Short 7 officers, Oldham County raises police salaries to compete with Louisville

LA GRANGE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Oldham County Fiscal Court approved a new salary schedule for police officers that will see the department's pay rise to meet that of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

County Judge-Executive David Voegele said the new salary schedule will help the department retain officers and attract new recruits. The change amounts to about a 20% raise, he said Thursday.

"Law enforcement is the No. 1 responsibility of county government, and we want everyone in our community to be safe and secure," Voegele said. "And by raising the salaries of our officers, we think we're going to attract the broader base of applicants."

Voegele said the fiscal court ultimately made the move to be more competitive amid a shortage of officers nationwide. The Oldham County Police Department has seven active openings, and Voegele said in just the first two weeks after announcing the change, they went from zero applicants to about 10.

Voegele said they also believed some current officers were considering higher-paid positions at nearby departments.

"We're hopeful that pay increase will solve our issue," Voegele said. "Oldham County has gone from an agency in the area with reasonable pay ... but they were not as competitive as a couple of our neighboring county's agencies. Now, we're in the top tier. You won't find too many places around the area that have a better salary schedule than Oldham County."

Starting officers can make about $25 an hour with pay ranging up to nearly $39 an hour for officers with 24 years or more of experience.

Sergeant pay ranges from almost $39 an hour to $46 an hour.

The raises increase the county budget by more than $550,000, which will be paid through its general fund. These changes can take place, right now, without raising taxes. But Voegele said they will be looking at how the increased cost will impact the budget in future years.

"We have good officers here and we want them to stay," Voegele said. "We want to attract new people who are equally as skilled and dedicated to our community, and I think our salary increase will do that."

The raises go into effect March 26.