COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) - Columbus police are getting raises, effective immediately.
The Commercial Dispatch reports (https://bit.ly/2ecw6aq ) the city council voted Tuesday to approve a new pay scale that includes 5-percent pay increases to employees’ base rates.
Entry-level officer pay will rise from $31,915 to $34,986. Every other rank through captain will also receive a raise.
A 3-percent raise every five years is built into the pay scale for every rank except captain.
Mayor Robert Smith says he hopes the step will curb what he called a “crisis” in the police department, with CPD regularly losing officers. CPD has about 45 officers - short of the 77 officers for which the city has budgeted.
Smith says the raises will cost $160,000 total, including the salary increases and benefits. He says the money will come from CPD’s budget.
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Information from: The Commercial Dispatch, https://www.cdispatch.com
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