The Thornton Police Department is an innovative department whose defined Core Values of Leadership, Accountability, Teamwork, Safety, Service and Integrity guide us towards our vision of being the standard of excellence in law enforcement. The City of Thornton is currently the sixth largest city in the State of Colorado. With only 50% of the city of Thornton land currently developed, our expected growth will provide an excellent opportunity for career advancement. With 258 authorized sworn police officers, and 88 non-sworn positions, we are currently the fourth largest metro police department.
A key factor contributing to the success of our department is our dedication in pursuing top candidates to join our team. We believe in hiring the best, recognizing that you will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. We value all members of our organization and create an environment that encourages teamwork, diversity, innovation and excellence.
2026 Pay and Benefits
- Police Officer Recruit pay: $81,822
- Police Officer pay range: $85,863 - $119,093
- Lateral Police Officer pay: Commensurate with years of patrol experience
- Police Officer pay progression: The city of Thornton has a step and merit pay plan in place for Police Officers. Step increases are received annually on anniversary dates contingent upon successful performance and availability of budget dollars. Merit pay may also be awarded on performance.
- Longevity pay: Police Officers receive an additional 2% on their base salary for every 5 years of service up to 12%
Paid Vacation Accrual
- Sick leave: Each employee accrues sick leave at a rate of eight hours per month.
- Holiday pay: Each employee will receive 11 paid holidays plus two floating holidays.
- Medical insurance: The city of Thornton offers group health, dental, and vision benefits to all regular full-time employees.
- Retirement: Sworn officers hired on or after July 11, 2017 will make a pre-tax contribution to the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA) Defined Benefit Plan of 12%. This mandatory contribution is in lieu of social security. In addition, the city offers a Deferred Compensation Plan (457 plan) administered by Nationwide. The city will match one-half of an employee’s voluntary (pre-tax) contribution up to 1 percent.
- Retiree Healthcare: New retirees who have been enrolled in one of the city’s medical plans prior to retirement, and have reached 20 years of service and are 55 years old, or 30 years of service and are 50 years old, may continue healthcare benefits through the city until they are Medicare-eligible or 65 years old, whichever comes first.
- Uniforms: Each officer is completely outfitted upon appointment (excluding firearms and footwear). Each officer also receives a uniform allowance of $950 annually.
- Collective Bargaining Agreement: Sworn officers at the rank of sergeant and below have the right to bargain collectively with the city with respect to wages, rates of pay, hours, grievance procedures, working conditions and all other terms and conditions of employment except pensions and public management rights.
- Multilingual pay: Employees who meet certain requirements as determined by Human Resources in Spanish, Hmong or American Sign Language are eligible for multilingual pay up to $1,200 per year. Pay is determined based on proficiency level.
- Military Veteran: Visit our veterans page
Academy and Field Training
Our new police officer recruits will attend the North Metro Police Academy, a 21-week, 810 hours POST certification academy that will prepare new recruits for a career in law enforcement. NMPA is a regional academy that hosts outside agencies along with our own Thornton Recruits. Upon successful completion and graduation of the academy, recruit officers will then begin their phase training.
Our lateral police officers will attend an abbreviated In-House Academy covering firearms, defensive tactics, emergency driving and other required certifications to be an officer in the City of Thornton. Upon successful completion, officers will then begin their phase training. Field Training may be accelerated for lateral officers based on performance.
In our Field Training (FTO) program, officers will be assigned to three different Field Training Officers prior to their solo assignment. Thornton patrol officers work four 10-hour shifts a week on either days, swings, or graveyard shifts. Thornton Officers bid annually based on seniority within the department.
Academy FAQs
Career Growth and Advancement
