PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix announced Thursday the mayor and council will vote on a major boost to salaries for the sworn ranks of the police department. The city made the announcement Thursday after conducting months of studying employee pay structures.
Under a plan to be voted on by the mayor and council next week, starting recruits for the Phoenix Police Department would make $68,661 annually, compared to their current starting salary of $48,942.
The plan would include pay upgrades “from recruits to assistant chiefs,” according to the announcement and officers will have increased earning capacity throughout their careers.
“Our goal in Phoenix is to be a world-class city, and that means using the tools necessary to build a world-class police department. In other words, to hire the best, we need to pay the best," said Mayor Kate Gallego in the written announcement.
The City began a study of the pay structure last year. That study is not complete but already found that the sworn police pay structure needed to be adjusted.
Frank Piccioli, President of AFSCME 2960, a union that represents more than 2,500 non-sworn city employees, says police and fire dispatchers should be included in the proposal. The city has struggled to retain 911 dispatch employees in recent years.
“The problem is getting people who are qualified to do the job and stay to do the job. This is a very highly skilled multi-tasking job,” Piccioli said. “We would like to see the same type of pay increases that we’re seeing for sworn.”
The proposal for sworn personnel would make the Phoenix Police Department the highest-paid law enforcement agency in the state. If approved, the new salaries would begin in August.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 'Nuestro objetivo es ser una ciudad de clase mundial': Se propone un aumento de $20,000 para el salario inicial de la policía de Phoenix
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12 News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.
