# Do cops get paid all the hours they work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422 "2015-12-14T15:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422/21 "2015-12-16T09:34:25Z")
One other thing, related to the OP, is that in many areas a police officers pension is based on their 3 highest paid years. An officer of course makes a higher hourly wage on their 3 last years than they did previously, so he/she may try to get as much OT as possible during those last 3 years. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422/22 "2015-12-16T18:50:31Z")
If I take a traffic ticket to court, and the ticketing officer has to be there to defend the charge, is he typically scheduled so court time is a part of his shift, or is that usually overtime? ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422/23 "2015-12-16T22:11:30Z")
Court time is part of his/her shift and is considered part of their daily duties. If the court date is on a day off, the officer will be paid OT if required. At least that’s how my ex’s job did it. But IIRC, each officer had a specific day to schedule for court dates to take care of as many tickets in one shot as possible, say the 3rd Wednesday of the month, and it would be part of their regular duty day. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422/24 "2015-12-16T22:48:29Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > OP specifically mentioned Lawn Order SVU detectives . . . Be interesting to hear from **Loach** on that. He’s one of those, isn’t he? I am not now nor have I ever been on Law & Order. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422/25 "2015-12-19T01:01:24Z")
The one univeral answer on this subject is I don’t know any police officer who isn’t keenly aware of his work time and that he gets compensated for it. Everything else is different depending on the department. Most departments attempt to keep overtime costs down. Often overtime is a failure of management. Sometimes it can not be avoided. And in some places some level above the department decides it is cheaper to give out overtime than to hire and fully staff a department. I do work in a small SVU unit in a suburban department. I work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day. If I go over those hours because a case runs long I get overtime. If the continuing work can be done the next day without overtime or damage to the case that is what is done. One detective is on call each night. If there is a case that has to be dealt with right away he is called in. Overtime is paid. Something happens and the on duty supervisor determines that follow up can wait till regular business hours then no one is called. This subject is definately something that takes me out of a show or movie. When I see cops working day and night without any structure to their schedule I always think “Who is signing their OT form?” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422/26 "2015-12-19T01:16:51Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > In the UK, ranks above sergeant are salaried and get no overtime. This means that a sergeant may well be earning more (a lot more in some cases) than his boss. A major disincentive to promotion. In our department it is Captains and above. > [@wolfpup](#): > > In my city, they not only get overtime, but the union has also won them the right to freelance for private organizations for things like directing traffic in and out of the parking lot during busy times, which they do in uniform and with full police powers. But often the job is simply to ensure that there are no significant traffic problems, so they actually spend much of that time standing around on the sidewalk chatting and enjoying free coffee or whatever else the store provides. With the possible exception of actors in TV ads, it’s probably a world record for rate of pay for drinking free coffee! 😃 There was no need to win any right. Companies need us so we get hired. No taxpayer money is spent. The companies pay us through the department. In fact the town is making money because they charge an hourly fee on top of what we get. The town is happy to let us do those jobs. They get money for nothing. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Around here, cops get overtime if they work over 40 hours a week. Once they gain seniority, they can volunteer for as much overtime as they want. Often they will lose up on overtime in the years before retirement, since that’s based on how much they made in their last three years. The unions won’t give that up, especially since they control the Conservative Party in the county: politicians won’t cross them since they need their endorsement. > > So cops work overtime all the time. It depends on the retirement system. The New York system computes retirement pay off of their total earnings. In New Jersey our retirement pay is computed off our base pay only. In my last few years I could work myself to death with overtime and my retirement rate would not change. > [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Sometimes they don’t get actually paid for overtime, but get ‘Comp time’ (Compensatory time off) which is extra hours they can take off when they want. With the schedule approval of their supervisor. But often police departments are so busy that it’s hard for officers to use up this comp time. So many departments allow them to accumulate it, often over years. Sometimes that builds up until they retire, then they many have months-worth of accumulated comp time they can use up then. So they get paid past retirement, or use this to effectively retire early. We have the choice of taking comp time or pay when we get overtime. Since I usually get little overtime I have to take it in pay. > [@jtur88](#): > > If I take a traffic ticket to court, and the ticketing officer has to be there to defend the charge, is he typically scheduled so court time is a part of his shift, or is that usually overtime? There is a general attempt to schedule during work. For instance our Traffic Division officers only get day court. But the court does not look at each indivdual ticket against every officer’s day off. The court is a separate entity and that would put a huge burden on them. The one way they cut down on overtime was to stop sending us subpeonas. If you get a court date you come in to see the prosecutor. If you want a trial you have to come back. We get called in on your second appearance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-get-paid-all-the-hours-they-work/740422.md?page=1)