HUTTO – If Hutto wants to keep its designation at the Safest City in Williamson County, the people need to be willing to pay officers more, according to Mayor Mike Snyder.
The mayor recently rode along with officers on patrol and came back determined to make changes.
Salary ranges for police officers vary widely, and incentive pay can add several thousand dollars a year to the paycheck of an officer who has a college education, certifications or specialized skills. Some cities, like Hutto, offer sign-on bonuses to attract recruits. Still, Hutto lags neighboring towns in base pay, at $2,248 behind Austin and $6,495 less than Round Rock.
In addition to raising pay to compete with other cities, the mayor believes that the pay should be commensurate to other industries that men and women are going into.
“We need to start comparing pay to people in IT, construction, real estate. We’re trying to get people to come and work long shifts and put their lives on the line,” Snyder said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average police officer salary in Texas is lower than that for insurance underwriters, dental hygienists and human resource specialists.
The Texas Association of Counties reported last summer that the law enforcement shortage in Texas has reached crisis level, mirroring a nationwide trend.
Every major Texas city was reported to have drastic shortages of officers, with Austin Police Department facing a deficit of over 250 officers in July. At that time, KVUE broke the news that the department was reassigning homicide and SWAT officers to cover patrol duties.
According to the report, low pay, long hours, dangers on the job and the current social trend of villainizing law enforcement contribute to recruiting woes.
“The biggest stress is they could die. One said it’s good he’s single so if he dies, he won’t let anybody down. The stress wears on officers,” Snyder said. “Even on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, everybody (city staff) got the day off and the officers worked 12-hour days.”
Hutto’s staffing challenge is intensified by the continuous growth of the city. Currently, there are 12 officer vacancies in the police department. Mayor Snyder said his plan is to meet with the city manager and bring the issue and possible solutions to the public sometime in February.
“We have to keep the best and the brightest ready to serve. Otherwise, we can’t be the safest city,” the mayor said.
