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East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards has unveiled a controversial plan to raise police officer salaries by redirecting funds from the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system.
While the average starting salary for local officers is currently $40,900, payroll records from Open Data BR reveal that five of the city-parish’s top 10 earners in 2024 work for BRPD—some outearning the police chief and the mayor with overtime and extra earnings.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median salary of $74,910 for officers and detectives in 2023. Edwards’ proposal would raise BRPD’s average starting pay to $58,000, which he has said would make it the “highest-paid municipal police force in Louisiana.”
These were the top 10 highest-paid city-parish employees in 2024, according to Open Data BR.
Todd Bourgoyne
Captain, Uniform Patrol
Base salary: $80,608
Gross pay: $219,964
Overtime hours reported: 2,107.25
Brandon Johnson
Lieutenant, Uniform Patrol
Base salary: $75,831
Gross pay: $190,239
Overtime hours reported: 1,738
Other earnings: Education
Thomas Morse
Police Chief
Base salary: $157,353
Gross pay: $179,668
Overtime hours reported: 49
Other earnings: Education
Scott Johnson
Sergeant, Uniform Patrol
Base salary: $69,889
Gross pay: $176,269
Overtime hours reported: 1,713.5
Other earnings: Education
Sharon Weston Broome
Mayor-President
Base and gross pay: $175,000
Judson Edwards
Director of Aviation
Base pay: $154,751
Gross pay: $172,793
Overtime hours reported: 0
Other earnings: Car allowance, reimbursement
Kenneth Bowman
Captain, Uniform Patrol
Base pay: $78,893
Gross pay: $170,265
Overtime hours reported: 1,353
Nicholas McDonner
Shift supervisor, EMS Operations
Base pay: $80,283
Gross pay: $167,338
Overtime hours reported: 1,436.25
Keltrin Burrell
Captain, Fire Suppression
Base pay: $76,230
Gross pay: $163,089
Overtime hours reported: 1,870.44
Kendall Washington
Shift Supervisor, Emergency Medical Services
Base pay: $78,271
Gross pay: $162,610
Overtime hours reported: 1,880.75
Other earnings: Shift differential pay
