Vanderburgh County deputies to see huge increase in pay. Here's what was approved

Sarah Loesch, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read

EVANSVILLE — Vanderburgh County sheriff's deputies will see a 33% raise in their salaries over the next four years.

Tuesday afternoon the Vanderburgh County Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a new collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 73.

Commission president Jeff Hatfield said this package is one of his best experiences as a commissioner, negotiating the largest pay and incentive benefits for deputies.

Hatfield is in his final term as a commissioner, after deciding not to seek reelection.

The collective bargaining agreement will be in place from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2026. It also negates the agreement previously in place which was set to last from Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2023.

More:Starting pay is up, but police agencies are still having a hard time filling open jobs

Base pay for deputies, which applies to merit deputies having completed their first year of probation, was set at $59,134.05.

Base pay this year was $54,753.75.

Pay for 2024-2026 will be:

  • January 1, 2024 - $63,864.77

  • January 1, 2025 - $68,335.31

  • January 1, 2026 - $73,118.78

A probationary deputy who has not completed 12 months of service as a deputy sheriff will be paid $5,000 less than the base deputy salary. This remains the same as in previous years.

There are also pay increases based on years of service. In 2023, a deputy with 5-9 years of service will have a pay of $63,273.43.

Other years of service:

  • 10-14 years - $67,412.82

  • 15-19 years - $71,552.20

  • 20-24 years - $75,691.58

  • 25 years or more - $79,830.97

The offer health insurance was also updated in the new agreement, giving deputies the chance to choose an alternative to the private program offered by the county. In previous years the agreement has stated deputies would be receive the same health insurance benefits as other county employees.

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Starting Jan. 1, deputies will be able to choose TeamCare health insurance or the county's program if they were employed as of that date.

Deputies hired after Jan. 1, 2023, will be placed on TeamCare automatically. The county will pay the entire cost for all deputies as long as the collective bargaining agreement stands.

These changes come as law enforcement has been dealing with retention and recruiting problems across the country. Both the sheriff's office and Evansville Police Department have previously talked with the Courier & Press about their efforts to bring people to the department.

It also will coincide with a new Vanderburgh County sheriff. Voters will choose either Republican Jeff Hales or Democrat Noah Robinson to take over for current sheriff Dave Wedding, who is term-limited from running again this year.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Vanderburgh Co. sheriff's deputies get large pay increase over 4 years