• *Base Officer Pay Range
  $30.76 - $39.97	Effective 12/22/24
  $31.07 - $40.37	Effective 06/22/25
  $32.00 - $41.58	Effective 12/21/25
  $32.32 - $42.00	Effective 06/21/26
  $33.61 - $43.68	Effective 12/20/26

  • • We've all seen some outlandish pay scales out there on social media which seem too good to be true. Often times they are, when you start to consider the cost of living in some of those communities. The Wausau Metro area has an incredible cost-of-living. Learn more in our "Why Wausau" tab. 
    • Lateral Transfers join pay scale / vacation accrual at accelerated point. Learn more in "Lateral Transfer" tab below. 

• Annual Uniform Allowance ($800 paid direct to employee).
• Annual Range Payment  (1% of annual wage)
• Longevity Pay (increases every 5 years)
• Increased Pay for instructors, special teams, FTO, etc. 
• Shift Differential 
• Education Incentive
• 30-Mile Residency (more info below)
• All remaining benefits listed on application website. 
• WPPA Contract (2025-2027) 

Minimum Qualifications

• United States Citizenship
• Minimum Age 21 (by date of appointment)
• High School Diploma or equivalent
• College Credits Requirement:
  • Minimum of 40 credits from an accredited university, college, or technical school if candidate has not graduated from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Academy. If chosen, you will be paid to attend the academy.
  • Minimum of 60 credits from an accredited university, college, or technical school if candidate has graduated from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Academy.
• Ability to obtain and possess a valid driver's license issued by the state of Wisconsin
• Have no criminal convictions which would limit the ability to possess a firearm

What The Wausau Metro has to Offer

The Wausau Metropolitan Area has everything you are looking for in a place to live. From downtown urban living, suburban neighborhoods or rural land... you can find it here!

Outdoors / Recreation

• The widest variety of outdoor activities in Wisconsin. From one of the largest ski areas in the midwest, a nationally recognized kayak course, mountain biking trails, fishing and boating on our lakes and rivers. Whatever you like to do, you can find it here. 
• We have local sports teams to include Northwoods League Wausau Woodchucks baseball, Wausau Ignite softball and Wausau Cyclones Hockey. 

Entertainment

You can find a wide variety of entertainment here in Wausau. The Grand Theater offers concerts, broadway theater and more year-round. The 400 Block draws in outdoor concerts all summer long. 

Education

We have tremendous local public & private schools. Within our region you can find small and large school districts, as well as private schools. Our largest local schools are Wausau and DC Everest. We also have several local colleges to include University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point at Wausau, Northcentral Technical College and Rasmussen University.

Location 

Wausau is central to our state making it easy to get anywhere quickly. We are the doorstep to the beautiful Wisconsin northwoods, a short drive to a Packers game in Green Bay and just a few hours from the Twin Cities, Madison & Milwaukee.

Learn more about what our community has to offer you here:

• Greater Wausau Website (everything you need to know)
• Visit Wausau | The Great Nearby
• Wausau River District Video
• Wausau Drone Video 
• Discover Wisconsin: Wisconsin's Outdoor Basecamp
• Wausau Visitors Bureau Website

Lateral Transfers | Reciprocity 

Are you an experienced officer who is looking for a change? We offer a lateral entry program to make sure you don't feel like you're starting over.

• Full year-for-year salary credit for past full-time law enforcement years of service. That means if you have 4 years full-time experience elsewhere, you will start at top pay here at Wausau PD. 
• Full year-for year vacation credit for past full-time law enforcement years of service (up to 6 years and thereafter advance accordingly) 

If you are currently a law enforcement officer from another state and have not been certified yet in the State of Wisconsin, you may be eligible for the reciprocity examination. Learn more about the reciprocity process.

Officer Hiring Process

Some of the below steps are combined, however we wanted to explain each one. 

Application Review

Complete the application online. That will be reviewed to make sure you meet minimum qualifications. 

We will invite qualified applicants to participate in two interviews. The intial interview is with a few of our Field Training Officers followed by a brief interview with our command staff. We may accomodate virtual interviews for applicants who live out of state. 

