How to Become a Police Officer in Mesa

Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona, with a population of over 510,000 in the Phoenix metropolitan area.¹ The city is home to the Polytechnic campus of Arizona State University and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The Mesa Police Department (MPD) employs 886 sworn officers and 559 civilian professional staff.² MPD actively hires both police officer recruits and lateral officers from other agencies. Candidates who want to join the Mesa Police Department will find information on the application, academy, and hiring process below.

Mesa Police Officer Requirements

To apply for a police officer position with MPD, candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Be at least 21 years of age by academy graduation
• Be a US citizen
• Possess a valid Arizona Class D driver’s license by the hire date
• Hold a high school diploma or GED
• Have no felony convictions, nor offenses that would qualify as felonies under Arizona law
• Have no dishonorable discharge from US military service
• Have no marijuana, edible, or concentrate use within the past six months
• Have no dangerous-drug use within the past seven years, with no more than five instances over a lifetime
• Have no DUI conviction within the past three years
• Have a clean driving record without repeated tickets or license suspensions
• Be able to communicate clearly and effectively
• Demonstrate strong personal character and integrity

Applicants submit an application through the City of Mesa’s job portal and, if the application is accepted, are invited to complete the National Testing Network (NTN) written examination.³ Candidates who pass the NTN are invited to a M.E.S.A. Day event, where they complete a Cooper Standards physical fitness assessment consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5-mile run. Applicants who clear those steps are invited to submit a background profile through eSOPH, followed by a background interview, polygraph examination, and sergeant’s interview. Candidates who advance to a conditional offer complete a medical examination and psychological evaluation, then enter MPD’s paid PREP Program in the weeks before the basic academy begins. Lateral officers with prior peace-officer certification in Arizona or another state follow a streamlined process and complete an eight-week lateral transition program in place of the full academy.

For more information about how to become a police officer in a big city, see 10 Steps to Becoming a Police Officer on our home page. For full details on each step and to apply, visit the Join Mesa PD recruitment site.

Mesa Police Academy

All Mesa Police Department recruits complete the Mesa Basic Academy, a 26-week training program held at MPD’s own public safety training facility.³ The academy follows Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) certification standards and combines classroom instruction with hands-on skill development in tactical driving, firearms, defensive tactics, communications, and legal authority. MPD holds three academy classes each year, starting in January, May, and September. Following graduation and a field training program of roughly the same length, recruits are sworn in and begin patrol duties. Lateral officers with prior certification complete an eight-week lateral transition program that introduces them to MPD’s policies and tactics rather than repeating full recruit training.

Salary, Benefits, and Jobs Outlook

Police officer recruits at MPD start at a base salary of $73,972 per year, or $35.56 per hour, with top-step pay of approximately $103,834 per year (effective July 2025).³ Laterals who join with prior law enforcement experience are placed into the pay scale based on years of service, as shown below.

The department offers a $3,500 hiring incentive for recruits and a $5,000 hiring incentive for laterals, paid after the field training program is complete.

Officers are eligible for a range of incentive pay in addition to base salary.³ A bachelor’s degree qualifies for a one-time $500 payment and a master’s degree for a one-time $1,000 payment, provided the degree is completed before hire. Bilingual certification pays $25 or $50 biweekly depending on certification level. Shift differential pay is $1.75 per hour, with an annual cap of approximately $3,640. Field Training Officer assignments and other special assignments each pay a 5% premium on base rate. Patrol officers can earn up to $1,500 per year in patrol incentive pay, and case-carrying detectives can earn up to $2,204.80 per year. Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate.

Benefits include medical and dental benefit options, a $1,200 annual uniform allowance, tuition reimbursement of up to $8,124 per year, and retirement through Arizona’s Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS).³

Arizona employment of police and sheriff’s patrol officers is projected to grow 2.6% from 2022 to 2032, with approximately 800 new positions added each year on average, according to Projections Central.⁴ The number of officers hired by MPD in any given year is also affected by retirements and the city’s public safety budget.

Find open Mesa police officer listings on our jobs board.

Career Advancement at Mesa PD

Officers interested in specialty assignments are generally eligible to transfer after 1.5 consecutive years of service with a successful performance appraisal; some positions require additional experience.³ Available specialty assignments include Criminal Investigations, K-9, SWAT, Motorcycle, Bicycle, Homicide, Gang, Narcotics, School Resource, Crisis Negotiation, Mental Health Support, and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport unit, among many others. Promotional testing for sergeant and lieutenant is typically held once per year depending on openings. Mesa PD does not publish base salaries for promoted ranks on its recruitment site, so specific figures for sergeant, lieutenant, and higher ranks are not listed here.

Cities and Police Departments Near Mesa

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 7,750 police and sheriff’s patrol officers work in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metropolitan area, with a mean annual wage of $87,870 as of May 2024.⁵ Law enforcement professionals in the region can also explore opportunities with the Phoenix Police Department, the Scottsdale Police Department, the Chandler Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, the Gilbert Police Department, the Tempe Police Department, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. For more information about police departments across the state, see our Arizona page.

Additional Resources

• Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board: Sets minimum employment and training standards for certified peace officers statewide and oversees the POST certification required of Mesa Police recruits.
• Mesa Fraternal Order of Police: Lodge 9 of the national FOP; provides legislative advocacy, charitable support, and legal, insurance, and death benefits to Mesa police officer members.
• Mesa Police Association: The recognized labor organization that negotiates pay and working conditions on behalf of Mesa police officers, and provides legal coverage and advocacy to members.

Mesa Police Department Contact

• 59 S Hibbert, Mesa, AZ
• (480) 644-2030
• Mesa Police Department Website
• Mesa Police Department Facebook
• Mesa Police Department X

1. US Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Mesa city, Arizona: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/mesacityarizona/PST045224
2. City of Mesa Public Data Hub, Police Employee Staffing Sworn and Civilian (July 31, 2025): https://data.mesaaz.gov/Human-Resources/Police-Employee-Staffing-Sworn-and-Civilian/di7f-ijq7
3. Mesa Police Department Recruitment, Sworn Careers: https://joinmesapd.com/sworn-careers/
4. Projections Central, Long-Term Occupational Projections, Arizona: https://projectionscentral.org/longterm
5. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0038060