Police officer pay varies wildly in my neck of the woods. The big city cops make very good money. And full-time deputy sheriffs can do the same.
But small-town cops can make very little. And part-timers make even less. A guy I know worked part-time for a small police force near me. He made a dollar over minimum wage ((not kidding) with no benefits. He hung on for a couple years, hoping to be hired on full-time. Eventually he quit.
I know some who would do it for minimum wage just because they get off on the authority. Know one right now who volunteers full time full shifts as retired just because he gets off on the authority that comes with the job.
I liken it to folks wanting to become truck drivers just so that they can legally blow the air horns. It is not the driving... It is all about getting off on scaring other folks with those air horns.