Texas should spend $50.2 million to make state trooper pay competitive with large city and county law enforcement departments, the state auditor recommended Wednesday.So not only did Austin's massive recent pay hikes for police wreak havoc on its own city budget,they're driving budget-busting salary hikes in other jurisdictions and now for the state. Here are comparable pay rates for DPS and big city Texas police departments, again from the Chronicle:The bulk of pay raises would go to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which has 80 percent of the state's 4,339 law officers. The proposed salary hikes would take the maximum base pay for a veteran trooper from $57,773 to $66,367, an increase of 14.9 percent.
Under the new salary schedule proposed by State Auditor John Keel, troopers with less than four years of service would see pay rise from $45,100 to $49,109, an increase of nearly 9 percent.
HOW THEY COMPARE
Law officers at the Texas Department of Public Safety and other state agencies earn less than their counterparts in some city and county departments. Here are the rankings based on maximum base pay.• Austin: $87,787
• Fort Worth: $75,067
• Dallas: $71,273
• San Antonio: $61,764
• Harris County: $58,052
• Houston: $56,893
• El Paso: $55,612
• Texas DPS: $57,733
Source: State auditor's report
If state troopers can't retain employees at those salary levels, it's no wonder the state can't recruit enough prison guards who may make half that much.
.jpg)
56 comments:
Of course everyone ignores that most state troopers are not assigned to large urban areas. I'm sorry, but when a trooper is making 45-50k in Big Spring, or Pampa, or some small town in East Texas he's doing fine.
The problems with recruiting isn't so much the salary but the fact that most folks don't want to be cops anymore, thus the severe hiring difficulties across the state.
The problem with retention is that to promote or advance in DPS you have to uproot your family and move to a different part of the state. You may even go from podunkville to a big city which suddenly puts a big crimp in your cost of living.
Furthering my point, Pampa PD pays 31k and change to start and 36k or so after 5 years.
DPS troopers make far more money than the local pd or sheriff's office in just about every part of Texas, except the urban areas.
Given that troopers rarely if every work wrecks within the major cities, they should not be compared to those agencies.
Grits, to be fair, you should also show the minimum pay, to give an idea of the pay range.
I haven't met a whole lot of officers that are topped out in their pay, it's not a very good way to compare, unless one (and I'm sure you're not) is trying to slant the coverage.
Troopers don't get paid the same as big city police because they are not big city police.
Sheriff's deputies don't make the same as big city deputies.
All state employees in Texas make way below their peers in other states.
A starting prison guard in California can make $75K.
Texas screws all of it's state employees, and we get what we pay for.
Bluesy, those were just the numbers in the Chronicle story.
Since you mentioned it, I just now went and found the link to the study on the auditor's website - see it here - but I haven't looked at it and am about to shut down for the evening. If after looking at the primary source document I see anything that mitigates this data, I promise to come back and update.
Or, of course, if you see any such thing, let us know. Happy reading!
What I don't understand, is that the whole idea of having the SAO do these surveys was to achieve parity between DPS pay and the pay at other major departments. And every time the SAO comes out with one of these surveys, they tell us the same thing: that Troopers are nowhere near parity.
So what do they do? They keep recommending raises that don't achieve parity!
Still, these recommendations are for substantial raises that are badly needed. But raises alone will not "fix" the DPS. The last two pay raises had no lasting beneficial effect on the Department's ability to recruit the best people, or to retain them. I am trying to keep Sunset and the House and the Senate and Mr. Polunsky and his fellow commissioners focused on making DPS a better place to work. If you make DPS a better place to work, and if every officer gets a raise of 8-15% this year, I think we'll make inroads at improving morale. And happy Troopers make much more persuasive recruiters.
As another reader commented, one significant issue is that it takes a Trooper 20 years to reach the top of the pay scale. At most departments you can reach the top in six to ten years. Accelerating this progression at DPS would be a huge step forward.
The difference between urban and rural living in Texas can be significant.
Also, there is the question of benefits including retirement. Are they the same?
Seems to me the real problem is that there are fewer blue eyed boys that think being a DPS officer is a good job. With so many alternatives, driving around all day, standing out in the hot sun and enforcing a lot of rules doesn't really sound very challenging and satisfying.
