5/17/2006
Media Contact:
Steve Campbell, [317] 327-3622
Justin Ohlemiller, [317] 327-3690 |
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City makes offer to police union to bring IPD officers' pay in line with Sheriff's deputies
Offer marks continued progress for merger, resolves pay parity issue
INDIANAPOLIS - The City of Indianapolis today made an offer to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the union representing Indianapolis police officers, which would increase base salaries by an average of just over five percent for Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) officers.
If accepted by the FOP, the raise would bring IPD salaries in line with Marion County Sheriff's deputies.
Today's offer represents progress in two areas:
· Consolidating the two departments into the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Pay parity, or making sure that officers of equal rank from the two departments make comparable salaries, has been an issue that needed to be resolved as part of the merger.
· 2006 contract negotiations. The contract with the city for IPD officers expired at the end of 2005. Today's offer represents a major step toward getting officers under contract for the rest of 2006.
Mayor Bart Peterson personally announced the city's proposal to hundreds of IPD officers at a roll call at the department's training academy earlier today.
"This offer gives our officers and their families the raises they deserve and marks another important step in the continued progress of the merger," Peterson said. "Our hope is that the police union accepts this offer promptly so officers can begin getting their raises immediately, and our law enforcement leadership and officers can focus on building the best metropolitan police force in the country."
The offer is retroactive and covers 2006 salaries for officers. The estimated annual cost of the raises is $4.3 million.
Contract negotiations for 2007 will be led by the Marion County Sheriff, who will oversee the new merged department beginning next year.
Along with resolving the pay parity issue, progress continues on many other aspects of police consolidation:
· New command structure approved, which reduces the number of officers in upper ranks by nearly 50 percent over the current total and results in more officers on the street. This will save about $259,000 a year;
· New uniform, badge and patch design finalized;
· Selection of a newly designed dark grey squad car;
· An agreed to work schedule;
· Consolidation of all training activities at IPD Training Academy, which should result in annual savings of $200,000;
· Adoption of plan to take community policing philosophy countywide; and
· Changing all phone number prefixes to "327,"which creates annual savings of approximately $75,000.
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