Personal History Packet (Background)
After interviews, a group of applicants will be sent forward for background investigations. A background investigator will have you complete a background packet to assist us in that review.  

Oral Interview
Candidates chosen to continue past the background investigation will have a final interview with our command staff. 

Polygraph Examination
The last internal step of our process is a polygraph exam which is conducted by one of our Detectives here at the police department. You may be reading this and thinking WHOA! But we want to assure you this is very simple, in a comfortable setting and only serves to confirm information you already provided as part of the background investigation. There are no surprises!

Oral Interview (Police & Fire Commission)

Candidates who pass the above will be presented to the Police & Fire Commission for a final interview. The Police & Fire Commission is a civilian-board who oversees all hiring, firing and promotions within the city police and fire departments. 

Physical Examination with Drug/Alcohol Screening
If you reached this point, congratulations! You have received a conditional offer of employment from the city. You will be asked to complete a medical physical conducted at a local business as well as a psychological review. We no longer complete physical agility tests.

The steps are explained in more detail in the video and obviously if you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out and we'll explain more about it. 

When you come to Wausau PD, know we will absolutely be investing in you and your future. You may start in patrol, but you will quickly find there are many opportunities available to you. From learning through specialized trainings, joining special teams, promotional opportunities, department committees and more!

Here are some of the specialized teams you may serve on!

• Bicycle Patrol
• Canine Unit
• Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force*
• Community Resource Unit (CRU)
• Crash Reconstruction Investigations
• Crisis Assessment Response Team (CART)
• Dive Team*
• Downtown Assignment (new 2024)
• Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)
• Field Training Officer (FTO)
• Honor Guard
• Investigations Bureau
• Mobile Field Force*
• School Resource Officer (SRO)
• SWAT*
• Training Officer
  • DAAT, EVOC, Firearms, Force Options (Taser, GCT)
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Pilot
• Victim Response Unit

_{*These are multi-jurisdictional teams}

 We are focused on the character that makes a person a good police officer, and less about their appearance. 

- Tattoos: visible tattoos are permitted as long as they are non-offensive in nature. 

- Beards: beards, mustaches and sideburns are allowed when maintained in a clean manner, presenting with a groomed appearance. 

Residency Requirement

Unlike many communities, here at Wausau PD you have the opportunity to live in a huge region. Our residency is 30-miles from the boundaries of our city, which covers all of Marathon County and more. That is an area larger than the State of Rhode Island. 

So whether you like living in an urban city environment, suburban neighborhoods, lake side home, a cabin in the woods or a large farm, you can find it here in Marathon County . You have until 6 months after your probationary period to establish residency, which is approximately 18 months after your hire date. 

The Wausau Metropolitan Area is full of various communities you can call home and has an outstanding cost-of-living. 

Taking Care of Yourself

One of the most important things to our department is taking care of the wellness of our officers and staff; this includes mental and physical. That is why we make these a priority through initiatives, programs and services. 

PHYSICAL WELLNESS

We have both a strength training and fitness training room which offer many pieces of equipment which are available to our staff for free. 

• Strength Training Room
• Fitness/Cardio Training Room

We contract with Advanced Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine who have office hours here at the police department to provide physical therapy, athletic training and strength & conditioning services to our staff for FREE.

• Physical Therapy Exam Room 

MENTAL WELLNESS

We contract with Hakes Wellness Solutions to provide mental health wellness visits (online & in person). We also have a Peer Support team composed of officers here at Wausau PD who have training and experiences to help our staff through critical incidents and conduct Critical Incident Debriefs after traumatic events. 

SOCIAL WELLNESS

There is also a local organization called the Blue Hearts, which helps support our local first responder families and holds events, to include an annual first responder family night. Learn more about them: Click Here

Whether you're interested in learning more about a potential career in law enforcement, or an existing officer who wants to learn more about the Wausau PD team, we encourage you to schedule a ride-along with us. It will give you an opportunity to learn more about our team, what we have to offer you, and what Wausau has to offer as a home. 

To schedule a ride-along, e-mail Lt. Nate Stetzer to make arrangements.