Following a Tuesday approval from county commissioners of a new contract, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputies will be the highest paid law enforcement officers in the state after completing the academy and a year-long probationary period.
On July 1, BCSO first class deputies will start earning $35.72 hourly, netting a 17% raise. New hires will also receive a $10,000 hiring bonus. Lateral hires — those with law enforcement experience at other agencies — can cash in a $15,000 bonus.
Sheriff John Allen said the department has been struggling with increased attrition, early retirements and difficulties attracting new hires, all of which motivated the office to push for significant raises. For years, the department wasn’t keeping up with salaries at other agencies like the Albuquerque Police Department, Allen said.
“What I was worried about is if we didn’t get the raise,” Allen said, citing concerns about additional losses and lateral transfers to other law enforcement agencies had the new contract not been accepted.
Allen said the new pay grade will bring new hires bigger salaries faster than comparable agencies. Although the starting salary for a second class deputy is $23.66 per hour, lower than that of a second class police officer at Albuquerque Police Department and new officers at both Hobbs and Las Cruces Police Departments, that salary quickly surpasses the others as deputies move into the first-class classification.
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