Council takes quick steps to improve police officer pay

In about a decade, the Ritzville Police Department has hired, trained and then lost three entry-level police officers to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

Ritzville Police Chief David McCormick contends the departures are primarily driven by the salary and compensation package offered by the sheriff’s office.

To compound things, lateral entry police officers are not banging on the local department’s door looking for jobs either.

When Hunter Klewin recently resigned to take a position as a sheriff’s deputy, McCormick opted to seek a veteran officer, advertising a lateral position. In other words, he wanted to hire someone who had already completed the police academy and had a couple years of law enforcement service under their belt.

The search produced one viable candidate who ultimately accepted a position with the sheriff’s office instead.

“The problem I am having is recruiting because of the differences in the pay scale,” McCormick told the city’s finance committee just prior to Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

There is a significant difference in what sheriff’s deputies and sergeants are paid, and what the city’s officers receive. A rookie sheriff’s deputy is paid $3,793 per month. A rookie on the city’s police department receives $3,179 per month, a difference of $614.

On top of the base salary, there is a huge divide when it comes to compensation for “standby time.” Both agencies require standby time, which means the officer or deputy can be at home, not on patrol, but is immediately able to respond in the event there is a 9-1-1 emergency call.

The sheriff’s office pays $5.50 per hour for standby time. Ritzville Police Department pays nothing.

According to McCormick’s research, the average monthly standby time for a sheriff’s deputy working in the Ritzville area is 80 hours. At the rate of $5.50 per hour, it totals $440 a month in additional compensation.

Using the Step One (entry level) salary scale for a sheriff’s deputy, their annual income, including standby pay, is $50,796. An entry level Ritzville Police officer’s total annual salary is $38,148, a difference of $12,648.

McCormick asked the finance committee to advocate for a salary increase and to establish a standby time pay rate.

He said he knows the city’s finances are tight and the 2014 budget was bare bones. McCormick also said he does not want his own pay increased, just that of the police officers and sergeant.

“I know it’s not a good time,” he said.

City Clerk/Treasurer Kris Robbins said there’s no room in the city’s current expense fund, which pays for law enforcement salaries, unless the council opts to take funds from the 2014 beginning fund balance, which she discouraged.

Council member and finance committee member David Grove said growing the city’s tax base is one way to offset the increased compensation. He noted that once annexation of the Love’s Travel Stop is complete, the city expects to collect up to $60,000 a year in sales tax revenue. Annexation is expected to be completed some time this year.

“The disparity in on-call time seems to be something that needs to be addressed immediately,” said council member Gary Cook.

Ben Cross went a step further.

“We’re between a rock and a hard place is where I think we’re at,” he said. “I recommend we create standby time pay and look at a salary adjustment recommendation now.”

The three finance committee members reached a consensus that they would ask the council to approve. They opted to ask for a salary increase up to $400 a month and the creation of standby pay up to $4 an hour.

Because the city will have to approve a budget adjustment for the additional 2014 expense, a public hearing will be necessary before the actual amount of the increases can be formally approved.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Grove summarized the finance committee discussion and then offered a motion to move ahead with a plan to increase police officer pay. Cook provided a second and the measure passed unanimously.

The Ritzville Police Department, in 2013, responded to 1,703 calls for service. The sheriff’s office, countywide, handled 3,992 calls for service.

The sheriff’s office is divided into two districts. Adams County District 1, which included Ritzville, Lind and Washtucna, handled 1,142 calls for service.

District two, based in the panhandle of Adams County, took 2,851 calls for service.