Probationary police officers will see a bump in their paychecks following City Council approval of a salary increase aimed at making Houston Police Department salaries more competitive.
The additional nearly $800 per month is part of a $4.5 million injection of funds for Houston police officers in training announced by Mayor John Whitmire in September.
The mayor’s office originally said the raise would not need approval by council, but changed its mind last week. The proposal was passed with little discussion last Wednesday.
The ordinance change will boost the pay of all future probationary officers as they work another six months toward certification and the higher pay rate of a full-fledged officer.
The raises, which will come from the city’s general fund, are in addition to the fiscal 2025 budget approved in June.
The unanimous council vote came three months after Whitmire announced the city’s six police cadet classes will be paid an extra $10,000 during their first year in training, with an additional $5,000 incentive when they graduate.
At the time, Whitmire and representatives of the Houston Police Officers Union said the multi-million-dollar addition to the Houston Police Department budget would bolster the competitiveness of the Bayou City’s police recruiting.
Previously, cadets received a yearly salary of $42,000 and a $10,000 total in bonuses upon graduation, paid with COVID-19 recovery funding.
The new increase brings base salary rates closer to those of cities like San Antonio and Chicago for first-year recruits, at $56,000 and $55,000, respectively, according to a presentation by HPD to the city council’s Public Safety Committee in September.
“It’s all about retention and recruitment,” HPOU President Doug Griffith told the Houston Landing in September. “So, you know, the first number they see is obviously going to be the big one.”
The raises drew criticism from at least one police accountability advocate.
“The City’s move to increase pay for officers is less about fair compensation and more about further inflating HPD’s $1.6 billion budget,” said Salena Braye-Bulls, policy organizer at Pure Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for alternatives to policing.
“We would rather this money go toward credible messenger programs, mental health facilities, or food security measures that would materially improve and benefit all Houston communities,” she added.
A surprise for some
Whitmire’s announcement of the proposed raises in September surprised some city leaders who were eyeing a nearly $200 million shortfall and a possible tax increase for storm cleanup.
In response to questions from members of City Council’s Public Safety Committee in September, HPD argued the department had some of the lowest-paid cadets in Texas and that previous retention bonuses had worked.
In a comparison between the last 10 classes without a bonus and the first 10 since implementing the incentive in 2022, the department officials said HPD had retained an additional 51 officers.
City Controller Chris Hollins at the time said he was concerned about where future cuts would need to be made after adding $4.5 million to the deficit.
“As I’ve stated before, we want our public servants to be paid fairly and competitively to ensure that Houston can attract the best talent, but these investments have to be combined with a plan for how to pay for them,” Hollins said. “Continuing to increase the City’s cost base without additional revenue or offsetting savings is not fiscally responsible, and it’s a prime reason why two of the major ratings agencies have changed their credit outlook for the City of Houston from ‘Stable’ to ‘Negative.’ We owe it to Houstonians to right the ship.”
Contacted Monday, Hollins’ office said the controller’s position had not changed.
The vote
Last Wednesday, there was little pushback to the probationary officer increase, which was grouped with another initiative to change the rank of commander to captain.
Initially, District C Councilmember Abbie Kamin and District F Councilmember Tiffany Thomas tagged the item, delaying the vote a week.
“You are literally creating financial circumstances in this city, and there’s not open communication about it, and there’s not enough opportunity for query even,” Thomas told the Houston Landing. “And guess what? We may come to the conclusion that … we’re in support of that, but you have to give people the information in order to do that.”
Saying their questions had been addressed, both council members later released their tags, allowing the measure to come up for a vote.
Both measures were approved.
Hanna Holthaus contributed to this report.
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