Oceanside Police salary

Pay from the academy to top salary

What officers were actually paid in 2024

148 officers on the payroll for the full year. Overtime added 13% to median base pay.

From public payroll records published by Transparent California. Officer ranks only, not supervisors. Medians, so half earned more and half less.

How Oceanside Police pay compares

pay in the academy officer or deputy range, starting salary to top salary

Full pay ranking

Starting salary is 93% of the local household income

The median household in Oceanside earns $97,737 a year.

One officer's starting base pay against the income of a whole household. A rough guide to how far the pay goes where you work. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates, table B19013.

Extra pay and notes

• Recruit pay is published hourly at $34.37 and converted here at 2,080 hours.
• The recruit rate comes from the entry-level posting dated October 2025, read on a job board copy.
• Officer range is $7,585 to $10,306 per month in the entry-level posting.
• The city's open lateral and academy graduate postings still show $88,584 to $120,372.
• Bilingual pay is $1.73 per hour for eligible employees.
• Shift differential is 5% of base pay on eligible schedules.
• POST certificate pay for officers is 5% for Intermediate and 7% for Advanced.
• Uniform allowance is $1,000 per year.
• Tuition reimbursement is $2,000 per fiscal year.
• Service pay is $2,000 at nine years, $3,000 at twelve and $5,000 at twenty.
• Retirement is CalPERS. Staff hired after January 1, 2013 fall under PEPRA. The formula is not stated.
• The department lists 4/10 and 3/12 work schedules.
• The current bargaining agreement runs January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026. Scheduled raises are not listed.

Hiring or lateral bonus

Lateral officers only: up to $22,000 over five years. $5,000 at hire, $1,000 after probation, then $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 and $7,000 at anniversaries two to five. Budgeted for 12 positions. No entry-level bonus is published.