Police Department Observation

In response to questions about police department pay and why some people are leaving the department I met with Russ Hickmon, director of the local Fraternal Order of Police lodge on October 20. City Council has asked why some officers have left our police department – is it money or is it something else. I met with Russ because he is an independent voice, his role is to support officers in our department and he communicates with those officers routinely. The following is a summary of our conversation. These are “his words” about our department.
1. Russ recently wrote an email to City Council and me stating that “many” in the department were not satisfied with the pay increase. I asked Russ if he would define many for me. He stated that he has received two (2) written statements. He has met with two other individuals. He stated that he has heard from 4 out of the 38 officers in the department. (Actually, one of the complaints about pay was from an officer’s wife, not the officer himself.) He stated that …show more content…
Russ state that while he has liked some of the past police chiefs here this is the best police chief that the City has had in some time. He stated that the image of this department has improved significantly. Russ stated that he believes our Chief treats all of the officers fairly. He also stated that we take better care of our officers than Pueblo. Officers in other departments are now expressing interest in working in our department. He said we have made a big step forward in four years. Officers outside our department like the new image of our department; some commented that pay is ok; and they like the job security that is possible here. (At that time he pointed out some of the job security issues that exist at another local department.) The then stated that we should be careful about hiring some of those coming from other nearby departments because of the habits they have developed there might not be appropriate for our