County approves $4.3 million increase for deputy salaries

County Commission votes to raise starting pay to $30 per hour

Bernalillo County will pump another $4.3 million into deputy salaries starting next year as leaders try to keep law enforcement personnel in place.

The County Commission on Tuesday approved by a 5-0 vote a new agreement with the Bernalillo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association that will raise starting deputy pay to $30 per hour from $27.03. The deal will also bolster longevity pay and compensation for specialties like K-9 officers and SWAT team members.

The new scale tracks closely with the Albuquerque Police Department’s, and the union’s president called the package “more than fair.”

“I am very happy. I don’t know how much (the county) can or can’t afford, but the fact they were able to listen to our concerns and address them in a timely manner, that shows that they care about the safety of their citizens and care about their officers and deputies as well,” Deputy Chris Toledo, union president, said in an interview Tuesday.

The raise kicks in January 1. Budget estimates put the cost at $4.26 million for the first

full fiscal year, and the price will go up slightly in ensuing years.

County Manager Julie Morgas Baca, who signed the deal with the union, urged the commission to give it final approval.

“I just want you to know that we thought about this. We want to retain our skilled professional deputies,” she said prior to Tuesday’s vote as 10 law enforcement officers, many in uniform, stood behind her. “That’s very important; it’s very important to the county; it’s very important to our citizens.”

Toledo said he believes the bump will stop the outflow of deputies to other departments that pay more. Some have left BCSO in recent months to join the Albuquerque Police Department, which has increased salaries in an effort to grow the department by about 100 officers this year. APD has conducted two “lateral” academies specifically to train officers coming aboard from other departments; 11 of the 59 participants so far came from BCSO.

But Toledo said deputies have also fled for better paying jobs in out-of-state departments or other law enforcement agencies like the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking to know that we train them and then they move over to APD because they’re already trained and they go in at a higher scale,” Commission Chair Steven Michael Quezada said before voting on the new deal. “I know we’re not completely competing with APD, but we’re making it as comparable as we possibly can in the county.”

This is the second time this year the commission has approved a raise. The board in January approved an 8 percent deputy pay hike, which was made retroactive to July 1, 2017.

BCSO becomes just the latest New Mexico law enforcement agency to adjust compensation to attract or keep officers. Santa Fe, Rio Rancho and the University of New Mexico have each boosted officer pay or incentives for new hires in recent months.