ELKHART — City police officers will probably not see much of a bump in pay, even though their salaries lag behind several other area departments.
A new study that compares police pay at the Elkhart Police Department with 15 other Indiana agencies shows entry level pay for Elkhart police ranked ninth, with a starting salary at $43,067.
The survey included 10 local agencies and other police departments similar in size to Elkhart’s.
The study was prepared by the Elkhart Police Department, according to Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore.
Other departments with higher starting salaries included Mishawaka at $47,320, St. Joseph County at $44,075 and South Bend police at $43,180.
Elkhart moves up in the rankings when looking at pay levels beginning in the second year of employment. Elkhart pays $46,252 to officers entering their second years, while Mishawaka was at the top with $52,033.
Possibly the most striking statistic that jumped out of the 45 pages of facts was the percentage of salary that goes to insurance.
According to the study, 18.8 percent of the salary for a first-year officer in Elkhart goes toward insurance, which is more than any of the other 15 agencies.