As Clarksville’s population climbs, city leaders are dealing with growing pains, including how much to pay police officers to keep them on the force.
During a Clarksville city council meeting on March 26, Clarksville Police Chief Charles “Ty” Burdine outlined a proposal to increase starting pay for officers to $57,712, effective April 6, as the department faces competition and struggles to retain employees.
Burdine told the council that the Clarksville Police Department has 32 sworn vacancies within the department, including one retirement and a few pending resignations. In addition, there are 56 “operational vacancies.”…