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Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division starts at $58,947 a year — about $28.34 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $9,443 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $6,050 below the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Nebraska run about 10% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $65,422 would somewhere at average prices — $6,475 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 75 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
About Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division
Nebraska Game and Parks Conservation Officers are members of the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Unit and perform statewide conservation law enforcement. State records identify Conservation Officers as law-enforcement personnel with arrest powers; they enforce game laws, issue citations, investigate violations and testify in court.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Nebraska Department of Administrative Services — 2025–2027 State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council Labor Contract / July 1, 2026 Pay Plan — open the source document
Their source is effective 1 July 2026.
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
How this level compares
Where Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division starts at $58,947, so $6,051 below the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division officer make?
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division starts a new officer on $58,947 a year, about $28.34 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from Nebraska Department of Administrative Services — 2025–2027 State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council Labor Contract / July 1, 2026 Pay Plan.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Nebraska?
It ranks #12 of 17 agencies we have verified in Nebraska — 5 pay less, 11 pay more in the state — and #1,288 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $9,443 below, and against other state agencies $6,050 below.
Compare with another department
Put Nebraska Game and Parks Commission — Law Enforcement Division side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in NE
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Nebraska | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln Police Department | Municipal | 351 | $74,568 | +$15,621 | #574 |
| 2 | Sarpy County Sheriff's Office | County | 114 | $73,861 | +$14,914 | #600 |
| 3 | La Vista Police Department | Municipal | 42 | $73,653 | +$14,706 | #605 |
| 4 | Lancaster County Sheriff's Office | County | 86 | $72,280 | +$13,333 | #653 |
| 5 | Nebraska State Patrol | State | 410 | $70,195 | +$11,248 | #760 |
| 6 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 30 | $70,042 | +$11,095 | #766 |
| 7 | Papillion Police Department | Municipal | 48 | $69,086 | +$10,139 | #809 |
| 8 | Douglas County Sheriff's Office | County | 155 | $68,744 | +$9,797 | #827 |
| 9 | Grand Island Police Department | Municipal | 89 | $67,621 | +$8,674 | #886 |
| 10 | Columbus Police Department | Municipal | 37 | $65,340 | +$6,393 | #1,003 |
| 11 | Hall County Sheriff's Office | County | 34 | $61,027 | +$2,080 | #1,191 |
| 13 | Adams County Sheriff's Office | County | 19 | $57,824 | −$1,123 | #1,336 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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