Miami is the second-largest city in Florida, with a population of over 480,000 in the city proper.1 Located at the southern tip of the state, Miami is a major international gateway for trade, finance, and tourism, and anchors the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area. The Miami Police Department (MPD) employs approximately 1,800 sworn officers and civilian personnel to serve the city.2 Candidates interested in joining the department will find information on requirements, hiring, academy training, salary, and career advancement below.

Miami Police Officer Requirements

To be considered for appointment as a Miami police officer, candidates must meet all of the following qualifications at the time of hire:

  • Be at least 19 years of age
  • Be a US citizen
  • Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent — foreign credentials must be evaluated by a NACES-approved transcript evaluation service
  • Submit a valid state-issued driver’s license at application, with a State of Florida Class E driver’s license required prior to appointment
  • Have at least 20/30 vision in each eye with correction and at least 20/100 in each eye without correction, with depth and color perception within normal limits
  • Have no felony convictions, no misdemeanor convictions involving perjury or a false statement, and no dishonorable discharge from the US Armed Forces

Applicants must also obtain a passing score on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Basic Abilities Test in the area of law enforcement; proof of the passing score is verified at orientation rather than at the time of application.3 Candidates are exempt from the test if they are veterans honorably discharged from military service or hold an associate degree or higher from an accredited college or university. After applying online and being deemed eligible, candidates complete a personal history questionnaire, a physical abilities test, a structured one-on-one interview with an assigned background investigator, a psychological examination, a polygraph examination, a criminal history and driving record check, and a post-offer medical examination with toxicology screening. Candidates who complete each step successfully receive a conditional offer of employment and are scheduled to attend the Police Academy.

For more information about becoming a law enforcement officer, see 10 Steps to Becoming a Police Officer on our home page. For current application details, visit the Become a Miami Police Officer page at miami.gov.

Miami Police Department Academy

Recruits attend the Miami Police Training Center, which runs a full-time Police Academy Class program from Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., for approximately six months.3 The 770-hour, state-mandated curriculum covers legal studies, patrol procedures, criminal investigations, traffic stops and traffic crash investigations, DUI enforcement, firearms, defensive tactics, law enforcement vehicle operations, dart-firing stun gun instruction, report writing, communications, first aid, and human issues. Each class is assigned a training advisor who supervises recruits throughout the program. Before becoming a permanent Miami police officer, every recruit must complete the academy, pass the Florida State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE), and complete the department’s Field Training Officer program.

Salary, Benefits, and Jobs Outlook

The starting salary for a Miami police officer is $62,000.02 per year, with a $5,000 signing bonus available to first-time law enforcement hires.4 Base pay, step progression, and incentive pay for sworn officers are set by the collective bargaining agreement between the City and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 20.

Officers receive medical and dental benefit options, life insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, and enroll in the City of Miami Firefighters’ and Police Officers’ Retirement Trust. Patrol officers typically work a four-day, ten-hour shift schedule. Additional compensation is available for overtime, an annual crime prevention pay incentive, and special assignment pay.

In Florida, employment of police and sheriff’s patrol officers is projected to grow 8% from 2022 to 2032, with approximately 4,220 new positions added each year on average, according to Projections Central.5

Find open Miami-area police officer listings on our jobs board.

Career Advancement at MPD

Newly sworn Miami police officers start their career in patrol and complete a one-year probationary period. Officers interested in detective work or specialty-unit assignments typically qualify after several years of patrol experience. Promotions follow a civil service process and advance through the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain, with major, assistant chief, and deputy chief positions appointed from the command ranks at the discretion of the chief of police.

Cities and Police Departments Near Miami

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 19,300 police and sheriff’s patrol officers work in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area, with a mean annual wage of $105,750 as of May 2024.6 In addition to the Miami Police Department, aspiring officers in the region can explore opportunities with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, the Hialeah Police Department, the Hollywood Police Department, the Miami Beach Police Department, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and the Pembroke Pines Police Department. For more information about police departments across the state, see our Florida page.

Additional Resources

  • Florida Department of Law Enforcement: Establishes minimum employment and training standards for sworn law enforcement officers statewide and administers the State Officer Certification Examination through the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.
  • Miami Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 20: The bargaining representative for City of Miami police officers, offering member advocacy, benefits programs, and scholarship funding.

Miami Police Department Contact

1. US Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Miami city, Florida (Vintage 2024 population estimate): https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/miamicityflorida/PST045224
2. Miami Police Department, Message from the Chief: https://www.miami-police.org/
3. City of Miami, Become a Miami Police Officer: https://www.miami.gov/Careers-Jobs/City-Jobs/Become-a-Miami-Police-Officer
4. Miami Police Department, official recruitment announcement, July 11, 2024 (syndicated via the department’s Nextdoor agency feed): https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/fl/miami/miami-police-department/the-starting-salary-for-the-position-of-police-officer-is-62000-346409516/
5. Projections Central, Long-Term Occupational Projections, Florida (33-3051, Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers): https://projectionscentral.org/longterm
6. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0033100