By Mary Hladky
The Boca Raton Police Department has increased its starting salary for officers to $75,216.
That amount is the highest of any police department in the state, according to the most recent salary data available from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Police departments across the country are experiencing great difficulty hiring and retaining officers for reasons that include the greater scrutiny they are facing over use-of-force cases, negative public attitudes about police and a difficult work environment because of an insufficient number of officers.
As a result, departments are actively recruiting and, when possible, raising salaries and offering other benefits.
“Thinking about a career in law enforcement?” the Boca Raton Police Department asked on Twitter in early February. “The City of Boca Raton is not only a great place to work, but also a great place to live and enjoy life.” The tweet also noted the new starting salary.
Police Chief Michele Miuccio declined a request for an interview. But the department and the city’s communications and marketing manager said the department realized in 2018 that salaries needed to increase after it experienced high turnover that left it with about 25 or 30 vacancies.
A big pay increase at that time was intended to “greatly assist the recruitment of new police officers to the city,” City Manager Leif Ahnell wrote in a memo to the City Council. Subsequent yearly increases have been 3% to 3.5%
The department, which has 217 sworn officers and 110 civilian employees, now has 11 openings, representing 5% of its officers.
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