CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Police Chief Ty Burdine presented to the City Council on Thursday his plan to increase entry-level pay for officers from $47,480 to $57,712 due to facing more competition from other nearby communities.
Burdine went into detail about the recruitment and retention crisis the Clarksville Police Department is facing, with salaries at eight commuting-distance agencies $10,000 to $20,000 higher than what CPD had been offering.
Recruitment and retention crisis
“The Clarksville Police Department continues to face a shortage of law enforcement applicants, resulting in several open vacancies,” Burdine said during Thursday’s City Council executive session meeting.
Burdine said that following the adjustment, CPD will implement equity adjustments for specific members of the department ranging from patrol officer to sergeant to mitigate salary compression. “These adjustments won’t be applied to all employees; it’ll be limited to employees who have been identified by the established formula.”…