Police in the Lehigh Valley’s two largest cities are taking applications for new officers, with Allentown’s window closing Monday, Dec. 14, and Bethlehem’s on Monday, Jan. 4, 2027.
The openings come as both cities decide how many officers to pay for next year. Allentown’s draft budget would fund 210 officer positions, down from 232, Police Chief Charles Roca said at an Oct. 14 budget hearing. Bethlehem’s proposed budget keeps all 154 of its officer positions, and a new police contract there raises starting pay, according to Mayor J. William Reynolds’ Nov. 6 budget address.
Allentown
Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, and must be filed online at joinallentownpd.com. There is no fee, no paper applications are taken and officers from other departments can’t transfer in this round. People without a computer can apply at any public library or at the department, 425 Hamilton St.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at least 20 to apply and 21 to be hired, with a high school diploma or GED and a driver’s license by the time they’re hired.
The physical fitness test is Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027, at the Upper Macungie Township Community Lifestyle Center, 340 Grange Road. Those who pass take the written exam the next day. Applicants must bring three forms to the physical test, not send them with the application: a medical clearance signed by a doctor, an informed consent form and a hold harmless form.
Bethlehem
Applications are due by 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, through the city’s recruitment page. The city is waiving the $50 application fee.
Applicants must be at least 21 by the deadline and hold a high school diploma or GED. They must be U.S. citizens who have lived in the country for at least five years.
Pay and staffing
Allentown patrol officers start at $72,607 a year and reach $97,097 in base pay by their fifth year, under this year’s pay scale in the city’s contract with the police union.
In Bethlehem, base pay tops out at $104,822 in 2027 and rises to $113,296 by 2029, according to the city’s recruitment page. The city has not said what officers will start at under the new contract. Recruits who need the police academy get full pay and benefits while they attend, and the city has no residency requirement.
The city says getting hired in Bethlehem takes about six months. Along the way come fitness and written tests, a polygraph, a background check, and psychological and medical exams.
Allentown is hiring again less than three months after its last round closed Aug. 28. Next year’s draft budget sets aside no money for hiring incentives, compared with $100,000 this year.
Bethlehem has struggled to keep its ranks full. Police Chief Michelle Kott told City Council last November that the department had 16 vacancies. City officials have said 19 officers will be eligible to retire at the end of 2026, as reported in July.
“The applicant pool is no longer a pool — it’s actually a puddle,” Kott told City Council in October 2025.
Elsewhere in the Valley
Easton’s city job board lists no officer openings. Its last round had a March 20 deadline. Bethlehem Township’s most recent application period closed March 6.
A shared test run by the Lehigh County Chiefs of Police Association lists 11 departments, including Whitehall, Salisbury and South Whitehall. This year’s application closed Sept. 10.
