CopJobs report · Q4 2026 · as of Oct 20, 2026
Illinois police hiring, Q4 2026
28 sworn jobs were open at 21 Illinois departments on Oct 20, 2026. See them all.
Open sworn jobs
28
as of Oct 20, 2026Departments hiring
21
as of Oct 20, 2026Median starting pay
$81,114
departments' own postingsJobs offering a hiring bonus
0 (0%)
as of Oct 20, 2026Lateral (certified officer) jobs
11 (39%)
of open sworn jobsStarting pay changes
0
since Jul 22, 2026Starting pay changes this quarter
No department in Illinois changed its posted starting pay since Jul 22, 2026.
How these numbers are made
- Jobs. Open sworn police, deputy and trooper postings on Oct 20, 2026, read every week from departments' own hiring systems and state peace-officer boards. Civilian, dispatch and corrections-officer jobs are not counted; sheriff's jail deputy jobs are.
- Starting pay. The median of each department's starting figure for a new full-time officer, as its own posting states it. A state's median needs at least 5 departments.
- Hiring bonuses. Bonuses a current posting offers, in the posting's own words, until the end date it gives. Referral and retention pay are not counted.
- Lateral jobs. Postings only for officers already certified elsewhere.
- Pay changes. Starting-pay moves seen in the department's own postings over the last 90 days, with the posting linked.
Published by CopJobs. Every figure is as of Oct 20, 2026; the report is refreshed each week and published quarterly.