CopJobs report · Q4 2026 · as of Oct 20, 2026
Ohio police hiring, Q4 2026
42 sworn jobs were open at 32 Ohio departments on Oct 20, 2026. See them all.
Open sworn jobs
42
as of Oct 20, 2026Departments hiring
32
as of Oct 20, 2026Median starting pay
$71,116
departments' own postingsJobs offering a hiring bonus
3 (7%)
as of Oct 20, 2026Lateral (certified officer) jobs
14 (33%)
of open sworn jobsStarting pay changes
0
since Jul 22, 2026Largest hiring bonuses in Ohio
- Cleveland Heights Police DepartmentFor certified laterals · “Signing Bonus of $5,000; $2,500.00 to be paid at time of hire, $2,500.00 to be paid upon 1 year of employment.” posting$5,000
- Cleveland Police DepartmentFor new officers · “Up to $5,000 sign on bonus” postingup to $5,000
- Miami Township Police Department, Montgomery CountyFor certified laterals · “Hiring bonus of up to $5,000 for officers that have three years of full-time law enforcement experience” postingup to $5,000
Starting pay changes this quarter
No department in Ohio 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.
