Salary and Benefits

Manheim Township offers a very competitive salary and benefits package that rivals regional and national standards. Law enforcement is a demanding career, and the nature of a 24/7/365 organization requires a schedule not often experienced outside of first responders and essential service providers. As such, Manheim Township places a high priority on providing its police officers with appropriate compensation to meet these demands. Financial compensation is only one aspect of these benefits. Manheim Township officers also enjoy industry-leading health benefits, generous time-off, and retirement resources seldom seen in the private sector. Summaries of each of these perks listed below are only a brief highlight of the entire contract; for detailed information on any specific benefits, please contact our recruiting team. 

• Salary and Pay

  • The current starting salary for a police officer is $59,373. Officers receive annual increases in pay over the first 6 years of employment leading up to the maximum patrol salary of $104,975 a year. Overtime is paid at the rate of time and a half, and all off-duty events include a minimum of two hours of overtime pay. Officers working on federal holidays receive “time and a half pay,” which is 1.5 times their normal hourly rate. Officers also receive an annual uniform and gear allowance. Manheim Township provides annual bonuses to officers who have obtained Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s Degrees. There are excellent opportunities for promotion, with corresponding salary raises. Police officers are paid biweekly. 

  • Manheim Township is one of the only municipalities in Lancaster County which hires applicants who are not Act 120 certified (i.e. those who have not completed the PA police academy and accompanying certification exam). Manheim Township pays non-certified hires an annual salary of $55,903 while they train in the academy, which increases to $59,373 upon completion of the academy. Manheim Township provides 100% funding for all costs associated with the academy and also provides health care benefits throughout this time. 

• Schedule and Time off (vacation, holiday, delayed, sick)

  • MTPD uses a biweekly swing-shift schedule of 12-hour shifts. Officers rotate between two weeks of day shift and two weeks of night shift, working no more than three shifts in a row. Officers work approximately 15 shifts per month.

  • In addition to approximately 15 days per month off built into the schedule, officers receive an annual allotment of vacation, delayed, and bonus time.  First-year officers receive 80 hours of vacation, with annual increases topping out at 200 hours per year. All officers receive 104 hours of bonus time and 104 hours of delayed time per year. Officers who accrue overtime may elect to take compensatory time in lieu of pay at the overtime rate to earn an additional 80 hours of time off per calendar year. 

  • Manheim Township also provides annual allotments of sick time and bereavement leave which officers can use accordingly.  Officers are eligible to 104 hours of paid sick leave per year and accumulated sick time over 312 hours may be cashed out at 50% of the officer's year end pay rate.

• Health Care Benefits

  • Manheim Township provides completely funded health, vision, and dental benefits. That means that MTPD employees are not required to pay monthly dues for this coverage. Health Care coverage through Highmark Blue Shield includes an optional HSA, and Manheim Township pays $2,800 into each officer’s HSA annually. Vision coverage is provided by Davis Vision, and dental coverage is provided by United Concordia. Health benefits coverage begins immediately upon employment. 

• Pension and Retirement

  • Manheim Township provides an excellent pension plan for which each officer is eligible after they have reached 25 years of service and 55 years of age. Every active police officer shall pay into the pension fund each month an amount of money equal to 5% of his/her base rate compensation. Retirees receive 50% of the average of the last 3 years of their annual salary. Retired officers also enjoy 100% Health Care benefits coverage from the Township at no cost to the retired officer. 

• 457

  • In addition to the pension plan, MTPD officers have the opportunity to enroll in Manheim Township’s 457 plan, which is similar to a 401K. Deferred compensation is a voluntary retirement plan that allows an officer to choose an amount for an annual payroll deduction for investment into his/her retirement fund. The money is tax-deferred until retirement or when the money is taken out of the account. The money may be placed in various interest-sensitive investment options such as mutual funds and money market funds. The plan is offered through MissionSquare Retirement.