Suspension Lifted on Merit-Step Pay Increases for Monrovia Police Officers

Monrovia Police officers will get merit-step pay increases. 

The officers were subject to suspension of the salary bumps due to budget constraints.

With the budget outlook improved, last week the Monrovia City Council voted 5-0 to approve the increases. 

The departure of officers for other law enforcement agencies prompted Hunt to do an analysis of compensation and hiring practices, he wrote in the report.

“The cost of recruiting and training sworn law enforcement officers exceeds $100,000 for most law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County before an officer is ‘street ready,’” he wrote. “The cost of the annual merit step performance salary increases is estimated at $32,000 for fiscal year 2013-14. There are sufficient funds through savings in the Police Department Budget to cover the costs of reinstating the merit-step increases in the current fiscal year.”

A total of 9 police officers and four non-sworn positions are eligible for consideration for the merit-step increases, according to Hunt. The bump up in pay could provide an incentive for officers with less than five years of service to stay in Monrovia and is “financially prudent,” he said.