Starting salary is 5th highest of 11. La Mesa Police is highest at $112,153. Top salary is 9th highest of 11. La Mesa Police is highest at $143,145. Source: City of El Cajon class specifications: Police Recruit (4640) and Police Officer (4657), Class specifications as read Nov 13, 2026; recruit posting 26-23 opened June 15, 2026.
93 officers on the payroll for the full year. Overtime added 18% to median base pay.
From public payroll records published by Transparent California. Officer ranks only, not supervisors. Medians, so half earned more and half less.
pay in the academy officer or deputy range, starting salary to top salary
The median household in El Cajon earns $67,511 a year.
One officer's starting base pay against the income of a whole household. A rough guide to how far the pay goes where you work. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates, table B19013.
Not published on the current official recruiting page. A PORAC job board listing (undated, not official) shows $25,000 for laterals and $5,000 for recruits and academy graduates.
Sources, checked Nov 13, 2026: El Cajon Police Department home page (mission, chief, address) · Join the ECPD Team recruiting page · Police Department employment page (hiring steps) · Police Recruit class specification (annual pay, age, requirements) · Police Officer class specification (hourly pay) · Police Recruit job posting 26-23 (process, PELLETB rules, shifts) · Police Recruit posting 26-42, third-party copy (dates only) · Police Officer (Lateral/Academy Graduate) job posting 25-17 · City of El Cajon demographics (population, area, sworn count) · Communications Division page (calls for service) · Old recruiting site, archived Jan 11, 2024 (lateral bonus) · PORAC job board listing, not official (bonus amounts) · California DOJ stop data, 2024
Agency colors not applied yet. They are only used once pulled from the agency's own site.
Photo: El Cajon valley. North American Monsoon from El Cajon, Ca - panoramio.jpg by Robert DuHamel, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and tinted.
