Seattle rates in the top five for police officers starting wage

Looking from the outside in, it seems to me that being a police officer in Washington state can be a thankless job. If you're a police officer, we see you approaching us wearing the uniform and we are wondering what we might have done wrong. (Maybe that's just my guilty conscience.) 

In my view, that's just a small reason why it's so hard to recruit police officers not just in the Northwest, but anywhere in the states. 

There is some information that has come to light, though that might make it a little easier for Seattle to recruit officers, and that is the starting pay scale. 

According to axios.com,
‘Seattle police earn some of the highest starting salaries for officers in the country, an Axios analysis finds. 
Entry-level pay for Seattle police officers is nearly $118,000 — far exceeding starting pay in New York City and Los Angeles, larger cities with similar or higher costs of living.’ 

If you look at a list of the 20 most populous cities in the United States, you'll see that Seattle is only outranked by San Francisco and San Jose, CA. In starting pay. You might consider that a starting salary for a Seattle police officer of $118,000 is preposterous but think about it. 

The training, and dedication required to become a Seattle police officer, the inherent danger of the job, and the continuing education and training that's necessary might justify the salary. Certainly, the Seattle Police Officers Guild believe so. 

Some of the numbers. 

The current contract for Seattle police officers show that officers received a retroactive raise of 6% in 2024 and 4% for 2025. Another raise for this year of 2.7% approved by the Seattle City Council is also in effect. And time on the job counts. Seattle police officers pay ramps up quickly, after six months getting a minimum of $126,336. 

By contrast, the city of New York's starting salary is $60,884, and you have to be on the job more than five and 1/2 years before they receive their base salary of $126,410 a year. 

The high pay rate for Seattle police officers is thought to make Seattle a more competitive environment for the best applicants, but some City Council officials believe that that a higher salary should come with higher accountability by the officers themselves. 

What do you think?