Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul will attempt to increase certain officers’ pay at this afternoon’s Metro Council meeting with a proposed amendment to the department’s 2018 pay plan.
Paul wants the deputy chief of police, director of community services, violent crimes unit commander, training services director and narcotics commander to be paid an additional $1.50 per hour for time spent on various assignments, says spokesman Sgt. Don Coppola Jr.
The proposal was deferred at last month’s council meeting. The pay raises are part of efforts to reduce violent crime in the city by attracting more qualified applicants for the commanders’ positions, according to Paul’s cover letter for the amendment.
Last month, the Metro Council approved a $39,500 study requested by Mayor Sharon Weston Broome and the police chief to analyze local officers’ salaries and benefits compared to other agencies in the region. The study will include both data and recommendations from SSA Consultants, and it’s part of Broome and Paul’s effort to make salaries and benefits for officers more competitive.
The Metro Council meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda.
