Police Officer Compensation & Benefits Summary

Additional Pays

• Shift Differential Pay:
  Evening Shift:  Each Patrol Officer who completes the FTO program and who reports to work for his regularly scheduled shift which begins between the hours of 4:00 PM (on or after) and 6:59 PM shall receive shift differential pay in the amount of $125 per month. To be eligible for the shift differential pay for a calendar month, at least half of the shifts (80 hours or more) worked during that month must have been worked during the hours identified.
  Midnight Shift:  Each Patrol Officer who completes the FTO program and who reports to work for his regularly scheduled shift which begins between the hours of 7:00 PM (on or after) and 12:00 midnight shall receive shift differential pay in the amount of $225 per month. To be eligible for the shift differential pay for a calendar month, at least half of the shifts (80 hours or more) worked during that month must have been worked during the hours identified.
• Educational Incentive Pay: At the highest degree level as follows: Associates Degree $50 per month, Bachelor’s Degree $75 per month and Master’s Degree $100 per month.
• On Call: Officers assigned to Narcotics or to Criminal Investigations who are assigned to be on rotating on call and will receive additional compensation in the amount of forty dollars ($40.00) per month.
• Bilingual Pay: Officers certified under standards established by the Chief and assigned to the bilingual program will receive $40 per month. The bilingual program includes Spanish and sign language for the deaf. Maximum is $40 per month.
• Special Duty Assignment Pay: Officers who have successfully completed their probationary period and hold the rank of police officer, corporal or sergeant may be assigned by the Chief to perform Special Duties. Special duties shall be assigned on an as needed basis by the Chief at his or her sole discretion.
  Categories and compensation:
      1. Assigned Duty and Compensation: An official "duty assignment" is a full-time assignment within the department
          normally tasked with supporting other divisions of the department.
          a. K-9 Duty                                                     $160 monthly
          b. Crime Reduction Unit                            $160 monthly
          c. Mental Health Officer Duty                   $100 monthly
          Eligible for one assigned duty/compensation from this section.
      2. Field Training Officer Assignment: An official "duty assignment" for a limited duration. Compensated at $30
          per shift.
      3. Extra Duty Assignment: The category of an "Extra Duty Assignment" is one where the officer can work in any
          area or division and agrees to take on extra work or duties that require additional training and dedication to
          various department missions. These "extra" duties are secondary in nature to the officer's primary assignment and
          are voluntary in nature.
          a. SWAT                                                     $150 monthly
          b. Drone Team                                         $ 75 monthly
          c. Collision Investigation Team            $ 75 monthly
          d. Negotiator (CNT)                                 $ 75 monthly
          Eligible for up to two extra duty assignments/compensations.
• Premium Holidays: 
          a. The following Holidays will be recognized as "Premium Holidays": New Year's Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving
              Day, and Christmas Day. 
          b. Officers assigned to the Patrol Division whose assigned shift begins within the 24‐hour period on which the 
               actual holiday falls, will be paid 1 ½ time pay for that shift.
          c. Officers working an overtime shift are not entitled to additional compensation. In no case will an employee be                 paid at a rate more than 1 ½ times.
          d. This section is in addition to the holiday provision in the Employee Handbook.
• Longevity Pay: Begins at $4 per month of service after completion of 1 year and increases to $17 per month of service with 20 years of service.
• Acting Pay for Corporals: In the absence of the Sergeant, a Corporal may be asked to act in their place. When this acting duty is anticipated to last a full shift or more, the Corporal will be compensated in additional $40 per shift.

Benefits

• 11 paid Holidays per year
• 15 days paid sick leave
• 15 days paid vacation
• 20-year Retirement
• 2:1 Employer/Employee Match
• 457K Voluntary Retirement Plan
• 5 year vesting
• 7% Employee Contribution
• Activity Center Membership and SMPD on-site workout facility
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Life Insurance (City Paid). Additional Voluntary Life for Employee, Spouse and Children available)
• Medical and Dental Coverage
• Social Security
• Texas Municipal Retirement System
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Uniforms provided
• Take home vehicle provided
• Quality of life is valued by the citizens of San Marcos. San Marcos has been listed in Business Week’s fourth annual survey of the "Best Places to Raise Your Kids". Plus, the United States Census Bureau named San Marcos one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. It is an extremely popular area for recreation, especially tubing, canoeing, swimming, and fishing.
  
  San Marcos is a hub for everything because of its location between Austin and San Antonio, two major cultural centers in Central Texas. San Marcos is the home of Texas State University, the fifth largest university in the state with 40,000 students. Texas State boasts NCAA Division I athletic teams playing in the Sun Belt Conference, providing the community with exciting local sporting and cultural events.
  
  Officers of the San Marco Police Department are not required to live within the city limits of San Marcos. This offers several unique advantages. The cities ETJ (extra territorial jurisdiction) extends into 4 separate counties, making available a variety of places to live and school districts to choose from, for officers who have kids. Counties included in the ETJ are Hays, Caldwell, Comal and Guadalupe counties.