Metro police agencies increasing salaries to woo new officers
By Scott Simmons
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CLINTON, Mississippi (WAPT) — More police agencies in the metro are having to increase salaries because a bidding war is underway.
The Jackson Police Department bumped its pay to $45,000 for starting officers after Capitol Police stepped out with $42,500 for its starting pay. Other agencies are taking note and breaking out the checkbook, fearing if they don’t pay now, they will lose more officers soon.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones told the Board of Supervisors during a meeting Monday that he needs more pay. His starting salary for deputies is at $29,000, which is putting him at the back of a new pricing war for police.
“Our numbers are dwindling due to the other agencies offering more money and better pay and incentives,” Jones said.
The starting pay for Madison police officers is $50,000, which tops the list in the metro. Madison is also slightly ahead of Southaven as the top paying city police agency in the state.
“Instead of the pie growing with the number of officers increasing, we are basically taking officers from place to place,” said Clinton Mayor Phil Fisher.
Clinton just boosted its starting pay to $42,000. Brandon increased starting pay for officers to $36,000. Pearl recently raised police and firefighter starting pay to $35,000, in addition to funding a salary study.
“We did $5,500 across the board this year for police and fire, and then our city clerk’s budget, we put a salary survey line-item expenditure so we can go out and get a salary survey,” said Pearl Mayor Jake Windham. “So, next year, we come back in, we look at salaries again and we get even more competitive across the state.”
Pearl officials said they want hard data before looking at another pay increase but they do expect to have to fund one.
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