Brookhaven authorizes police compensation hike
Officers, Sergeants, Lieutenants targeted in first phase of Citywide review
Brookhaven, GA, Jan. 22, 2019 – At the behest of Police Chief Gary Yandura, the City of Brookhaven authorized the compensation policy and pay adjustments for police officers, sergeants and lieutenants. The ordinance approved by the City Council authorizes the City Manager to make equity adjustments as needed to ensure Brookhaven remains competitive in the public safety job market.
Like police departments nationwide, the Brookhaven Police Department must constantly evaluate benefits and salaries to remain competitive in hiring and retention processes. However, improvements in the national economy have driven down demand for government jobs, and nearly every police department in the metro-Atlanta area is understaffed and actively recruiting.
In a memo to the City Manager, Chief Yandura wrote, “Police officer applicants have a vast array of agencies from which to select an employer, and certified police officers have a disincentive to remain at a single agency. Atlanta Police, DeKalb Police, and others have recently implemented pay increases for their existing officers and increased starting pay for new hires. Atlanta Police announced a 30% pay increase for their officers to be implemented over a 3-year period…[The] DeKalb County CEO vowed … that he would make DeKalb Police the highest paid in the State.”
Currently, 34 percent of Brookhaven officers have less than 2 years of policing experience. During 2018, Brookhaven hired 17 officers to fill 25 vacancies.
“Our police force is the bedrock of our very existence,” said Mayor John Ernst. “They take great care of our community, so we need to be sure we take care of them by staying competitive in the job market.”
“In order to keep the high quality of police officer that we currently have we must be competitive with our pay, compensation and benefits. I am pleased to support this initiative,” said District 1 Councilmember Linley Jones.
“This is an important task. When we started the City it was a different time for the people, the police officers, and the economy. Our police represent the most important service we offer as a City, and we need to be sure we are treating them right,” said District 3 Councilmember Bates Mattison.
“I remember when we went through this when we started the City, but times have changed. The police have earned its level of respect and I support this measure wholeheartedly,” said District 4 Councilmember Joe Gebbia.
When the City began recruiting in 2013, the salary range utilized was competitive for the metro-Atlanta area. Since that time, several surrounding agencies have altered their pay-scales so significantly that Brookhaven Police is now well behind the area trend. This compromises Brookhaven’s ability to attract new, experienced applicants and threatens retention of current employees.
A compensation review for all City positions was originally outlined in the 2019 budget, approved in November. Announcements of substantial pay increases in neighboring jurisdictions spurred Brookhaven to advance the study of police officer pay ahead of the others.
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