In Tennessee, average salaries of police officers can range depending on population and market competitiveness.
The median income of police and sheriff’s patrol officers in the state is $40,660,
LawEnformcementEDU.com reported, drawing from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012 – 2013 Edition.”
Detectives and criminal investigators earn a median annual intake of $48,210. Supervisors of police make $55,140 per year.
Urgent: Should All Police Officers Have to Wear Body Cameras?
Indeed reported that a police officer in Tennessee earns $26,000 per year on average, 7 percent lower than the nationwide average for job postings.
The Jackson, Tennessee, police department recently turned to local news stations to spread the word about its efforts to
hire new officers, WBRC reported.
The starting salary in Jackson is $33,113 with incremental increases every year.
The position was opened to anyone with interest in becoming a
patrol officer, The Jackson Sun reported.
“This is an excellent opportunity for any citizen interested in becoming a police officer,” Police Chief Julian Wiser said, according to the paper. “We encourage you to become one of Jackson, Tennessee's finest by becoming an officer who protects and serves.”
Not all communities are hiring officers, however. In fact, Clarksville, Tennessee, could be looking at laying off officers because of budget difficulties.
The Clarksville City Council approved a city budget that does not increase taxes,
The Leaf-Chronicle reported. Mayor Kim McMillan has announced her disagreement with the decision because of the implications it could have later.
Tell Us: Does Racism Play a Role in Police Officers' Actions?
McMillan said by not increasing the property tax rate this year, the city could be looking at bumping up the amount by 20 cents for the 2017 budget year in order to retain 18 firefighters and 14 police officers that were funded by a federal COPS grant which will soon expire.
“As the Federal COPS grant expires, we will not be able to meet our contractual obligation to retain the 14 police officers recently hired, which will mean we might have to repay the federal grant,” McMillan said in a statement.
The release said funds for in-car and body cameras also were at risk of elimination.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.