City salary study: Police are underpaid

ROANOKE RAPIDS — City Council received the results of a police department salary study conducted by City Manager Paul Sabiston’s office Monday evening at its monthly work session. The study was  requested by Councilman Jon Baker.

The city considered data from communities comparable to Roanoke Rapids in population in addition to the neighboring jurisdictions of Halifax and Northampton counties. The study found Roanoke Rapids trailed the cities in average salary for police officers, in addition to starting salary for police officers with exceptions for Enfield, Warrenton and Weldon in starting salary and Weldon and Enfield for average pay.

Average pay for a police officer in Zebulon had the highest difference from Roanoke Rapids — officers in Zebulon average $43,712 yearly while Roanoke Rapids officers average $28,370.

Other comparisons included in the study were master officer salaries, investigators (detectives), sergeants, lieutenants, captains and chiefs. Roanoke Rapids trailed all other jurisdictions listed in the study, with a discrepancy of nearly $27,000 in the average salary for Roanoke Rapids police chief and the Eden police chief. Baker expressed dismay at the study’s results.

“We have a problem which exists in the police department,” Baker said. “That’s why I asked for the pay study.”

Baker then advocated Council fix the problem, saying they had money available. “It’s time to make things right,” Baker stated. “The money is available to fix the police department.”

Councilman Ernest Bobbitt, a former police chief for the city, expressed like-mindedness with Baker. “I agree wholeheartedly with Jon,” Bobbitt said. “The sad thing about it is other (city) departments are just as bad. We do need to do this.”

Baker urged Council to take $248,000 — money Finance Director MeLinda Hite says is available to the city this fiscal year — and “fix the problem in the police department.”

Mayor Pro-Tem Carl Ferebee agreed, but stated any pay adjustments for the police must be permanent. “If we do that we want to continue to do that,” he said.

Councilman Ed Deese urged caution moving forward. “I think we would concur all employees deserve a salary increase,” Deese said. “I think we have to be very careful about this. We want to do the right thing by everybody.”

Baker added he wished to do salary adjustments for all city employees, but urged the council to move forward with police pay adjustments as soon as possible and study other departments later. “You have to start somewhere,” Baker said. “Let’s figure out the plan and stick to the plan. The money is there, it’s available. We have the capability to fix the problem and not talk about it.”

In the end, Council did not take action. Deese recommended third party advice and many seemed to advocate salary adjustments for all city employees, rather than just police officers.