Shreveport Mayor Proposes 6 Percent Pay Raise For Police

We have been hearing lots of rumbling about a possible pay raise for Shreveport police officers. Mayor Tom Arceneaux is proposing a 6% pay increase for police officers and firefighters. This is on top of the annual 2% increase that will go into effect on January 1.

The Mayor says these first responders:

Perform difficult and dangerous work and competitive pay is essential if we are going to recruit qualified officers and firefighters, retain experienced personnel and maintain the level of public safety our citizens want.

The Mayor says he has found a way to fund these increases without impacting the reserve fund which he plans to maintain at 8%. He also says he did not want to propose an increase that would not be sustainable.

The Mayor says Stack infrastructure and Amazon Web Services are proceeding with the data center in west Shreveport. He says this project will generate significant tax proceeds and fees for the city. The Mayor plans to use this money to help fund a pay raise. He says the recurring property tax and franchise payment to the city are sustainable over the long term and will be enough to fund these raises.

This pay increase will go into effect on December 1, 2026.

The pay increase for police puts a higher priority on police officers at the rank of Corporal and below, giving them additional incentives for specific achievements.

The Shreveport Police Officers Association says this proposal is a start, but will not solve the problem.

Dr. Michael Carter who is President of the SPOA says

We are appreciative of every increase, but let's be honest, this was not planned. Our campaign is in full operation. We will remain committed to our agenda, and that is to restore the 4.5 million dollars to the police payroll. Once that is done, we will ask the Mayor and the City Council members once again, to use this money for a major police retention pay raise. The 4.5 million will get us halfway to where we need to be competitive and comparable.

By all accounts, the police department is short by at least 170 officers and another 35-30 are on leave. This means the department is operating with about 200 fewer officers than a full staff.

That full staff number is 580 sworn officers for Shreveport, but the city has not had that many officers in many years.

The SPOA reports:

In December of 2018 we were 36 officers short. That is when Former Mayor Ollie Tyler appointed Ben Raymond as interim chief while Alan Crump was on medical leave. When Adrian Perkins took over as Mayor, he officially named Raymond Chief in September of 2019.

Mayor Perkins asked Raymond to step down in June of 2021.

By beginning of 2020 we were 137.

When Wayne Smith took over in August 2021 we were 139 short.

This report says we are 178 short today.

But the Mayor provided KEEL News with Shreveport police staffing dating back to 2014.