Certification Pay.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 350-132
in effect350-132. Certification Pay.
1. EMPLOYEES ELIGIBLE. Employees in active service and in the following position classifications shall be eligible for the compensation provided in this section, subject to established terms and conditions, as long as they remain in active service and within the stated classifications:
a. Chief of Police.
b. Assistant chief of police.
c. Inspector of police.
2. COMPENSATION. a. An employee in active service and occupying a position classification in sub. 1 who is deemed certified as being qualified to be a law enforcement officer in the state of Wisconsin by the law enforcement standards board (LESB) as of the close of a calendar year shall be entitled to receive a $600 payment termed "certification pay." Once LESB certification has been established during a calendar year, an employee must maintain that certification for the balance of such calendar year in order to receive certification pay benefits for that calendar year.
b. An employee retiring on normal pension, or resigning voluntarily from the police department, and who was LESB-certified at the time of such retirement or resignation shall be entitled to the benefits provided by par. a prorated on the basis of his or her active service in the calendar year he or she retired, computed to the nearest calendar month. For purposes of prorating, an employee on the police department payroll for at least 14 days in a calendar month shall be deemed as having been on the payroll for the full calendar month; in the event the employee is on the police department payroll less than 14 days in a calendar month, then the employee shall be deemed as not having been on the payroll at all during the calendar month. For purposes of determining eligibility for the benefits provided in par. a, years of service shall be computed as of the effective date of the employee's retirement or voluntary resignation. Payments earned shall be made as soon as is administratively practicable after the employee's retirement or voluntary resignation.
3. Except as provided in sub. 4, payments made under this section shall not be included in the determination of overtime compensation or any other fringe benefits.
4. Employees who retire from active service shall have their certification pay benefits included in final average salary for purposes of computing their service retirement allowances. For purposes of interpretation and construction of this section, the certification pay benefit the employee is entitled to include in the final average salary computation shall be an amount equal to the certification pay payment the employee received for December 31 of the calendar year immediately preceding the employee's effective date of retirement.
5. An employee on a military leave of absence for performance of duty as a member of the state of Wisconsin national guard or reserve component of the armed forces of the United States shall be eligible for certification pay benefits for a calendar year prorated on the basis of the employee's active service with the department in that calendar year subject to the following:
a. The military leave is a result of being called to, or volunteering for, active duty under the authority granted to the president of the United States or the congress of the United States for a period of more than 30 calendar days.
b. Prorated certification pay shall be calculated as of the effective date the employee separated from active service with the department and began his or her unpaid military leave of absence.
c. For purposes of prorating certification pay benefits, an employee on the police department payroll for at least 14 days in a calendar month shall be deemed as having been on the payroll for the full calendar month; in the event the employee is on the payroll less than 14 days in a calendar month, exclusive of any mandatory furlough time, then the employee shall be deemed as not having been on the payroll at all during the calendar month.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-3/CH350-sub7.pdf#page=1Fetched: 10/26/2026