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The Colony 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.
The Colony Police Department starts at $84,082 a year — about $40.42 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,397 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $15,942 above the median for municipal agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Texas run about 3% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $86,631 would somewhere at average prices — $2,550 more than the headline figure. That average hides a wide spread: utilities at 88, where goods are 98. 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 isThe Colony Police Department reported 86 sworn officers and 29 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025. That is 1.9 officers per 1,000 residents, over a population of 46,183.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 The Colony says about itself
We exist to protect and serve those who live, work and visit our community. Our vision is for The Colony to have a model police department that delivers superior law enforcement services while maintaining an alliance with our community. We enforce the law with fairness, upholding the dignity and rights of all individuals, while avoiding any violation of the law ourselves. The department has an authorized strength of 87 sworn police officer positions, 10 detention officers and 6 professional staff, and is a "Recognised" agency of the Texas Police Chiefs Association.
What The Colony does
The Colony Police Department is authorized for 87 sworn positions plus detention officers and professional staff, serving a community of over 45,000 on the eastern shores of Lake Lewisville north of Dallas. Recognised by the Texas Police Chiefs Association since 2014, it fields an 18-member SWAT team with an armoured personnel carrier, a Mobile Field Force trained in crowd control, and a dedicated Grandscape division for the city's retail and entertainment district
Where the figure comes from
Checked 20 August 2026. City of The Colony — Police Department, Salary Information (Approved Pay Scale 2025 to 2026) — open the source document
City of The Colony's own Police Salary Information page, Approved Pay Scale 2025 to 2026: Police Officer, Step 1 (Certified) $84,081.92, rising through eight steps to $105,189.76. The city also lists a Non-Certified Recruit rate of $80,982.72 in the column before Step 1 — the pre-license class paid through the academy, excluded here in line with every other agency on the site. No prior service is required, and this is not a lateral rate: the department publishes separate application routes for Non-Certified Applicants, Lateral Transfers (TCOLE Certified) and Out of State Officers, so Step 1 is where a newly licensed officer with no prior service starts.
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 The Colony 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. The Colony starts at $84,082, so $15,942 above the municipal middle.
How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a The Colony Police Department officer make?
The Colony Police Department starts a new officer on $84,082 a year, about $40.42 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 The Colony — Police Department, Salary Information (Approved Pay Scale 2025 to 2026).
Is that good pay for a police officer in Texas?
It ranks #10 of 151 agencies we have verified in Texas — 141 pay less, 9 pay more in the state — and #371 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,397 above, and against other municipal agencies $15,942 above.
Compare with another department
Put The Colony 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 TX
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs The | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allen Police Department | Municipal | 153 | $91,106 | +$7,024 | #241 |
| 2 | Frisco Police Department | Municipal | 270 | $90,750 | +$6,668 | #252 |
| 3 | Plano Police Department | Municipal | 400 | $90,729 | +$6,647 | #253 |
| 4 | Grand Prairie Police Department | Municipal | 287 | $90,000 | +$5,918 | #270 |
| 5 | Hurst Police Department | Municipal | 61 | $87,048 | +$2,966 | #322 |
| 6 | Lewisville Police Department | Municipal | 181 | $86,268 | +$2,186 | #335 |
| 7 | Coppell Police Department | Municipal | 60 | $84,968 | +$886 | #355 |
| 8 | Rockwall Police Department | Municipal | 95 | $84,448 | +$366 | #362 |
| 9 | Farmers Branch Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $84,440 | +$358 | #363 |
| 11 | Baytown Police Department | Municipal | 172 | $84,049 | −$33 | #372 |
| 12 | McKinney Police Department | Municipal | 248 | $83,992 | −$90 | #374 |
| 13 | Mesquite Police Department | Municipal | 260 | $83,869 | −$213 | #377 |
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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