A new plan for Phoenix Police Department salaries was passed by the City Council on a 8-1 vote, with councilmember Carlos Garcia being the lone dissenting vote. The plan raises pay for all officers in the department by at least $20,000 a year.
The plan was made with the goal of improving officer retention and aid recruitment to address the current shortage of sworn law enforcement officers in Phoenix.
The compensation restructure allows the city to start recruits at a higher rate ($68,661 compared to the current $48,942). By similarly streamlining the system of starting salaries and pay grade steps from recruits to assistant chiefs, officers will have increased earning capacity throughout their careers. Currently our police recruit position is approximately 7% below the market average; this plan would bring salary ranges approximately 10% higher than any other law enforcement agency in the state.
The salary restructure comes as the result of an assessment the City began last year of its employee pay structures. While the study is still not fully complete, it found that the sworn police pay structure needed to be adjusted to not only make the City competitive but to attract the most qualified candidates for the difficult work required of police officers.
The City has completed similar assessments for other employment classifications that resulted in pay grade changes over the last year.
The pay structure takes effect August 8. The increases associated with the restructured compensation package will be absorbed by the current City budget.