Salary adjustments for McCandless police were approved at the town council meeting Sept. 22, with the hopes of attracting more applicants.

The change eliminated the first tier of service level, bringing the wage structure to a graduated increase over a five-year period, rather than six years, said John Schwend, manager of McCandless.

Instead of an officer beginning their career in McCandless with a starting salary of $62,341, the starting salary will be $80,930 in 2025.

McCandless police Chief Ryan Hawk said “bumping up that starting salary” will help them be more competitive.

“As any other agency, there’s been quite a dip in candidates,” said Hawk, adding this is an issue for many police departments in the area.

The memorandum of understanding between the town and the McCandless Police Officers Association stated “the town has experienced difficulty attracting quality new hires” into the bargaining unit because the salaries provided in the first tier of wages applicable to patrol officers with less than one year of service is not competitive with first-year salaries” offered by other police departments.

“Attracting police officer candidates has been increasingly difficult over the last five years. It wasn’t long ago when we would have 50 to 100 applicants for a police officer position, and this time we only received 15 applications total,” Schwend said.

Additionally, salaries for new officers with less than one year of experience in 2026 will begin at $83,358.

Salary ranges also increased for each tier based on years of experience, including officers with greater than four years, who will earn $114,554 in 2025 and $117,991 in 2026, according to the Sept. 17 memorandum.

The McCandless department includes 22 patrol officers, two lieutenants, one detective and four sergeants, as well as other staff positions, according to townofmccandless.org.

The last hiring process was this past summer, which Hawk said was the lowest turnout he’s seen.

However, the enrollment at the Allegheny County Police Academy is on the rebound.

“We have seen an increase in enrollment in the past few years, especially post-covid. Our current class of 44 would be the largest in more than a decade,” said James Madalinsky, public information officer for Allegheny County Police.

Two classes are held at the Allegheny County Police Training Academy per year, according to Madalinsky.

In 2024, the academy had a combined total of 61.

This year, the first session had 35 students, and there currently are 44 in the second session, still in training, reflecting a combined total of 77.

About 10 years ago, the academy had a combined total of 66 students. However, there was a significant drop each year from 2017 to 2023, with fewer than a total of 50 academy students each year.

In 2020, which was a pandemic year, the first session had 19 and the second had only 11. And 2017 saw a combined total of only 33, according to data provided by Madalinsky.

Hawk hopes this year’s academy numbers are a good sign. The North Hills is a desirable location to be an officer, with a traditionally low crime rate and high community support, he said.

Other local police departments are in the middle of the hiring process, including the Northern Regional Police Department, which covers Bradford Woods, Seven Fields and the townships of Marshall, Pine and Richland.

NRPD Chief Bryan DeWick said they also had to increase wages for the same reason as McCandless with the new collective bargaining agreement that just went into effect Jan. 1, 2025. The rates listed reflect 3.25% increases from the 2025 rates.

Starting pay at Northern Regional in 2026 will be $75,372 and $86,730 for three-plus years and a top rate of $110,037.

“Our prior CBA (collective bargaining agreement) had low starting wages similar to McCandless that was drastically hindering our recruitment efforts. Thankfully, that was recognized by both the officers’ union and the municipalities and was rectified in the new CBA. Our recruitment efforts have definitely improved since then, but we are still struggling for candidates,” DeWick said.

The deadline to apply for the Northern Regional Police Department is at 3 p.m. Oct. 22, which can be done by visiting nrpolice.com and clicking on the Employment tab under Quick Links.

The Franklin Park Police Department also is hiring.

The starting salary for a 2026 patrol officer in Franklin Park is $90,958, and the top salary for a patrol officer for 2026 is $121,284.

Franklin Park police Chief Aron Leach said the salaries were not increased outside the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the officers’ union and the borough in 2024, which remains in effect through 2027.

The police department is accepting applications and will hold a test in October to establish an eligibility list for potential hires, Leach said.

Franklin Park applications are due in person by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the borough offices, 2344 W. Ingomar Road. Applications can be downloaded at franklinparkborough.us or picked up at the borough office.

Franklin Park also updated its policy to allow beards and tattoos. NRPD also noted that beards and “tasteful ink” are welcome.

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