eligible employee who has completed coursework in a degree seeking program. Each fiscal year, the amount awarded to qualifying applicants will be contingent upon funds that are appropriated toward the program, not to exceed $2,000 per employee per fiscal year, or $1,000 per employee per six (6) months.
Holidays
All regular full-time employees receive time off, holiday compensatory time, or regular pay for recognized state holidays. Each year, the City Manager prepares a holiday calendar for observance by City employees, allowing City employees the same holiday schedule as employees of the State. The holiday calendar will be effective January 1 through December 31 of each year. The observance of holidays may vary for general employees and shift employees. In order for an employee to receive payment for a holiday, they must work the last regularly scheduled workday before and the first regularly schedules workday after the holiday, or be on approved absence with pay. Whenever possible, the Department directors make every effort to arrange working schedules to permit time off for holidays.
Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
Employees of the Suffolk Police Department are provided with enrollment in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). There are multiple designations under which employees may fall, depending on their position of employment. Please click the links to the right to learn more about the benefits available to you through VRS. Sworn personnel will click on the link for either “Plan 2 – Enhanced Benefits for Eligible Political Subdivision Hazardous Duty Employees Handbook for Members” or “Plan 1 – Enhanced Benefits for Eligible Political Subdivision Hazardous Duty Employees Handbook for Members,” depending on their status with VRS. (Most Police Officer Recruits will be Plan 2, and Certified Police Officers may be either Plan 1 or Plan 2). Civilian personnel will click on the link for “Hybrid Retirement Plan for Members.”
Shifts & Scheduling
Annual Shift Bid
Police Officers work on an annual shift bid that allows them to make their shift preferences known. Once assigned to a shift, you will work that shift for the year until a new shift bid is introduced. This allows you to plan ahead and create a life flow that works with your schedule, instead of having to make last-minute changes based on rotations. Officers may not be on the same shift for more than 3 years in a row.
Shift Hours
Suffolk Police Officers are designated into three shifts: Morning, Evening, and Midnights (also known as A, B, and C shift). Shift hours are as follows:
Morning Shift (A): 0645-1500
Evening Shift (B): 1445-2300
Midnight Shift (C): 2245-0700