Folks these days do expect more than a paycheck from their career. Texas might look to the all volunteer Army for ideal about how to attract young folks. Offer them training, payment for education costs, travel, good food and a chance to get shot at.
Who knows, it might work.
I'm a rural prosecutor. Routinely, my baby SO deputies are recruited by the city PD, and from there, if they are dedicated, they go to DPS - each time realizing an increase in salary and benefits.
My troopers, on the other hand, are royally irritated about the amount of time they are required to spend "on the border", away from family, missing kids' birthdays, anniversaries, start of school, and the like. One trooper told me that no amount of pay makes up for that. Sure, military guys and gals are deployed...that's part of what they expect when they sign on. Periodic deployment seems to be expected by the troopers; it isn't periodic anymore.
Want to improve morale in DPS? Let them stay home and work in the community in which they live.
State troopers are generally morally upstanding compared to prison gaurds, who make similar pay, maybe slightly lower. I wish high pay was the solution for everything, but it isn't. I think State trooper should SWITCH salary schedules with some local police departments. Example:
Plano cops make good money, but take a look at THIS !!!
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa080501_jh_steroids.ba3063c4.html
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa080605_wz_jacobs.157e3e1.html
State Troopers should receive a cost of living allowance (COLA) when they are required to work in large urban areas.
The Federal Government provides COLA for military and civilian employees. The employees will tell you it not sufficient but I can tell you it doesn't hurt the pocketbook as much.
I also believe DPS Law Enforcement employees should receive the top pay, or close to it. They work the craziest hours and are never certain where in Texas they will be working on any given day.
Retired 2004
Instead of bitching about how much APD officers make, I agree we should consider the total package of pay, benefits and working conditions/work demands.
An interesting paradox here is that DPS pays a little extra to officers who agree to accept "hardship duty stations" in remote, far-flung places....where the cost of living is typically the lowest!
sorry .... troopers aren't big city cops and while I appreciate what they do, I don't think thei tasks are even close to what the big city officers have to do. I do think they are somewhat underpaid though.
I know several troopers and after reading through the posts remember several talking about getting sent down on the border and being away from their family for 28 days at a time and it was a bunch of BS and they weren't doing much down there anyway. Seems to me that this blog would be good for some senior DPS to read as the troopers on the ground down there don't understand why they're are down there so much.
Well, to say that State Troopers do not do as much as big city cops is pretty naive. Big city cops have the luxury of backup. I have seen troopers in stretches of road where back up would be a long time coming. Also, if the big city cops do so much, how come there are so many of them overweight compared to our state troopers? You can rag allday about how much folks do or do not do, but I believe a Texas State Trooper is worth the pay of any big city cop.
Austin cops have authority and responsibility in Austin. Texas State Troopers have authority and responsibility anywhere in the State of Texas. Little bit different.
Rarely if ever work wrecks in a big city? How about the wrecks I have seen State Troopers working on interstate highways and major Texas roads? Give it a rest!
DPS (State Troopers) is much more than the Highway Patrol. Texas Rangers, Criminal Investigation Division, Protective Services, Capital Police (located in Austin, Texas), and other divisions.
DPS Training and requirements are superior to most local departments.
Retired 2004
Try making a routine traffic stop on a remote highway at 1 am with no back-up, and then say how much easier DPS troopers have it.
APD reps attend DPS academy graduations and offer jobs - they even pay the premium to DPS to acquire these new grads! The solution: up the DPS pay, and treat them better.
Grits,
It looked like the SAO included just the maximums (not that they would try and skew the data...) - I would think that there might be less of a difference at the lower levels, but who knows? Lets take a look...
Starting pay after probation:
DPS - $45K
Austin PD - $55K
Ft Worth PD - $46K
Dallas PD - $43K
San Antonio PD - $42K
Houston PD - $38K
Harris County SO - $39K
El Paso PD - $34K
OK, obviously Austin is at the top, but DPS pays better than all of the other department except Ft Worth, and that is only $1K less. Not a whole lot of difference.
Plano does better than Austin - its pay after a year is $59K with 1/3 of its population, so maybe Austin isn't quite as out of line as it would appear... Arlington PD is at $52K, Rowlett PD - is at $53K, not a whole lot of difference there.
