All considered, especially that they put their lives at risk every time they report for work to protect and serve, police officers never really are compensated adequately for their work.

No doubt, there are residents of Allegheny Township who believe their municipality’s police starting wage of $80,000 is grossly excessive. Some Hollidaysburg Borough residents might feel likewise about that municipality’s police starting wage of $74,000.

According to a Jan. 9 Mirror article, police officers of Logan Township have an annual wage of $84,500 after three years of service.

Meanwhile, in those three municipalities, as well as in virtually every other community across America in which a police department exists, including Altoona, when officers begin their work shift, they never can be certain that they’ll be alive to clock out.

Yet, it is a reality that they live with as they strive to conduct themselves professionally, while being watchful constantly regarding the potential dangers with which they could be confronted regarding themselves and the people whose well-being they are dedicated to preserving.

No one should be envious about the pay they receive or the pay increases they receive when a new contract is ratified, but some people do begrudge them of the higher pay they are granted, objecting to the prospect of doling out a couple of extra tax dollars to a dedicated individual who might someday save their life or property, or the life or property of a loved one.

All of that said, people of the city of Altoona should not be upset about the raises granted in the city’s new three-year police contract — 8% that went into effect Jan. 1, a 7% increase next January and a 5% pay hike for the contract’s third year.

Even with those raises, the city’s police pay will not be keeping up with what many other departments pay, and it is no surprise why the city department has been losing personnel to other area police forces.

The new contract might reduce the exodus, but there is no guarantee the city department might continue to train some new officers, only to lose them to other higher-paying communities that also boast lower crime rates.

“We’ve become a training ground,” said City Manager Christopher McGuire. “We’re trying to bend that curve — to make it attractive (for officers) to want to stay.”

Whether city residents troubled about the size of the raises believe it or not, it generally is better to maintain consistent staffing within the department — officers familiar with working with one another, enabling them to better protect each other and the community in general during the routine performance of their duties.

Such a scenario — existence of stable department staffing — has not been able to be maintained over the past three years, according to Police Chief Derek Swope, because during that time, the city lost about 25 officers to other law enforcement agencies, including the state Attorney General’s office.

Right-thinking city residents acknowledge that their police never will be paid enough for the work that they do and the dangers that accompany those duties. Probably most city residents don’t realize that their community, which is generally considered to be a safe community in which to live and work, generated about 32,000 calls last year plus 2,700 arrests.

Altoona police do not deserve generous raises? Anyone who ascribes to that foolhardy notion needs to think again.