City proposes TPD pay increase to address officer shortage

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The City of Topeka is trying to address a shortage of police officers by offering more competitive pay.

The city budget manager said there's a shortage of 40 officers, and that there's a growing pay gap for officers in the Topeka Police Department (TPD) compared to similar cities.

Robert Perez, Topeka's city manager, said addressing the officer shortage is a high priority. He says currently the city is forced to rely on cops working overtime.

"As we hopefully get a little bit more competitive with our police pay, that should help us recruit and retain our officers." Perez said. "And as we start recruiting and retaining those officers, we should start seeing the trends in our overtime coming down."

Topeka's District One Councilwoman Karen Hiller said competitive pay is important, but it's not the only factor to retaining officers.

"We need to provide appropriate pay," Hiller said, "but also an appropriate work environment. You know, support by the city and the citizens. And a system that's going to work for everybody."

The city's current contract with the Fraternal Order of Police Union ends in December. According to the city, the union has already ratified a new contract through 2027.

The Topeka City Council is set to vote on the contract at their July 30 meeting.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.