Our View

Our View

Raises overdue for State Police

Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, one of only nine Democrats serving in the state Senate seems to have acquired a bunch of new supporters, at least 515 of them, by spearheading an amendment that would provide Arkansas State Police commissioned officers with a 5 percent salary increase, over and above any cost-of-living adjustment or performance-based raises, effective July 1.

While Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a popular Republican second term governor, has pushed through and signed legislation that would give all state educators a raise during this session, Ingram’s amendment would increase the proposed appropriation for state police operations by $2.1 million to $98.3 million.

Ingram’s amendment would also increase the proposed appropriation for regular salaries from $52.5 million to $54.1 million and for personal services matching from $28.9 million to $29.4 million.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson in November proposed increasing the agency’s general revenue budget from $66.3 million to $71.6 million in fiscal 2020. The governor also proposed adding 24 new troopers over the next two years and annual trooper school.

It is only common sense for the custodians of our tax dollars to recognize the importance of Arkansas being competitive in attracting quality professionals such as our educators and those civil servants serving in our top law enforcement agencies.

Retaining these top notch and highly trained individuals requires that they are financially compensated at levels comparative to neighboring states and agencies.

And, let’s understand the investment that is made to train and equip just one ASP officer. Using a figure of $84,282 Ingram pointed out that increasing the salaries it is hoped the retention rate will increase as well.

In pitching his proposal to the legislative panel, Ingram said from a purely business point of view it is important to know that in the last five years the turnover rate within the ASP has been 38 percent and there is an average of losing 27 to 29 troopers a year because of better opportunities and financial benefits.

The average salary for the trooper classification of about 110 employees is about $41,237 a year, according to an administrator with the Bureau of Legislative Research. Ingram wants the trooper classification up to about $44,000 simply based on being more competitive with surrounding states and other agencies such as Little Rock where police officers start at a salary of $43,743 a year with a bonus structure.

Seems Ingram has an influential supporter in this quest in Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs,who says there are several possible funding sources to pull this off, and with that said it is highly likely that by the end of the session it should be expected these men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day will be rightfully compensated thanks to the efforts of Ingram and Sen. Hendren.