Wheeling Police Department entry pay

About Wheeling

The Wheeling Police Department polices the city of Wheeling in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, on the Ohio River in Ohio and Marshall counties, from headquarters at 2115 Chapline Street. It is a civil service agency: the Police Civil Service Commission governs hiring, an entry examination is held roughly every two years, and the resulting eligibility list stands for two years or until exhausted. Candidates pass a physical agility test and a written civil service exam at 70 per cent or better, are ranked by written score with veterans' preference points under West Virginia Code 6-13-1, and then face a background investigation, polygraph, psychological examination, medical physical and an interview with the Chief of Police. Beyond patrol the department runs an Investigations Division, SWAT team, K-9 unit, Crisis Intervention Team, crash reconstruction, school resource officers, a drug task force, honor guard, marine patrol, drone team and traffic unit. It states nine core values: integrity, loyalty, professionalism, courage, respect, accountability, teamwork, leadership and service. The Patrol Division, which the department calls its backbone and most visible part, runs four shifts named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta, each with a K9 unit attached and each commanded by a Lieutenant who also commands a district. The city is divided into four patrol districts - South, Downtown, North and East - patrolled 24 hours a day across 14 square miles. Wheeling was chartered as a town by the Virginia Legislature on 16 January 1806 and the charter called for a police department; the WPD believes it is the oldest police department in West Virginia. Officers are assigned a vehicle and the department provides a fitness center and a wellness hour.

Where the figure comes from

Checked 8 September 2026. Wheeling Police Department Employment Information recruitment brochure, published by the City of Wheeling — PAY SCALE table, Patrolman (Probationary) base salary — open the source document
Read 8 September 2026 from the department's own recruitment brochure on the City of Wheeling's website. The PAY SCALE table gives Patrolman (Probationary) a base salary of 55,161, against Patrolman (Certified) at 61,513 to 63,748 and Patrolman First Class at 63,167 to 65,403. The probationary line is the entry figure: an applicant needs only to be 18, a United States citizen, hold a high school diploma or GED and a valid driver's license, and live within 45 miles of police headquarters within six months of hire. A new officer completes four weeks of departmental training and then the 16-week basic course at the West Virginia State Police Academy, which is what certifies them, followed by a 14-week field training programme inside a one-year probation. No prior certification is required. Officers already certified in West Virginia and out of service less than two years skip the academy and take a sign-on bonus, and out-of-state officers attend three weeks if the WVSP accepts their certification — both are lateral routes and are excluded. CAVEAT WORTH KEEPING: the brochure footnotes that the salary RANGES reflect whether the officer works day or night shift plus 104 hours of guaranteed overtime. The probationary figure is a single number rather than a range, so it reads as straight base, but the footnote sits under the whole table and the brochure does not say which lines it covers. Corporal, Sergeant and Lieutenant grades are excluded.
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 Wheeling sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.

How it ranks

Common questions

How much does a Wheeling Police Department officer make?

Wheeling Police Department starts a new officer on $55,161 a year, about $26.52 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 Wheeling Police Department Employment Information recruitment brochure, published by the City of Wheeling — PAY SCALE table, Patrolman (Probationary) base salary.

Is that good pay for a police officer in West Virginia?

It ranks #10 of 16 agencies we have verified in West Virginia — 6 pay less, 9 pay more in the state — and #1,842 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $11,524 below, and against other municipal agencies $12,979 below.

The agencies either side of it