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University of Kansas 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.
University of Kansas Police Department starts at $60,180 a year — about $28.93 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $8,210 below the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $15 below the median for special jurisdiction agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in Kansas run about 10% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $66,816 would somewhere at average prices — $6,636 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 71 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 isUniversity of Kansas Police Department reported 28 sworn officers and 26 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 University of Kansas says about itself
The patrol unit delivers most of the required police services to the KU community, primarily charged with the preservation of peace and order.
What University of Kansas does
The KU Police Department's patrol unit delivers most of the police services to the university community, and is primarily charged with preserving peace and order.
Shifts at University of Kansas
Police Officers are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The patrol unit officers work 10-hour shifts with three overlapping squads. Ten-hour shifts have been in place for years and have proved beneficial to our community. The shift configuration allows for additional manpower during periods of increased activity.
Three overlapping 10-hour squads cover 24 hours in 30 hours of shift time, so the overlap is deliberate rather than an accident of the roster. BlueShifts records the squad you are actually on, which matters when the shift you work is not simply days, evenings or nights.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 13 August 2026. $60,180 annually. Current official KU Police Officer posting lists advertised salary “Starts at — open the source document
2026 posting; review began June 22, 2026; anticipated start August 10, 2026. $60,180 annually. Current official KU Police Officer posting lists advertised salary “Starts at $60,180.” Prior commissioned experience is preferred, not required; certification or ability to be certified without restriction 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.
How this level compares
Where University of Kansas 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. University of Kansas starts at $60,180, so $15 below the special jurisdiction middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a University of Kansas Police Department officer make?
University of Kansas Police Department starts a new officer on $60,180 a year, about $28.93 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 $60,180 annually. Current official KU Police Officer posting lists advertised salary “Starts at.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Kansas?
It ranks #5 of 13 agencies we have verified in Kansas — 8 pay less, 4 pay more in the state — and #1,229 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $8,210 below, and against other special jurisdiction agencies $15 below.
What shifts do University of Kansas Police Department officers work?
Police Officers are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The patrol unit officers work 10-hour shifts with three overlapping squads. Ten-hour shifts have been in place for years and have proved beneficial to our community. The shift configuration allows for additional manpower during periods of increased activity. That is the agency's own published wording; the pattern is drawn on this page.
Compare with another department
Put University of Kansas 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 KS
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs University | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wichita Police Department | Municipal | 663 | $70,970 | +$10,790 | #724 |
| 2 | Kansas Highway Patrol | State | 467 | $68,182 | +$8,002 | #851 |
| 3 | Lenexa Police Department | Municipal | 93 | $66,013 | +$5,833 | #965 |
| 4 | Olathe Police Department | Municipal | 210 | $65,050 | +$4,870 | #1,018 |
| 6 | Saline County Sheriff's Office | County | 41 | $57,866 | −$2,314 | #1,333 |
| 7 | Salina Police Department | Municipal | 71 | $57,741 | −$2,439 | #1,343 |
| 8 | Garden City Police Department | Municipal | 61 | $56,451 | −$3,729 | #1,385 |
| 9 | Junction City Police Department | Municipal | 47 | $53,747 | −$6,433 | #1,480 |
| 10 | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks — Law Enforcement Division | State | — | $53,414 | −$6,766 | #1,488 |
| 11 | Wichita State University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | 28 | $49,254 | −$10,926 | #1,583 |
| 12 | Arkansas City Police Department | Municipal | 23 | $44,491 | −$15,689 | #1,636 |
| 13 | Kansas State University Police Department | Special jurisdiction | — | $42,494 | −$17,686 | #1,647 |
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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