It seems to me that it would be common sense to make a cost of living adjustment for state peace officers in accordance to where they live. I am a state peace officer and I moved from the Texas Panhandle to the Waco area. Many other larger federal agencies do it so I think it would behoove state police salaries should follow suite. I also think that if a state peace officer is uprooted they should be given assistance for their move. The FBI and the Border Patrol both have very similar programs. Texas is a large diverse state with numerous complex metropolitan areas and vast distances of rurality. It is obvious to me that a state trooper in Pampa is doing great while state trooper in Dallas is struggling to pay rent on a one bedroom apartment, God help him if he/she has a family. While I agree that state troopers do not have as much to do as city officers (and some county deputies) they trade that off with not having backup nearby. Oh, and there are numerous other agencies on the state trooper's pay plan (pay plan C) besides state troopers and most of those officers, including myself are located in metropolitan areas.
A correction. Most Troopers may be rural but most other state peace officers (besides the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens) are located in large or larger cities. My apologies for the mistake.
Matthew,
I don't think that you'll get a lot from other state law enforcement officers (the ones not on Sch. C). While they like TABC, TP&W, etc., they aren't too fond of DPSOA and TSTA.
It seems that when you fight other law enforcement officers from getting the same retirement benefits, they don't care too much about helping them out. I know of two cases where officers from other state agencies spoke privately to their legislators opposing changes being pushed by DPS simply for that reason.
Maybe the solution is to change the DPS to a true State Police Dept., with different divisions for different functions, such as Highway Patrol, Drug & Alcohol Enforcement, Capitol Police, OIG, Rangers, etc. Entry through the DPS academy with the option to compete for specialized law enforcement divisions and further training after serving a probationary period. All would be on the same pay scale (Schedule C). COLAs for high-cost areas could be included, regardless of what division the officer worked.
What about the HORRIBLE pay of Adult Probation Officers who have to deal with the crminals the law enforcement officers arrest. WHEN will MADDEN/WHITMIRE give a damn about US????
My guess-NEVER, or not until it affex=cts them personally. They TALK crap about caring, but they can't WALK THE WALK!
Another 20+ year veteran probation officer who's ready to quit his job and go teach to make more money to be able to FILL my gas tank!
The main problem with funding for state agencies - all of them - is that politicians like Whitmire make a name for themselves by convincing the voters that they are saving the voters from all those worthless, lazy, incompetent state employees. Save those precious tax dollars. If those state employees had any talent or ambition, they would not be working for the state. Unfortunately, that is the opinion of much of the voting public with regards to state employees.
Anon 3:09,
Good suggestion that won't work.
First, DPS will not want to accept as troopers many of the officers of the other agencies. Second, most, if not all of the other agencies will fight the move, as will their parent organizations.
To make all state peace officers DPS, you are looking at the following agencies:
Alcoholic Beverage Commission Agents (already Schedule C);
Parks & Wildlife Game Wardens (Schedule C);
State Fire Marshal Arson Investigators;
State University Police Officers (all UT System, A&M System, U of Houston System, North Texas System, State Univ System, etc);
General Services Officers;
Comptroller Officers & Investigators;
Medical Board Investigators;
Racing Commission Investigators;
Pharmacy Board Investigators;
State Lottery Officers & Investigators;
State Dept of Health Services Officers;
Appellate Court Bailiffs;
Insurance Investigators;
Youth Commission Officers & Investigators;
Dept of Criminal Justice (Prison) Investigators;
TCLEOSE Investigators;
Private Security Board Investigators;
Dental Examiner Investigators; and
Juvenile Probation Board Investigators.
Do you really think that DPS wants all of these officers? What about all the chiefs that would be brought into DPS - what level would they be? Would they get credit for their prior service?
It just won't work.
I am a correctional officer with TDCJ. The DPS gets excellent raises year after year. Where's ours? Lets face it 2% just will not cut it.We have a problem with retaining officers. TDCJ ranks third from the bottem nation wide. Where is our cut?
If you do not like the corrections pay or job in general, apply to the DPS, meet their requirements, go through the acadamy, spend six months on probation, then get sent where there is an opening. In the meantime, work all overtime hours as comp time and if you cannot get in in within a certain time, loose the comp time. You also get to do your accident reports and most other reports on your time as the DPS wants you on the road, not doing reports. Sound good? Give it a shot.
