Trooper Salary & Benefits
SALARY
The average starting salary for a Trooper I is $29.30 an hour. Full salary and benefits commence upon beginning the Trooper Basic Academy.
Once a Trooper attains Professional Peace Officer status, they move up to Trooper II and earn an average salary of $32.81 an hour. To qualify for Trooper II, you are required to have one of the following:
Bachelor's Degree or higher and have two or more years of Peace Officer Certification.
Associate's Degree and have three or more years of Peace Officer Certification.
High School Diploma or GED and have five or more years of Peace Officer Certification.
If applying from out of State for Trooper II and have questions or concerns about qualifying for Professional Peace Officer Certification, please call the Wyoming Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) commission at (307) 358-8213.
An automatic payroll deposit is mandatory.
Longevity pay of $40 per month is given for every five years of continuous service.
A uniform care and cleaning allowance of $75 per month is provided for all Troopers.
Shift differential: An additional 5% pay increase for hours worked outside of 06:00 hours and 18:00 hours, Monday through Friday, and any hours worked on Saturday and Sunday (counts towards your 40 hour pay period).
Holidays: Nine (9) paid holidays are observed each year. Troopers receive 8 hours of holiday pay at their base pay rate and are paid overtime (1.5 pay rate) for all holiday hours worked.
BENEFITS
Uniforms and Equipment:
All equipment and uniforms, except boots/shoes, are provided by the State.
Each Trooper is issued a take-home patrol vehicle. The take-home patrol vehicle is not to be used for personal transportation when off duty.
Vehicle maintenance and expenses are provided by and paid for by the State.
Patrol vehicles vary in make, size, and model and may be specialized vehicles depending on the Trooper's assignment.
Sick Leave:
The accrual rate for sick leave is eight (8) hours per month.
An unlimited number of days may be accrued and carry over from one year to the next.
Vacation Leave:
Vacation leave accruals are determined by the amount of completed continuous months of service at the following rate:
Months of Service:
0 through 48 = 8 hours per month
49 through 108 = 10 hours per month
109 through 168 = 12 hours per month
169 through 228 = 14 hours per month
229 or more = 16 hours per month
Maximum allowed vacation time carry-over:
0 through 48 = 240 hrs. (30 days)
49 through 108 = 240 hrs. (30 days)
109 through 168 = 288 hrs. (36 days)
169 through 228 = 336 hrs. (42 days)
229 or more = 384 hrs. (48 days)
Medical Insurance:
The State of Wyoming provides a contribution to the employee's state insurance premiums (health, dental, and life) with a minimum of 80 hours of work time reported each month. Contributions as of 2018 are as follows:
Employee $833.07;
Employee plus spouse $1,660.25;
Employee plus children $1,267.18;
Employee/Family $1,899.76
-or- Employee on split premiums $949.88.
Benefits are effective the first of the month following the employee's hire date. Monthly premiums are paid for coverage the following month.
Medical insurance includes a schedule of basic benefits plus a major medical rider. Cigna underwrites the health plan.
For more information regarding health insurance and to view available summary benefit comparisons by deductible, please visit the Wyoming Administration and Information website.
Vision and Hearing Insurance:
The State of Wyoming and VSP provide you with a choice of two affordable eye care plans. VSP provides coverage. If vision coverage is waived or dropped, there is a two-year waiting period before members can enroll in the coverage. Elections for vision coverage are for two years and may not be changed without a qualifying event. All VSP members and their families have access to TruHearing. This program offers savings on a wide variety of digital hearing aids and access to a professional network of providers.
Dental Insurance:
Employees are provided an opportunity to elect preventative or optional dental coverage as outlined below:
PREVENTIVE DENTAL INSURANCE - Preventive dental coverage is required if you have enrolled in health insurance. Preventive dental covers two cleanings per year (separated by at least 5 months) and certain x-rays. The preventive has no deductible, and services are covered at 100%.
OPTIONAL DENTAL INSURANCE - Optional dental covers restorative or corrective work such as fillings, crowns, etc. There is a $50 deductible per person with a maximum of $100 deductible per family. After the deductible, the benefits are paid at 80% (of maximum allowable cost) for essential services and 50% (of maximum allowable cost) for vital services. There is a limit to the benefits paid, which is $1,500 per person per calendar year. If an employee declines or withdraws from coverage, they will have to satisfy a three-year waiting period to re-enroll. Please see the plan booklet for complete eligibility and benefits.
Preventive dental is required with the health plan.
Orthodontia is NOT included in the dental plan.
For more information regarding Dental benefits, please visit the A&I HRD website for access to a benefit plan booklet: http://ai-hrd.wyo.gov/egi/active-employees
Life Insurance:
The Standard Company underwrites the group life insurance plan. It provides up to $50,000 basic plus $20,000 accidental death or dismemberment coverage, and $4,000 for spouses and each child. In addition to the Standard Company insurance plan, the retirement system offers an optional group term life insurance plan, with up to $165,000 coverage, through Prudential. The premium for this plan is $16 per month. Open enrollment is from September 1 through November 30 each year.
Short & Long-Term Disability:
The State of Wyoming provides you with the opportunity to purchase Voluntary STD or LTD insurance, which is designed to pay a benefit to you in the event you cannot work because of a covered illness or injury. This benefit replaces a portion of your income, thus helping you meet your financial commitments in a time of need.
Retirement Benefits:
PENSION PLAN - Sworn law enforcement officers are required and automatically enrolled in the Warden, Patrol, & DCI Plan at the time of hire.
Total contribution into the plan is 29.44% of an employee's salary (including base, holiday pay, longevity, and shift pay), the State currently contributes 26.8% while the employee only contributes 2.64%.
A benefit of 2.50% per year of service is paid (not to exceed 75%). The percentage spent is based on the highest three consecutive years' average salary.
An employee is vested in the retirement system with full benefits after six (6) years.
An employee is eligible for retirement upon reaching the age of 50 plus meeting the vesting requirements. There is no early retirement under this plan. An employee must begin drawing this benefit no later than age 65.
457B DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN (optional for state employees):
Employees are automatically enrolled with an automatic deferral rate of 3% of pre-tax pay.
Allows a member to opt-out of participation within 30 days after notice of participation is provided.
Contributions will be invested in the age-appropriate target-date fund unless the member affirmatively elects other investment option(s)
A member may change their investments or future contribution amount at any time.
The deferred amounts are before-tax dollars, reducing the current tax rate. The minimum investment in the plan is $20. WYDOT will also contribute $20 to employees who invest in the plan. There is also an option for post-tax contributions. No federal income taxes are paid on deferred income until the investment is returned upon retirement, termination, or an unforeseeable emergency withdrawal. Several investment options are available to employees under this plan.
Veteran Administration Benefit:
The Wyoming Highway Patrol currently participates in the Veterans Administration's "On-The-Job" Training program.
The Veteran Administration's "On-The-Job" Training program is a financial benefit available to those who qualify and have been honorably discharged from the military. The VA will compensate the recruit a monthly salary for up to two years while involved in the Wyoming Highway Patrol's training program.