Scottsdale’s Police Department is stepping up its game with the new fiscal year budget approved by the City Council, earmarking funds that are set to boost officer compensation, staff numbers, and tech tools to keep the city safe. In a move backed by Police Chief Joe LeDuc and City Manager Greg Caton, the department’s base pay now hits $106,100.80 annually, a hefty increase that propels Scottsdale PD into the top three highest-paid agencies in the Valley, according to the City of Scottsdale recent release.
Raising the stakes in the competition for seasoned law enforcement officers, Scottsdale’s budget revisions introduce ‘retention pay’ which recognizes the long-standing contribution of its officers with yearly bonuses that reflect their tenure; the city is set on curbing the trend of having its trained officers hop to other agencies, a sentiment echoed by Chief LeDuc who, in a statement obtained by the City of Scottsdale, noted “These changes were essential to ensure that we remain competitive — not only to attract new candidates but to retain the talented professionals who serve our community every day.”
Not just stopping at paychecks, the city’s fresh fiscal game plan includes revising their step pay structure that lets an officer’s salary rise from $79,185.60 to the new top-out pay over a period of seven years, aiming at consistent and clear reward for the officers’ career growth. The pay plan remodel addresses the problem of pay compression ensuring mid-career officers don’t find themselves stuck in a financial rut, and can rather look forward to steady increments year on year, as reported by the City of Scottsdale…