Bexar County commissioners unanimously approved long-awaited salary adjustments for new and current deputies to raucous applause on Tuesday.
Individual deputy raises will vary by rank and seniority, but the average pay increase — starting with the next pay period — will be about 9%, officials said.
The agreement will match salaries to “fair market levels” in order to help recruit and retain deputies for patrol and will alleviate understaffing issues at the jail, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press conference.
“You get what you pay for when it comes to law enforcement, and if you don’t treat your law enforcement personnel like they’re top-notch, then they’re gonna go find another job somewhere else that does,” Salazar said.
The adjustment brings salaries “up to a level that’s now commensurate with the strict hiring standards that we have,” he added.
The raises, which bump up most minimum and maximum salary ranges, will cost the county an estimated $9.6 million annually. It’s a figure commissioners will have to keep in mind as this month they begin formulating next year’s budget. Last year’s budget was $2.8 billion.
Part of the agreement will allow the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office to place newly hired deputies directly on patrol, without requiring them to first serve two years at the jail as detention officers through a so-called “straight to the streets” policy. After 34 weeks of training and acquisition of a peace officer’s license, aspiring deputies can...
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