By Police1 Staff
FLINT, Mich. — One of the most violent cities in America is paying police recruits less than janitors and telemarketers.
Flint’s starting hourly wage for the first six months is $11.25 an hour, or nearly $23,400 annually, MLive reported. Deputy Chief Devon Bernritter said there are three full-time openings and four part-time openings. The job opening, posted in August, said recruits will undergo 16 to 18 weeks of training at the police academy.
The starting pay is less than the hourly wage for janitors, which is $12.56, and telemarketers, which is $12.95. The starting salary for an entry-level officer in Flint is about $21,000 less than the national average, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In 2013, the national average was $44,400 annually. New entry-level officers will earn less than the average Michigan police officer wage, which is $57,240.
In 2012, the starting pay was almost $16 an hour. Pay was set to increase to over $50,500 after four years, MLive reported at the time.
The new positions come after police said they don’t have enough officers patrolling the streets for the number of daily 911 calls. Bernritter previously said that he asked the city council for an additional 100 officers to combat the increase in 911 calls. According to FBI data, Flint has the 11th highest violent crime rate for cities with less than 50,000 people.