<p>The key is being a Reservist and not Active Duty.</p>
<p>[Salary</a> Table 2012-PHL_LEO](<a href=“Salaries & Wages”>Salaries & Wages)</p>
<p>A GS-14 or GS-15 in Philly will make approximately 100-150k/year depending on Step. FLEO careers allow to you retire at 25 years of service. In a larger FLEO agency, the only reason you don’t make GS-14 or GS-15 is if you are completely incompetent and refuse to move when given an opportunity of a promotion.</p>
<p>As for your reserve commitment, if you were smart and enlisted (and then commissioned later on) when you were approximately 18, you could punch out at right before 50 with approximately 30 years of service. Although you would be eligible to retire at age 38. The 100-150k/year figure doesn’t even include the > $15k/year you would receive as a drilling reservist. I receive approximately $15k/year as a 1LT; it starts to really shoot up once you make CPT and above.</p>
<p>Even if you were not ambitious and only achieved rank that any person with a heart beat would have made, then your combined retirement would still be > 120k/year at age 50.</p>