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Northwestern State University Police Department 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.
Northwestern State University Police Department starts at $38,646 a year — about $18.58 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $28,038 below the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $21,557 below the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Louisiana run about 12% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $43,813 would somewhere at average prices — $5,167 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 63 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.
How big the department isNorthwestern State University Police Department reported 17 sworn officers and 6 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.
What Northwestern State University says about itself
Northwestern State University is committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors across its campuses in Natchitoches, Shreveport, Fort Polk/Leesville, and England Air Park. University Police Officers are commissioned by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and the City of Natchitoches and are authorized to enforce all state statutes, city ordinances, and university rules and regulations.
What Northwestern State University does
Northwestern State describes its Police Department as a fully commissioned law-enforcement agency operating 24/7 with patrol, emergency-response and crime-prevention responsibilities.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $18.58/hour / $3,220.53 monthly. Official March 11, 2026 State recruitment publishes a Police Officer 1 special entrance rate of $18. — open the source document
Opening March 11, 2026. $18.58/hour / $3,220.53 monthly. Official March 11, 2026 State recruitment publishes a Police Officer 1 special entrance rate of $18.58/hour and states no experience or training is required
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.
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How this level compares
Where Northwestern State University 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 | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| 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 $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Northwestern State University starts at $38,646, so $21,558 below the special jurisdiction middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Northwestern State University Police Department officer make?
Northwestern State University Police Department starts a new officer on $38,646 a year, about $18.58 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 $18.58/hour / $3,220.53 monthly. Official March 11, 2026 State recruitment publishes a Police Officer 1 special entrance rate of $18..
Is that good pay for a police officer in Louisiana?
It ranks #18 of 28 agencies we have verified in Louisiana — 10 pay less, 17 pay more in the state — and #2,262 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $28,038 below, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $21,557 below.
Compare with another department
Put Northwestern State University Police Department 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 LA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Northwestern | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office | County | 916 | $58,200 | +$19,554 | #1,664 |
| 2 | Baton Rouge Police Department | Municipal | 544 | $58,000 | +$19,354 | #1,677 |
| 3 | Louisiana State Police | State | 1,192 | $57,680 | +$19,034 | #1,719 |
| 4 | Kenner Police Department | Municipal | 152 | $54,700 | +$16,054 | #1,877 |
| 5 | New Orleans Police Department | Municipal | 906 | $54,421 | +$15,775 | #1,894 |
| 6 | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries — Enforcement Division | State | — | $53,997 | +$15,350 | #1,917 |
| 7 | Gretna Police Department | Municipal | 93 | $49,118 | +$10,472 | #2,114 |
| 8 | Lake Charles Police Department | Municipal | 138 | $48,500 | +$9,854 | #2,129 |
| 9 | Alexandria Police Department | Municipal | 93 | $48,271 | +$9,625 | #2,138 |
| 10 | Lafayette Police Department | Municipal | 278 | $45,000 | +$6,354 | #2,207 |
| 11 | Covington Police Department | Municipal | 45 | $43,672 | +$5,026 | #2,227 |
| 12 | Sulphur Police Department | Municipal | 61 | $43,553 | +$4,907 | #2,228 |
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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