To monk - sorry, you are right, city cops are in the city surrounded by backup and two or more officers to the call. So Troopers do not do what city cops do, they usually do it by themselves in the middle of no where. Also, city cops' authoity ends at the city limits, Troopers are the State Police.
Actually, with the exception of traffic offenses, city police, county sheriffs/constables and DA investigators have state-wide jurisdiction (see CCP 14.03(g)).
They don't make a habit of going past the city/county boundary, but they can.
txbluesman you are about half right, they may have jurisdiction but only if the governing body allows it, (which none do). The State Police has jurisdiction period, when required. I see Troopers operating in all cities, large and small, but I do not see Austin PD in Houston or anywhere but Austin for that matter. Same with any other agency. You knew better.
Anon,
While it is true that they don't patrol outside their primary jurisdiction, there are plenty of case law examples to dispute your assertion.
The agencies focus on their primary responsibility, which is to their city or county, but I know of none that instruct their officers to ignore a crime that is occurring in their presence outside of their limits.
Sorry if those anonymous posters didn't get what i was saying in my responses. Did not intend to demean the job troopers do but in my opinion, the big city officers job is riskier and more difficult than a troopers job.
If I were the banker and had all the money for law enfrocement, I would first create higher salaries where there is the most crime so I can draw the best people to that job. It would be as simple as prioritizing what is the most important. I would think the crimes occurring in the big city are a little more important than the ones out on the highways.
I don't demean an officer being out there at 1 am on a stop by him/her self. Sheriff's deputies also can make these same arguements. Tell you what, take these DPS troopers in these rural areas and pay them what the county deputies are making in the same area. Maybe that will solve some arguements here.
monk, your logic is obviously bias, probably a big city cop. I am just a tax payer that sees both sides of the fence. Why not pay Austin PD what the DPS makes? As far as risk and difficulty, I agree with the other anon, how about back up and overweight officers? Also, I think the trooper death rate is higher than that of Ausin PD. And lastly, how about the requirements of the DPS troopers. None of the large city cops have to meet any requirements more demanding than the DPS. Oh, by the way, the DPS does not impose an artifical age barrier like most cities. If you can meet the requirements and pass the written and physical tests, you can be a trooper at 55. Signing off, can't debate the wind.
txbluesman, they do not patrol outside their cities because the authorities having jurisdiction (cities) do no allow them to. In other words, they have no jurisdiction. Any Texas peace officer can act on a crime in his presence. If there is no real difference as you suggest, then why in the world do they call troopers the state police and why does the state of Texas declare that the DPS has the responsibility of being the State Police?
"Local yocal" verses "full grown bear", any doubt where the respect is from the people on the road?
My wife is a State Trooper. I am very proud of the job she performs and know that the qualifications and training she was required to have were second to none in this state. City officers have a dangerous and stressful job, and I guess one would say that day in and day out , it is more demanding than the highway patrol. But, that does not negate the fact that she has proven she can be a Texas peace officer anywhere in the state, she just wanted to be a state trooper. So, we can say city officers are meaner and better, but I still admire the professionalism displayed by most state troopers and I thank God they are on some of those isolated higways and by ways in Texas.
I don't think the pay is the biggest problem with recruiting. The problem is a 28-week academy where you have to move to Austin without your family when most city police academies are 16 weeks in length and most pay more.
Anon 2:08,
I would recommend that you check the actual law. See the following cases:
State v. Purdy, 244 S.W.3d 591 (Tex. App. Dallas 2008), reh. overruled, pet. denied. City police officer who was outside of the city may stop and arrest for a penal code violation under Art. 14.03(g), CCP.
State v. McMorris, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 4554 (Tex. App. Fort Worth 2006), pet. denied. City police officer who was outside of the city may stop and arrest for a penal code violation under Art. 14.03(g), CCP.
Mitchell v. State, 187 S.W.3d 113 (Tex. App. Waco 2006), pet. denied. City police officer who was outside of the city may stop and arrest for a penal code violation under Art. 14.03(g), CCP.
