...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM
EST SATURDAY...
* WHAT...North winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts up to 30 kt and
rough waters expected.
* WHERE...Albemarle, Croatan, and Roanoke Sounds and the
Alligator River.
* WHEN...From 10 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.
&&
Elizabeth City police officers were given a $6,500 pay raise Monday night after the interim police chief described his department’s vacancy rate as “perilous” and warned the city might be forced to contract with outside law enforcement agencies to provide police protection in the city.
Interim police Chief Phil Webster told city officials that the vacancy rate for sworn officers is getting close to 50% of the force. He noted that most of the officers leaving are doing so for better pay with other law enforcement agencies.
The current city budget has funding for 64 sworn officers while two others are funded by a 2020 Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, grant.
Webster said that of 29 law enforcement agencies he surveyed around the state, including several local jurisdictions, found the city’s pay for police officers was the lowest.
Following Webster’s presentation, City Council voted unanimously to raise the salaries of all sworn officers up to deputy chief by $6,500 a year. Webster will not receive the salary increase.
Prior to the vote, Webster warned councilors that if the department’s attrition rate continued to increase the city would have to engage the Pasquotank Sheriff’s Office about “providing law enforcement coverage for the city in the future.” He said the city recently has requested assistance from the Pasquotank, Camden and Perquimans sheriff’s departments to help “manage” calls in the city.
“In my 29 years of law enforcement experience, I’ve never seen a department in such a perilous situation,” Webster said.
The pay increase will be funded by the $620,000 in unused police salaries because of the high number of vacancies in the department. The boost in pay is expected to cost almost $300,000.
Webster also proposed to freeze six positions in the city’s next fiscal budget to fund the pay raise in the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins July 1.
The current range for a front-line city police officer is $36,586. Webster noted that Elizabeth City State University pays a starting front-line officer around $42,500 a year and the average among the 29 agencies surveyed was around $44,000.
Webster said the department has not hired an experienced police officer since October 2021. He asked for a minimum $5,000 yearly pay raise for sworn police officers.
“The department has fallen woefully behind the industry standard for officer pay,” Webster said. “We are unable to attract and train new recruits to keep up with attrition. I hope $5,000 does it.’’
City Council then voted to add another $1,500 to Webster’s request to make police officer raises $6,500.
