Pay causing Covington police officers to flee

For 25 years, Lt. Jack West has grinded out dead end murder cases, chased down robbers and help solved dozens of high profile cases as he’s cemented himself as one of the Covington Police Department’s most respected and tenured officers.

Yet for all the high stress and 12-hour shifts, he’s still making virtually the same pay as other fresh faced rookies.

“It’s not fair for the other officers,” he said. “I do it for the love, but some of these people have a family to feed.”

While Covington has granted several police pay raises over the years, the city has no step plan, meaning at times, rookies earn the same as veterans like West, who was recently promoted to operation’s commander. Lately it’s become a slap in the face to more tenured officers, who are leaving in record numbers to fatten their pocketbooks elsewhere.

Six officers, including a high ranking official, have left the Covington Police Department in the last 15 months, bringing the department’s total officers to 38, West said. Some have left to chase as much as $30,000 more at the Department of Homeland Security.

Others are content on settling with the Mandeville Police Department or the Sheriff’s Office, which offers $10,000 to $14,000 more starting out, West said.

“It’s hard to keep officers here, and I can’t blame them,” West said. “If they’re making $12,000 more a year elsewhere, that’s a down payment on a home, that’s a monthly mortgage.”

Meanwhile, the Covington Police Department spends $77,000 to $100,000 a year to train rookie officers who leave, on average, within two years, West said. Tossed to waste is a handful of custom made crime fighting gadgets, including a $600 fitted bullet proof vest, a $1,000 “batman” belt and other high ticket items, West said.

In November, voters have the option to stop the exodus. The City Council this month approved a quarter cent sales tax referendum for the ballot Nov. 4 that, if approved, will give firefighters and police officers a 10 percent raise across the board and start a step plan, meaning for each year or so of work, a built in raise is included.

The new tax would increase city sales taxes from 8.75 percent to 9 percent and be earmarked for firefighters and police department salaries only.

But for West and his officers patrolling the street the bottom line is a solid paycheck, West said.

Out of three area law enforcement agencies, Covington police start off with the worst pay at about $27,000.

Meanwhile, Mandeville police rookies earn $31,400, and Sheriff’s Office rookies earn $34,800 plus an additional $5,000 or so yearly if they are they acquire state certified training, Capt. George Bonnett, Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said.

“If we don’t get any help were going to continue to have a stream of officers in the front and out the back and never have any authority,” West said. “It takes about four years to become a real police officer and ours are hear about two.”