Do you begin to see a pattern here?
txbluesman, already checked the law and acknowledged a peace officer can act on a crime in his presence. How about answering the other two questions? In case you can't, then we will help you. No city police officer is referred to as the state police because they are not. At the end of the day, everyone else but you knows that the DPS is the state police by Texas Mandate and city cops are just city cops. Get over it.
The Texas highway patrol deals a great deal with traffic law violations, as well as criminal offenses. The DPS (State Police, State Troopers etc.) has traffic law jurisdiction anywhere in the State of Texas including any city, including that little slice of California called Austin. Local police officers do not have this power. I think this is the point anon was attempting to point out.
Anon 9:37.
I'll be happy to answer your questions.
First, there is nowhere that I stated that municipal police or county sheriffs were "State Police." You might want to take the time to read the posts carefully - the language I used was very specific (and relatively simple).
Second, despite your erroneous assertion, there is nowhere in State statute or the TAC that designates DPS as the "State Police." DPS is merely an agency of the State, the same as any other agency of the State with law enforcement powers, and is so designated by statute.
If you have such a "Mandate" (which, BTW, is an improper use of that word), please post it, so that we can all be as educated as you.
It is real easy to see why many of my clients don't particularly care for DPS - the arrogance is apparent.
Finally, it doesn't matter to me what you think of other peace officers, I'll continue to represent them, so I really have no need to 'get over it.'
txbluesman - Texas State Police
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The Texas State Police were formed during the administration of Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis on July 22, 1870, to combat crime statewide in Texas. It was dissolved April 22, 1873.
Among its members were Sheriff Jack Helms of DeWitt County, Texas, who served as a Captain. He was killed by John Wesley Hardin during the Sutton-Taylor feud. Another notable member was Leander H. McNelly of the Texas Ranger Division. Outlaw William P. Longley claimed to have killed members of the Texas State Police in 1866-1869-even before it came into existence.
Four members of the Texas State Police died as a result of a shootout on March 14, 1873. See [1]. The Texas State Police was abolished in 1873, but in 1935, the Texas Department of Public Safety was formed to serve as the state police force (The TDPS predecessor was the Texas Ranger Division formed by the Texas Legislature as McNelly's "Special Force of Rangers" and the "Frontier Battalion" in July 1874). Other state agencies, including Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, provide complementary state police services focused on their areas of responsibility. Today, no agency is formally named Texas State Police, but the generic term "state police" is still used to describe state law enforcement official
Arrogance is on display here, but not from any Troopers I know. Your response and assumptions show both your arrogance and your bias.
Gee,
I am so glad to know that wikipedia is THE authoritative reference material on Texas law.
I guess the next time that I go to court, I will cite that...
Also, among most Texans, Gov. Davis is not well regarded...
Most Rangers would also be irritated with you - the Rangers date to 1823, not the 1870s.
I freely admit to being arrogant - but it also helps to know what you are talking about...better luck next time...
A typcial elitist, condescending remark from a lawyer. How does it feel to know you are one step below a used car salesman as regarded by most Texans? And since you perceive yourself to be so informed, as most lawyers do, would you use your obvious intellegence to get the State of Texas to remove the term "State" from in front of the word "Trooper" on all those darn black and white cars? Obviously, they did not check with you before they marked them up. The reason the wikipedia is not used in courts as reference material is because most lawyers find it too difficult to manipulate the wording to suit their needs, as they are able to do with most other documents.
Anyone that says a Sheriff should be paid the same as a Trooper should look at the difference in contacts a day, and the 28 week academy a Trooper must go through. (more training more pay). Troopers are not reactive. They go out there day in and day out and make things happen.
And some want to talk about the big city crimes that city officers have to deal with.(with backup close by). Not to take anything away from city officers but who do you think deals with these criminals one on one when they immediately leave the city after their crime?(Troopers on traffic stops) While some of you sit in your nice cool offices and read books to stay educated on case law.(Maybe Troopers should get lawyer pay when lawyers prosecute or defend a DWI a Trooper arrested.) Wow would Lawyers even get paid at all if it wasn't for these proactive law officers puting criminals in jail? You should go ride out with a Trooper in a busy area and see if your idea of them changes. You should give a little more respect to the officers that risk their lives to make your life safer. The guys that are standing on the side of the highway in 100 degree heat, working wrecks where not everyone makes it out alive, people almost running them over, arguing with them, trying to kill them,and working all their days off just to pay the bills.(an area related pay scale would be great for DPS) Troopers do ok in West Texas compared to the metroplex. And those who don't know (A Trooper that has a gross income of 4,075 a month brings home only 2,700 a month.)(that is a 5 year Trooper supporting a family) They have ok benifits but look how much they pay for them. Nothing is free people.
