Officers to Receive Biggest Pay Raise in La. Police Force's History
What to know
- Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards announced the largest police pay raise in department history, boosting starting officer salaries from roughly $41,000 to $58,000 and guaranteeing at least a 15% raise for sworn personnel.
- City leaders say the raises, funded largely through savings from an overhauled retiree health care plan, aim to reverse chronic staffing shortages.
- The proposal, which requires Metro Council approval next month, is expected to make Baton Rouge more competitive regionally and reduce overtime reliance as hiring improves.
Baton Rouge police will soon be getting the largest pay raise in department history, Mayor-President Sid Edwards announced Thursday, after years of complaints that low compensation has caused a systemic shortage of officers.
Edwards has said a police pay raise is a top priority, but his administration has struggled to find a way to pay for it as the city faces budget shortfalls in his first 15 months in office.
“This is a day I looked forward to since the moment I took office,” Edwards said at a press conference Tuesday.
The mayor said officers’ starting pay of roughly $41,000 will now jump to $58,000. The minimum salary increase for any sworn Baton Rouge police officer outside of the police chief will be 15%, he said. Non-sworn officers will get minimum raises of 3.5%.
Maximum pay for Baton Rouge police sergeants will increase from $69,000 to $98,000, lieutenants will go from $75,000 to over $108,000 and captains will increase from $81,000 to $121,000, Edwards said.
Most of the money will come from savings in the city-parish health care plan for retirees, which the Metro Council overhauled last year.
Council members Jen Racca, Cleve Dunn Jr. and Dwight Hudson pushed for the benefits overhaul last September.
The raises will need Metro Council approval next month before they go into effect.
A long-sought raise
Police Chief TJ Morse and his predecessors have repeatedly said low pay is a main factor in the department’s ongoing officer shortage and high turnover rate in recent years. Last year, starting pay for officers was around $41,000, significantly lower than that of comparable agencies.
“I am confident that this reinvestment into public safety, by increasing pay for officers and non sworn employees, will make us competitive to attract the top-tier talent and law enforcement professionals,” Morse said Thursday. “We will be able to continue to provide the high level of service the capital city of Louisiana expects.
Edwards campaigned on a police pay raise. He attempted to secure one in February 2025 by rededicating funding for the Baton Rouge library system. That plan — branded as “Thrive” — later evolved to no longer include those raises and was ultimately rejected by voters last November.
“When I ran for mayor-president, I made a clear promise to the people of Baton Rouge,” Edwards said. “Today, I am proud to deliver on that promise.”
Based on population and calls for service, the department is allotted 696 officers. Only 528 of those positions are filled, Morse said, leaving the agency more than 150 officers short.
The chief expects those vacancies to start to fill now that the department can offer competitive salaries, which will ease burdens financial and otherwise.
“Our officers will not have to work as much overtime,” Morse said. “We'll have more officers, officers visible in our neighborhoods. Officers will have more time between calls so that they can impact and interact with community members.”
If the raises are instituted, starting pay for Baton Rouge police officers will be higher than that offered at the New Orleans Police Department, East Baton Rouge Sheriff and Ascension Parish Sheriff offices, Gonzales Police Department and Lafayette Police Department.
Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Services, which is funded by its own property tax, will also receive raises out of their own fund balance. The details of those salary increases were not immediately available.
Health care switch
Edwards was quick give credit to Metro Council members who brought the health care plan changes to his attention.
“Jen (Racca) was the quarterback on this, but the rest of the council helped chop this up too,” Edwards said. “She called and said, ‘Look, I've got this plan, this idea, and some thoughts of how we could save.’”
Racca brought her push before the council in September and authored the plan with colleagues Cleve Dunn Jr. and Dwight Hudson. It gave Medicare-eligible retirees the option of switching to a Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Advantage Plan.
At Thursday’s news conference, Racca gave Edwards credit for listening to the plan, which she said she has tried to make happen for five years.
“He heard me, he listened, and that's why we're here today,” she said.
The city-parish’s insurance consultants say the retirees’ new plan has no deductible and offers lower or no costs for primary care, urgent care, ER visits and other services.
Edwards’ team said 82% of retirees chose to make the switch, a much larger portion than they expected, which is why they could institute the savings so quickly.
“This is what we find happens when the administration works with the council, and we appreciate that very much,” said council member Aaron Moak.
Moak also thanked the officers who have stuck it out in Baton Rouge rather than leave for better pay elsewhere.
Council member Anthony Kenney also stood with Edwards at Thursday’s announcement. The youngest member of the council said he is excited that the department will soon have the resources it needs to be fully staffed, but added that better pay and more officers will need to translate to real results.
“It's no more excuses,” Kenney said. “I'm not a big proponent of over-policing. I believe in getting those that are motivated, to serve our community, and this is what does that.”
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