TN, KY police departments raising salaries to attract recruits
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The battle for police officer recruits wages on in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.
In 2022, the City of Franklin invested over $8 million in pay adjustments, with 79% of city team members having their pay increased. In 2023, $1.3 million was added and divided between the public safety branches, such as the Franklin Police and Fire Department.
Following that pay raise, other employers adjusted their pay to be more competitive.
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Now, Franklin is talking about another significant pay increase to set itself apart.
“I know when I started, the starting pay was $30,000 a year,” Recruiting Sgt. Brad Hogue with the Bowling Green Police Department said. “So we’ve come a long way from there.”
For entry-level recruits looking for the highest pay, Bowling Green, Kentucky, might be Franklin’s biggest competitor, with a starting salary of $60,000.
After Franklin surveyed the pay of officers in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, the city found it had fallen behind due to fewer experienced officers.
Trainees start at $50,000, but Franklin still leads the way in paying officers with more experience.
“All across the country, there is a shortage of police officers,” Hogue said. “So as different communities competed with one another to try and get the best available candidates, they started upping the pay, and I know in Kentucky at one point, the big deal was that it went over $50,000. Then people got excited for it, obviously, and then we kicked it up to [$60,000], then $64,000, then it kind of raised everyone around us, too.”
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The Lebanon Police Department (LPD) pays just over $45,000 before growing to $56,000 for one year’s experience.
However, due to an influx of people moving to Tennessee, LPD explained that they are still gaining officers.
“We are sitting at 121 sworn officers now, and compared to when I was hired seven years ago, we were in the 70s, so you are seeing a fairly large growth and it is going to continue to do that as people are moving to Tennessee,” Public Information Officer Richard Clark with the LPD said. “You have to have the resources to handle the people coming.”
Hogue expressed that when it comes to officer pay, the dollar amount represents more than just recruitment and retention – it shows appreciation.
“By seeing that dollar amount, that is at least a figure to show that they are valued, that their city cares about them, that their government cares about them and gives them validation that they are going into a profession that matters,” Hogue said.
Hogue added that pay is public knowledge, so recruits tend to discuss resources and community outreach more.
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“The people that reach out to us, they talk about wanting to find something meaningful, wanting a career with purpose, and then they will talk about benefits,” Hogue explained. “We are blessed that we also have good benefits here, but people don’t really discuss the pay, and it might be because it is so advertised and it’s out there, so they don’t feel the need to.”
Franklin’s mayor and board of aldermen are talking about police pay. One proposal is raising the starting salary for entry-level officers from $50,000 to $60,000.
Representatives with the police department told News 2 that they were waiting to comment until further conversation had commenced.
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