Also to all correctional officers- I agree when you say Texas state employees should be paid like other states. We are the second largest state and should be paid accordingly. However, when DPS gets a pay raise TDCJ is never far behind so just hang in there.
I know a lot of Troopers that have a lot of pride in the uniform that they wear, and it's not all about pay because if it was Austin PD would hire almost any Trooper in a heart beat. It's just nice to show them that we care about them keeping our roads safe.
I wrote the previous comment. Please do not write me back unless you are an officer. I don't really care what anyone has to say about a pay raise unless that person is doing the same job for the low pay!
Oh and nobody mentioned that Texas is the top state in drug money seized, drug arrests, and DWI arrests! Texas Troopers are responsible for the majority of those arrests!
Why do most police departments have to have a shift supervisor approve an arrest. Can the officers not make that decision on their own. Even a 1 year Trooper can make his own decision to make an arrest. Maybe the big city police departments should cut the pay of shift supervisors and train their officers to make decisions without help from supervisors. Or maybe these big city officers can call a Trooper for advice.(which I know a lot of them do everyday) A Trooper makes supervisor decisions on the side of the road on a daily basis.
When Hurricane Rita hit I didn't see any Austin or Ft. Worth PD officers on the Texas Coast working 20 hour days arresting looters and evacuating people to save lives. The fact is Troopers have to take care of the business that nobody else wants to and should be paid for it. Troopers are always on call for any state disaster.
Texas Troopers are being deployed for hurricane IKE as we speak!
So are Texas Game Wardens. Take a close look at the media news reports the next couple of days after Ike hits. You will see State Game Wardens in boats out making rescues, assisting with food/water deliveries in rural areas, patrolling for looters in the cities, directing traffic out on the highways, and assisting with disaster operations in the Texas SOC. Schedule C officers other that State Troopers make differences in their communities, both rural and urban, everyday. Heck, if you want to talk about qualifications, Texas Game Wardens are required to have a Bachelor's degree before attending their academy. There are not many entities out there that require a 4-year degree and start them off so low in pay. Schedule C state peace officers should be working side by side together to get what they all deserve-equity in pay. They need to put their "politics" aside for a bit. Game Wardens are state "police" officers. They enforce state fish & game laws, penal code violations, transportation code violations, alcoholic beverage code violations, health & safety code violations, and much more everyday. They have the authority to do so to protect the public. They are Texas "State" officers that "Police" the public when necessary. Get on a good search engine and research this stuff before putting out misinformation on a public site.
I agree with that last comment totally. I have a lot of respect for state troopers and game wardens. Game Wardens are highly trained and qualified just like state troopers. Both deserve pay raises cause both do the job that others don't want to, and both should be paid for it.
A rural area trooper should get paid just as much as a Trooper in an urban area. Rural areas are way more dangerous and it's not like there is a cost of living allowance for troopers that live in the urban areas. Troopers working the tollways in Dallas get a cost of living allowance but it needs to be like that everywhere. Support your troopers, you get what you pay for.
I am a Federal Officer ($90,000 a year). I want to be a Texas State Trooper. Let's face it (regardless of who you are or what you think), a Texas State Trooper is the most respected law enforcement officer in the state. Many patrol remote and highly drug-trafficked areas (yes, alone and minutes area from backup). Why? They are trained to be the best and believe they are the best. What other mentality would you want them to have? They still are very selective in their hiring process. Most local/county agencies would higher a Trooper. Professionalism- Courtesy, Service, Protection. Let's not forget that a Trooper did not write this article. Also, who wouldn't like to get paid more? No need to criticize the Troops, they know what they get into. They do what they do and nobody does it better.
Perhaps trooper pay should also be adjusted based on their location. That way they make more when in large urban areas. This would help them maintain their quality of life whenever they promote or move.
Post a Comment