The median salary for New Jersey municipal police officers

, state treasury data shows, NJ Advance Media reported.

Out of more than 19,000 municipal police officers, the median salary was $105,106 as of the end of 2016. That's an increase of $14,400, or 16 percent, from seven years ago when The Star-Ledger did the same analysis.

The data also shows that the towns with the highest median salaries were wealthier suburban towns with very little crime.

Officers in Saddle River were paid a median salary of $155,508, the highest in the state.

The municipality only had two violent crimes in 2015.

Salary increases for police officers were capped at 2 percent in 2011.

Michael Darcy, executive director of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, said that 30 years ago it wasn't uncommon to see 6 to 7 percent annual pay raises after "interest arbitration" negotiations between unions and municipalities.

Darcy said that attempts to reform the arbitration process during the 1990s did little to curb rising salaries. "Having lived through it, I can tell you it was getting to the point that the arbitration awards were breaking municipal budgets," Darcy said.

Police recruitment was negatively affected after the salary cap in 2011, according to Patrick Colligan, president of New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association.

According to Colligan, since 2011, cops are contributing to health care premiums, saying that it's not unusual for police officers to be paying more than $1,000 a month for health care.

"We're not going to apologize for our salaries," Colligan said. "Our officers have extraordinary jobs under extraordinary circumstances."

The 2 percent limit on police and firefighter raises has been a flash point in the fight between unions and municipalities. The cap is set to expire at the end of this year.

They protect us from danger, but at what cost?

With the 2 percent cap not helping to keep salaries from rising, should there be a cap on the total salaries for police officers in New Jersey?

Vote in our informal, unscientific poll above and tell us how you voted in the comments.

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