‘Kicking the can down the road’: Raleigh police officers fighting for pay increase

By Kyleigh Panetta

On April 8, 2024

RALEIGH, N.C. — Hundreds of Raleigh police officers have signed a petition ahead of Tuesday’s City Council public comment session to ask for more competitive salaries.

What You Need To Know

• Hundreds of Raleigh police officers have signed a petition ahead of Tuesday’s city council public comment session
• The officers that signed the petition are asking for a 15% pay increase, which would put their base pay just under $58,000
• The city is currently conducting a pay study but it won’t be complete until next year
• Charlotte’s base police officer pay is at $57,192 and Greensboro is at $55,000. Base pay for Raleigh police officers is about $50,300

Rick Armstrong is the vice president of Teamsters Local 391, the union that represents many Raleigh officers. Armstrong said officers that signed the petition are asking for a 15% pay increase.

“We’ve got over several hundred petitions signed by police officers requesting this raise to make us competitive with other departments across the area,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said he believes that increase is reasonable to ask because it would make Raleigh more in line with other departments, including the ones officers often leave Raleigh for.

Police base salaries in North Carolina

The base salary for police officers in North Carolina varies depending on department. These figures come from each police department.

“I think it’s hurt the morale tremendously. A lot of police officers are looking for other jobs, other police departments because of the low pay and because they feel like there’s no respect,” Armstrong said. “We’re looking at close to 100 vacancies within the police department. That’s sworn personnel. So that’s on the streets. We’re missing about 100 police officers that should be there.”

Armstrong, who worked with the Raleigh Police Department for over a decade, said Raleigh has ramped up recruiting officers in recent years but they often don’t stay.

“Raleigh officers, they start around $50,000, $51,000. Other police departments are starting about $55, $56, $60,000. So they may come for a year or two here, get some experience, get some training. And then they go to a neighboring department like Cary and start off at $60,000 a year,” Armstrong said.

He said the city gave a 5% pay increase last year but the union didn’t ask for a raise because the city launched a pay study, which they now know won’t be complete until next year.

“By the time the police officers get raises, we’re talking it could be up to two years from the time they started the pay study, until the time the money is in the pockets of the police officers,” Armstrong said. “There’s (a) tremendous amount of frustration. You know, officers have been here 15, 20, 25 years who have been loyal to the city for a long, long time. And they don’t want to go anywhere.”

He said this issue can’t wait any longer, which is why hundreds of officers are coming together as one collective voice and asking for better pay.

“If you keep kicking the can down the road, the problems only become bigger. It’s going to be, I think, a serious safety issue for a lot of the citizens,” Armstrong said.

As for how Raleigh’s pay compares to other cities, Armstrong compiled numbers for the base salary pay according to each city or town website. Raleigh is the lowest at $50,301 while Charlotte is at $57,192 and Greensboro is at $55,000. Meanwhile, Cary and Apex are both just above $60,000.

If Raleigh police got a 15% pay increase, it would put the city’s base officer pay at just under $58,000.

Armstrong says the union plans to hold a press conference at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, right before Raleigh’s city council public comment session at 7 p.m. where many officers are signed up to speak.

This piece was republished from Spectrum 1 News.