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South Gate 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.
South Gate Police Department starts at $90,312 a year — about $43.42 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $23,627 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $22,172 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in California run about 11% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $81,568 somewhere at average prices — $8,744 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 159 against a national average of 100, where goods are 106. 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 isSouth Gate Police Department reported 75 sworn officers and 43 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 0.8 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 90,349.A rate is only meaningful for a city department, where the population served is the city’s own. 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 South Gate says about itself
The South Gate Police Department is proudly dedicated to the highest level of police service, improving quality of life and providing a safe community. We meet the challenge of providing honest, ethical, and professional police service by basing our thoughts and actions on our shared values.
What South Gate does
The South Gate Police Department says it is dedicated to the highest level of police service, improving quality of life and providing a safe community. Its official values emphasize service to the community, integrity, professionalism, innovation and creativity. The department's patrol operation provides uniformed law-enforcement service around the clock, while detectives investigate crimes against persons and property and work with prosecutors on criminal filings
Shifts at South Gate
The Patrol Division is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patrol is divided into 5 Teams of officers, who work a specific Watch. Each Watch is commanded by a Police Lieutenant, and each team is supervised by a Sergeant. The city is divided into 5 areas and officers are assigned a specific area during a shift.
Five teams each working a named watch is a rotation where your team decides your hours and your area decides your ground. BlueShifts holds both and lays the month out.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. City of South Gate official Police Recrui — open the source document
Recruit posting opened 23 April 2026; Police Officer posting opened 4 March 2026; officer minimum $90,312
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 South Gate 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. South Gate starts at $90,312, so $22,172 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a South Gate Police Department officer make?
South Gate Police Department starts a new officer on $90,312 a year, about $43.42 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 City of South Gate official Police Recrui.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #186 of 278 agencies we have verified in California — 92 pay less, 185 pay more in the state — and #264 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $23,627 above, and against other municipal agencies $22,172 above.
What shifts do South Gate Police Department officers work?
The Patrol Division is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patrol is divided into 5 Teams of officers, who work a specific Watch. Each Watch is commanded by a Police Lieutenant, and each team is supervised by a Sergeant. The city is divided into 5 areas and officers are assigned a specific area during a shift. That is the agency's own published wording; the pattern is drawn on this page.
Compare with another department
Put South Gate 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 CA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs South | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$73,307 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$59,131 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$57,630 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$53,691 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$52,784 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$50,712 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$49,428 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$48,653 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$47,949 | #9 |
| 10 | Los Gatos Police Department | Municipal | 34 | $132,394 | +$42,082 | #10 |
| 11 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$41,951 | #11 |
| 12 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$41,724 | #12 |
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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