Dallas City Council advised that proposed Step Pay System, hiring additional officers needed
Police Chief David Brown told the Dallas City Council that a proposed step pay system and hiring 549 additional officers is essential to make the Department more competitive and reduce the city’s crime rate.
“We’re just not competitive in Texas; not with San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, Austin; and what the City Manager is proposing makes us competitive,” Chief Brown said. “That first year double step cures what’s been ailing us for the last two to three years.”
Chief Brown, Assistant Chief David Pughes and Human Resource Director Molly Carroll briefed the Council on Cost Considerations for Funding Public Safety in FY 2016-17 and Beyond.
The Chief noted that a thousand DPD employees have been cut since he was named to head the department in 2010. Overtime funding has helped reduce violent crime and overall crime, but is not sustainable or an efficient use of resources, he said.
Assistant Chief Pughes said the department is projected to lose 262 officers this year. “We are at the lowest staffing levels that we’ve had since 2008 . . . causing us to deal with an increase in response times,” he said. “If we can get an increase in pay we can push forward our lateral entry program, which already exists but hasn’t been very attractive to other officers in outside departments.”
Under the Step component of the City’s proposal:
- 6 percent of officers would get at least a 27.6 percent increase in pay over three years
- 4 percent would get a 21.6 percent increase in pay
- 3 percent would get a 10.3 percent increase in pay
- 6 percent would receive a 5 percent increase in pay
- 28 percent would receive no increase in pay
Other recommendations include hiring 50 Public Service Officers (PSO) which would allow the department to use sworn officers more effectively and efficiently. PSO duties could include managing prisoners, assisting at crime scenes and traffic accidents, distributing equipment and conducting civilian background checks.
To attract more applicants, suggestions included promoting the department’s retention bonus program, enhance recruiting strategies, expand off-site recruiting, radio, television and print advertising, social media and web applications, pre-hire applicants prior to start of the Police Academy.
Read the complete briefing Public Safety Briefing 081716.
