City of Milwaukee / Police Department
Agency file
The Police Department provides law enforcement and public safety — patrol, criminal investigation, and emergency response.
In 2025, this agency had 2,155 employees with median total compensation of $97,063; the highest distinct record was $298,890.
What the records show
These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.
How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 2,155 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($97,063) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.
What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.
The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $145,092 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $13,924. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).
The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.
Trend
How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 7 published years.
| Year | Total payroll | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $204.3M — | 2,741 — | $86,407 — |
| 2020 | $201.2M ▼ 1.6% | 2,517 ▼ 8.2% | $89,173 ▲ 3.2% |
| 2021 | $185.1M ▼ 8.0% | 2,339 ▼ 7.1% | $87,204 ▼ 2.2% |
| 2022 | $197.8M ▲ 6.9% | 2,455 ▲ 5.0% | $95,985 ▲ 10.1% |
| 2023 | $179.6M ▼ 9.2% | 2,089 ▼ 14.9% | $94,248 ▼ 1.8% |
| 2024 | $187.3M ▲ 4.2% | 2,046 ▼ 2.1% | $96,148 ▲ 2.0% |
| 2025 | $195.4M ▲ 4.4% | 2,155 ▲ 5.3% | $97,063 ▲ 1.0% |
Compare
Departments elsewhere with the most similar mix of roles — a proxy for the same kind of agency, matched by workforce composition rather than name. Pay is not cost-of-living adjusted.
Record list
Page 10
Police Officer (Z)/Police Department
Source-specific fields
Derek Ertl works as a Police Officer (Z) for Police Department. Their status is full-time. Derek earned $96,169 in 2025.
Police Officer/Police Department
Source-specific fields
Margaret Boyd is a Police Officer at Police Department. They work full-time. 2022 total compensation came to $96,162.
Police Officer (Z)/Police Department
Source-specific fields
Ashley Pashkewitz is a Police Officer (Z) at Police Department. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $96,160.
Police Officer/Police Department
Source-specific fields
Philip Poulos Jr holds the role of Police Officer at Police Department. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $96,160.
Police Officer/Police Department
Source-specific fields
At Police Department, John Schaefer serves as a Police Officer. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $96,144.
Police Officer (Z)/Police Department
Source-specific fields
At Police Department, Christopher De La Vega serves as a Police Officer (Z). They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $96,126.
Police Officer (Z)/Police Department
Source-specific fields
Melissa Krug is a Police Officer (Z) at Police Department. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $96,119.
Police Officer/Police Department
Source-specific fields
Rachel Goldbeck works as a Police Officer for Police Department. Their status is full-time. Rachel earned $96,110 in 2025.
Police Officer/Police Department
Source-specific fields
At Police Department, James Sommer serves as a Police Officer. They work full-time. Their 2021 pay totaled $96,091.
Police Officer/Police Department
Source-specific fields
James Fohr works as a Police Officer for Police Department. Their status is full-time. James earned $96,011 in 2025.
Police Officer (Z)/Police Department
Source-specific fields
At Police Department, Jesus Merced serves as a Police Officer (Z). They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $96,006.