Press Release
July 21, 2022
Dan Keefe
(518) 486-1868 | news@parks.ny.gov
New York State Announces $15,000 Pay Increase to Attract and Retain State Parks, SUNY Police Officers in Mid-Hudson and Downstate Facilities
Sign
up for law enforcement civil service exam by August 10
The
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State
Parks), the State University of New York (SUNY) and the Department of Civil
Service today announced a $15,000 Geographic Pay Differential has been
approved for Police Officer and Investigator titles located in mid-Hudson and
downstate areas. The measure will help the agency address critical
recruitment and retention challenges for police officers in mid-Hudson and
downstate regions.
State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, "Our Park Police
are crucial to ensuring the health, welfare and public safety at New York's State parks, historic sites, campgrounds, and
trails that welcomed a record-setting 78.4 million visits last year. I'm
grateful to Governor Hochul for approving a much-needed Geographic Pay
Differential for our Park Police Officers, which will help us to retain our
well-trained personnel and will encourage more people to consider a career
with the New York State Park Police."
Department
of Civil Service Commissioner Timothy R. Hogues said, "New York State's
law enforcement personnel help keep us safe, and that includes our Park
Police who patrol our beautiful waterways and parks and our SUNY police who
protect our college campuses. This pay increase for our police officers in
the downstate regions will help our partner agencies retain these talented
and dedicated employees, and is one of the many efforts the Department of
Civil Service is undertaking to ensure our compensation is competitive to
attract the next generation of talent to public service careers. I encourage
all New Yorkers who may be interested in a career in law enforcement to sign
up now to take the entry-level law enforcement exam."
SUNY
Interim Chancellor Deborah F. Stanley said, "Community policing
is integral to keeping our campuses safe, and we appreciate the outstanding
officers amongst the SUNY family. This significant pay increase championed by
our Governor allows our downstate colleges and universities to be more
competitive in attracting and retaining top talent. We have opportunities for
qualified candidates who aspire to serve New Yorkers and the thousands who
live, work, or visit SUNY, and we look forward to building and diversifying
our team."
The increase
would boost the starting salary for police officers in affected titles from
$63,034 to $78,034 effective July 21. The raise will help address a disparity
in compensation between the State and competing employers in Mid-Hudson and
downstate areas.
Individuals
who are contemplating a career with the New York State Park Police or SUNY
can apply for New York State's entry-level law enforcement civil service exam
by August 10, 2022. People interested in being
considered for entry-level law enforcement positions within state government
must first meet the minimum qualifications for the title or titles of
interest and register for the civil service exam by submitting all the
required information here. The exam, a
multiple-choice test, will be offered during the fall. For more information,
visit here.
In addition,
to bolster the ranks of Park Police, State Parks is screening recruits for a
new six-month Police Training Academy scheduled to begin Oct. 30.
The
mission of the New York State Park Police is to provide total police services
in support of the mission of the agency, and where possible, to extend those
services to every citizen of the State as needed. In addition to ensuring the
safety of patrons, year-rounds Park Police protect OPRHP facilities in 287
OPRHP sites in a variety of terrain and environments, rural and urban.