Alexandria police are in talks with the city to institute a pay system that guarantees them salaries that are competitive with other departments in the region, according to police and union officials.
Alexandria police are the lowest-paid in the national capital region, according to 2005 report by the Fairfax police union.
Officials told The Examiner that the city had been responsive to police pay problems in the past. Capt. Albert Tierney said the city should create a system that provides stability and guarantees that wages are competitive with other departments.
The main issue for police is how their pay progresses as they spend time in the department. Officers who serve equal amounts of time in other localities, such as Fairfax County, make more money than those in Alexandria. The rate of pay progression is at the center of the current debate.
“We would love for our employees to be the highest-paid employees they can be,” said Sgt. Joe Seskey. “We don’t want to be behind.”
Police and city officials are expected to meet next week to discuss changes.
“We want to work through it right,” Tierney said. “We want to get it right the first time.”
Tierney added that he wants a compensation system in place that ensures fair pay for officers in the future.
Seskey said police have had many successes working with the city, including getting improvements in health care and retirement benefits. He said he is confident that the two sides can work together.
“We’ve made a lot of good progress working with the city,” he said.
Michele Evans, deputy city manager, confirmed that the city is committed to making Alexandria police pay more competitive.
“Our goal is to be no further back than in the middle” of neighboring departments, she said.
Evans said improved pay would make recruitment and retention of officers easier.
