Pueblo Police officers get big pay bump, as the department tries to attract and retain officers

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO)-- Since the pandemic, the Pueblo Police Department has been struggling to recruit and retain officers.

Starting Saturday, Pueblo police officers will be making more than many of its neighboring agencies along the front range. Officers with the Pueblo Police Department hope it attracts more people to come and work in the Steel City.

In 2022, 11 officers quit outright and six left to go to other agencies. So far this year, six officers quit and another four left to go to another police department.

The Pueblo Police Department is down about 50 officers which it said is making it tough to do the job.

"It unfortunately does cause slower response times to different levels of calls because we just don't have the manpower, you know, the personnel that we used to have and that we'd like to have," said  Roger Schneider, Pueblo Police Department.

On Monday, the Pueblo City Council passed an ordinance dedicated to increasing the salary for starting officers. The current salary schedule will be reduced from ten steps to eight steps. The first two steps of the current salary schedule will be taken out.

Now, entry-level hires begin at the pay rate assigned currently to step three of the salary schedule. Current officers will remain at their current step but within the new salary schedule. This will result in base pay increases.

The Pueblo City Council is pulling money from the General Fund and the Public Safety Sales Tax fund to fund this salary increase.

Now, new recruits with the Colorado Springs Police Department make about $6,000 less than Pueblo Police Department.

The ordnance also adds that starting January 1, 2024, each police officer will be credited $800 annually. Previously, officers had to purchase this equipment themselves.

"They had to be purchased out of pocket, which was typically thousands of dollars for each officer to outfit themselves," said Schneider.

Another ordinance passed on Monday gives current officers a $10,000 bonus. Officers will receive that bonus on July 31. This is being funded through leftover COVID relief money (ARPPA).

"It was just a kind of a thank you, thank you for your hard work, and for picking up the pieces while we continue to lose more and more people," said Schneider.

Schneider hopes with these new incentives in place more people will want to become officers in Pueblo.

If you want to apply to be an officer in Pueblo, click here.