Top Baltimore County Cops Promised 3% Bonus

A new employment agreement for high-ranking Baltimore County police officers promises a 3 percent bonus, and that the officers will not to be laid off or furloughed through fiscal year 2016.

The county announced the new agreement with the Executive Corps, which consists of the department’s 26 highest-ranking officers, excluding Police Chief Jim Johnson, on Wednesday.   

"I am very proud of the progress that we continue to make in reaching agreements with our employees," County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said in a news release.  "We have outstanding employees, and they are true partners in our effort to manage the county in a fiscally responsible manner."

The agreement calls for a 3 percent bonus, a 3 percent cost of living adjustment and a guarantee of no furloughs during the next three fiscal years, according to a news release.

To be eligible for the bonus the officer must be on the payroll a part of the Executive Corps as of Oct. 1 2014, and the cost of living allowance goes into effect for those officers on July 1, 2015. 

The salaries for officers covered under this agreement range from $76,824 for a captain to $117,761 for a colonel, according to figures provided by the county.

A union does not represent the Executive Corps, and the county’s negotiation team agreed on terms through the "meet and confer process" with representatives selected by the officers. The agreement is not a binding contract like those negotiated between the county and other unions.

"This is an agreement and something we will follow through on," Ellen Kobler, a county spokeswoman, said. 

The county has recently announced similar two-year agreements with fire fighters and paramedics, the Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses, the Chief Officers of the Fire Department, and General Government SMCs, according to a news release.