(Riverton, WY) – The City of Riverton is implementing pay increases for the positions of patrol officer, detective, sergeant, and dispatcher for the Riverton Police Department.
These increases are in addition to the 5% Cost of Living Adjustment given to all city employees in July and merit raises provided to eligible employees also in July, which ranged from 1.8% to 4.8%.
Patrol officers are additionally being offered a retention incentive in the amount of $7,000.
“I am proud of the steps we are taking for our employees sworn to serve the citizens of Riverton, said police chief Eric Hurtado. “Many of our officers are driven by a strong sense of community and a desire to protect the families, friends, businesses, and neighbors we all enjoy – so we need to take care of them.”
The compensation increase for patrol officers will include the creation of a new, three tiered level of classification for the position. Each tier represents a 5%, 8%, and 11% increase over the existing position of patrol officer.
This equates to an approximate annual, respective increase of $2,400, $4,000, and $5,900 over the current compensation range.
The newly established tiers are tied to levels of certification for peace officers administered by the Wyoming Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) and established by Wyoming Administrative Code.
These include: Basic Peace Officer Certification, Advanced Peace Officer Certification, and Professional Peace Officer Certification.
Moving forward, the City of Riverton will recognize the level of certification held by patrol officers and compensate them accordingly through the classification of Patrol Officer I, Patrol Officer II, and Patrol Officer III.
“By establishing three compensation levels where there used to only be one, we are expanding the city’s ability to recruit new, experienced officers to the department,” said mayor Tim Hancock. “We are also rewarding and encouraging our officers to become even more proficient than they already are.”
Dispatchers will see a 6% increase to their current compensation level that will result in an annual increase of approximately $2,800. Detectives will see a 7% increase to their current compensation level that will result in an annual increase of approximately $4,100. Sergeants will see a 4% increase to their current compensation level that will result in an annual increase of approximately $2,500.
As part of the retention incentive, the city is asking patrol officers to stay with the department for a minimum of two years. Should an officer decide to leave their employment before then, a prorated portion of the retention incentive would be returned to the city. The retention incentive for patrol officers and the pay increases for dispatchers, patrol officers, detectives, and sergeants will be implemented within the next few weeks.
“Police departments across the nation and throughout Wyoming have been confronted with the challenge to retain and recruit officers,” said city administrator Kyle Butterfield. “The City of Riverton has not been immune to this and I greatly appreciate our team of dedicated officers that work long hours and sacrifice time away from their families to protect and serve our community. By offering the citywide merit and cost of living increases in July and now combining them with the retention incentive and higher compensation levels for sworn officers and dispatchers, I believe we are moving in a better direction to compete with other agencies.”
ABOUT THE RIVERTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: The Riverton Police Department is committed to providing effective and efficient police service to the members of the Riverton community while maintaining high standards of professionalism, honesty, and integrity. The police department is organized to staff 29 sworn officers and thirteen civilians. Sworn officers include the chief, captain, four sergeants, four detectives, sixteen patrol officers, school resource sergeant, and two school resource/patrol officers. Civilian employees include an administrative assistant, animal control officer, investigative technician, victim witness coordinator, victim witness specialist, two lead dispatchers, and six dispatchers. Today, the department employs all thirteen of its civilian positions with the addition of a new administrative assistant. It employs twenty two sworn officers, which includes the chief, captain, four sergeants, four detectives, nine patrol officers, two school resource/patrol officers, and school resource sergeant. In September, a new patrol officer will be sworn-in to increase the number of patrol officers to ten and total sworn officers to twenty-three.