CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Police Department will soon see some changes in officer pay.
A new collective bargaining agreement was agreed to this week by the City of Corpus Christi and the Corpus Christi Police Officers Association. The four-year deal takes effect on Oct. 1.
It includes a cost of living adjustment for each year and officials said that will make pay more competitive when compared to other Texas cities.
Staffing needs are a trend that law enforcement officials said is happening across our area. Corpus Christi city leaders did a study comparing seven other Texas cities and agreed to a contract that makes CCPD pay more competitive to bring new officers.
"It is hard to recruit those people to come down this way when they look at the wages up north versus the wages here," said Scott Leeton, Corpus Christi Police Officers Association president.
Leeton said the cost of living adjustment in the new contract combats inflation and raises salaries. That is how he said CCPD can better compete for new applicants with places like Austin and Dallas.
"The biggest thing will be the pay itself, making the pay competitive and that will help recruit new candidates coming in and then retain the experienced officers that we have," Leeton said.
The City of Corpus Christi's 2024 proposed annual budget includes nine additional officers, bringing the total to 500. Leeton said the new contract will help recruit for those positions. He said that can also combat attrition in some years from officers retiring or leaving for other higher-paying departments.
"It's a constant, you know, struggle just to keep it going and it's something, and the department does a good job of staying on top of it," Leeton said. "Hopefully this contract will just make it more appeasing to come down here."
Refugio Police Department has staffing needs of its own. Police Chief Enrique Diaz Jr. was at a recruitment event in Robstown on Thursday that brought 40 law enforcement agencies together.
"We just need people to, to, to come out and, and, and apply, man just apply," Enrique Diaz Jr. said. "Just inquire into law enforcement."
Diaz Jr. said he hopes hiring new recruits can end the trend of losing them because of a negative stigma toward law enforcement in the world today.
"It's just something that, you know, hopefully it doesn't fade to the extreme but it's just, it's slowly going that way," Diaz Jr. said.
The City of Corpus Christi's proposed annual budget also includes police funding for new equipment and support for a new police academy. Leeton said he thinks that will help with recruiting officers going forward.
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