As you may have heard the contract negotiations between us and our employer, Oneida County have stalled. There are several issues that could not be hammered out, but pay is a major one.
In regards to salary there are two issues. The first is a general lag in our salary when compared to that of other agencies, and this effects more than just our quality of life but it also effects our agency as a whole. We can not attract or keep new recruits with low pay and poor benefits. No one is building mansions or sending children to Harvard on a police salary, but you can see that we are very far behind considering that we do exactly the same job.
| Entry |
| 6 Years |
| 11 Years |
| 16 Years |
| 20+ Years |
| Sergeant |
| Investigator |
| Lieutenant |
| Captain |
| Oneida County | Utica PD | New Hartford | Rome PD | NYS Troopers | FACTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $28,521.00 | $34,849.00 | $39,781.00 | $36,344.00 | $50,374.00 |
- A 6 year deputy makes $211 LESS than |
| $34,638.00 | $49,939.00 | $50,756.00 | $52,646.00 | $79,618.00 |
a Utica PD recruit. |
| $40,450.00 | $50,429.00 | $51,556.00 | $54,441.00 | $82,168.00 |
- A deputy with 11 years makes nearly |
| $45,862.00 | $50,916.00 | $54,356.00 | $54,591.00 | $85,218.00 |
the same as a N.Hartford PD recruit |
| $47,845.00 | $51,405.00 | $56,356.00 | $54,741.00 | $87,718.00 |
- A 20+ year deputy makes ~$5,000 |
|
LESS than a Rome Officer with 6 yrs. | |||||
| $43,264.00 | $57,131.00 | $61,959.00 | $58,869.00 | $90,795.00 |
- A 20+ year deputy makes ~$2,500 |
| $43,264.00 | $51,937.00 | $71,363.00 | $63,073.00 | $88,444.00 |
LESS than a NYS recruit. |
| $55,009.00 | $62,844.00 | $63,073.00 | $107,976.00 | ||
| $59,135.00 | $69,129.00 | $68,309.00 |
If you were a young person looking to make a career in Law Enforcement where would you start? Even if you wanted to stay locally we would be your last choice, and we lose good people that way without even being aware of it.
Issue #2 is the structure of our pay schedule. What it boils down to is if you were to walk through the doors today, 17 years later you will be making your full grade or top pay.
What we operate on now is a perversion of a system that began with the thought that when you first started out you really weren't worth the salary of an experienced officer. In some ways that's true, and most agencies provide top pay to employees after seven or eight years. NOT 17 years!. After 25 years of service some OCPBA members will be eligible to retire, yet still not making the top pay!
In the County Executive's 2007 State of County address, Executive Anthony Picente made several references to our local residents leaving the area for better paying jobs. We repeatedly hear about our youth leaving the area for other better paying jobs, how is this
different? This is an instance where the county can keep employee's that they have invested in. There is also mention about how our public safety is an instrumental part of a growing county. Additionally, mention of consolidation of services is made. Who is going to want consolidation with one of the lowest paid law enforcement agencies in our area??
<< Want to read
all 23 pgs of his address>>
So the next time you see a Civil Service posting that says "Public Safety Telecommunicator - maximum wage $30,717 or Deputy Sheriff Road Patrol - $46,545" hope you can wait 16 or 17 years to collect that.