Fort Bend County law enforcement officers deserve competitive pay as surrounding counties and cities are investing heavily in their law enforcement officers, Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan told a news conference last week.
Espousing the philosophy of “Keeping up with the Joneses,” Fagan pointed out that the City of Houston just approved a 36.5% raise over five years, bringing a new officer’s starting salary to $81,600 and the next day, Harris County brought their deputies up to that same pay level, while Montgomery County unanimously approved annual raises for deputies that will bring new officers close to $71,000 by 2026, and by 2029, a 16-year deputy will earn over $123,000.
“Here in Fort Bend County, we face the same need. Without competitive pay, we risk losing the skilled deputies we’ve trained, while struggling to recruit the new deputies required to serve our rapidly growing county. This is not just about dollars and cents-it is about public safety,” said Fagan…