How to become a state trooper in Mississippi
The Mississippi Highway Patrol (Mississippi Department of Public Safety) hires state troopers under the title Trooper (DPS-Highway Patrol Officer I). New state troopers start at $54,000 a year. You must be at least 21.
Pay
| Starting salary | $54,000 |
|---|---|
| Top of scale | — |
| Scale effective | 2024-07-01 |
Pay is set by statute (Miss. Code 45-1-12, as amended by SB 2285, effective July 1, 2024): Trooper (less than 4 years) $54,000 flat. The schedule has one rate per rank; seniority ranks follow by years of experience: Trooper First Class (over 4 yrs) $57,000, Corporal (over 8) $60,000, Sergeant (over 12) $62,750, Staff Sgt. (over 16) $65,750, Sr. Staff Sgt. (over 20) $68,750, Sgt. 1st Class (over 24) $72,000, then $75,000 (over 29). No separate top step exists for the Trooper rank itself. A 2026 bill to raise the schedule (SB 2896) died in conference. Cadet pay during the academy not stated in an official source found.
Source:[billstatus.ls.state.ms.us]
Pay for this work across Mississippi
Federal survey figures for police and sheriff's patrol officers in Mississippi, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from the state's own pay scale above.
| People in this work | 8,070 |
|---|---|
| Lower pay (10th percentile) | $33,230 |
| Median pay | $46,140 |
| Higher pay (90th percentile) | $61,550 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]
Requirements
- Minimum age: 21
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Citizenship: U.S. citizen
- Must be 21 years of age (stage at which age is measured not stated); no maximum age stated
- Mississippi resident at the time of appointment
- Valid driver's license
- Pass the MDPS Pre-Entrance Physical Exam
Source:[dps.ms.gov]
Hiring process
- Submit the MDPS cadet class application (Cadet Class 71 applications closed August 29)
- MDPS Pre-Entrance Physical Exam
- Cadet class at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy, Pearl
Source:[dps.ms.gov]
Academy
18 weeks. Cadet Class 70 announcement: 18-week training program at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy (MLEOTA) in Pearl, beginning February 2026. Cadet classes recruit for several MDPS divisions (Highway Patrol, MBI, Capitol Police, CTED, MBN). Residential status and cadet pay not stated.[dps.ms.gov]
Pension and retirement
- Plan: Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Retirement System (MHSPRS), administered by PERS of Mississippi
- Benefit formula: 2.50% of average compensation (4 highest consecutive years) for all years of service, not to exceed 100% of average compensation, with an actuarial reduction for each year of service below 25 or each year of age below 55, whichever is less
- When you can retire: 25 years of creditable service at any age, or age 55 and vested (5 years), or age 45 with 20 years
Employee contribution 7.25% of earned compensation; employer 49.08%. Coverage group: sworn officers of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Source:[pers.ms.gov]