Police Don't Get Pay Raise
By: Kristen Kennedy
Updated: August 27, 2009
Lubbock police are angry, all because of a final decision by the Lubbock City Council to leave pay raises out of this year's budget.
The Lubbock City Council approved next year's operating budget without any pay raises for officers. Now they worry they'll have a hard time recruiting new members to the force - and enticing veterans to stay. Back in May, officers asked the city for a 15% pay raise, saying it was necessary to recruit and keep officers in Lubbock. Council agreed to consider those raises when they looked at next year's budget, but when it came down to approving budget numbers - there wasn't any room for raises. Money orginially reserved for police pay was moved around to other areas of the budget - and officers were given no raises. The Lubbock Professional Police Organization warns council members that streets won't be as safe with less men and women out on patrol.
"When we came here in April we had more officers than we do now, and we're going backwards. We have two or three more officers at the PD that are shopping for other places to work because you're looking at long term, like at any job, you're looking at stability and retirement and we can't keep them here," says Brandon Price with LPPA.
This was not a unanimous decision. Council voted 4 to 3 to approve the current budget without police pay raises added in there.
