Officers have been leaving the St. Petersburg Police Department for better pay and benefits.
That's why officers want a new contract that provides the largest pay raise ever - a 10 percent hike each year for three years.
"We need to bring up our wage," said St. Petersburg Officer Mark Deasaro, who also is union president. "We're doing an all-out recruiting war, and if the other person is offering $5,000 more a year and some benefits you're not offering, you start out in the hole."
The Police Benevolent Association also is requesting enhanced incentives and pension benefits such as naming anyone a beneficiary, a right debated after Tampa officer Lois Marrero was killed in the line of duty in 2001. Her female companion was denied pension death benefits because they were not married.
The cost of the entire contract proposal has not been calculated, but the pay raise would cost the city at least $2.3-million more in base officer salaries in the first year of the new contract, which begins Oct. 1.
"That's a bunch of bucks," said council member Virginia Littrell.
The St. Petersburg Department led police agencies statewide in attrition in 2001 and 2002, so this contract could encourage or slow departures.
Low pay and morale led to 55 officers quitting the department in 2002. Of those, 28 joined other law enforcement agencies. The city offered more police perks to stop people from leaving.
Still, last year 49 officers quit. Most resigned during initial training; nine joined other agencies.
Deasaro, the St. Petersburg officer and union president, does not want to see another exodus.
"What we don't want St. Pete to become is a transient, training ground police department," he said.
City Council members, with advice from Mayor Rick Baker, ultimately approve the police contract. The negotiations, which began Jan. 27, arrive as Baker asks department directors (except public safety) to look for potential budget cuts for 2005.
Council members say they will do what they can to keep police perks and pay competitive, but some acknowledged the city may not be able to afford 10 percent salary raises for three years.
"No agency in the country goes into this wanting to be cheap, because you get what you pay for," said council member Bill Foster. "Are we going to be the George Steinbrenners of policing? I kind of doubt it, but I think we can be competitive while being good stewards of public funds." Baker would not comment on the union's proposal because negotiations are under way.
"I understand that public safety is the No. 1 job of city government," Baker said Wednesday.
Police Chief Chuck Harmon said he will not lobby the mayor or council during contract talks.
"Part of the benefits they get, I get, so it's probably a conflict of interest," Harmon said.
The Police Benevolent Association represents 439 officers and detectives and about 16 forensic technicians and latent print examiners in St. Petersburg. In the coming months, the contract debate will range from increasing retirement pay to allowing officers who live outside Pinellas County to have a take-home squad car.
Sergeants and lieutenants are under a separate contract with the Fraternal Order of Police. That union has not submitted its proposal.
Under the officers' pay proposal, their entry level salary would go from $34,810 to $38,291 in fiscal year 2005.
Other agencies are paying beginning officers more than St. Petersburg's current starting wage Tampa's starting pay is $38,126; Clearwater, $36,551; Hillsborough Sheriff's Office, $35,795; and Largo, $35,000.
"We're competing with Hillsborough, where the pay has been higher for the last eight to 10 years, so that puts pressure on the local governments to keep up, if you want to compete for that labor," said Tom Lange, executive director of the Pinellas Police Standards Council, which assists Pinellas law enforcement agencies with legislation and policy.
Council member John Bryan said the contract may end up reflecting the last agreement with pay increases of 6 percent the first year, then 5 percent and 4 percent. With new development, the next contract in a few years would allow for higher raises, he said.
"Our tax base will come to the point where we can be a little bit more progressive with our pay scale," Bryan said.
In addition to pay, St. Petersburg officers want to be able to name anyone as beneficiary in the event they die in the line of duty or before retirement. Currently, officers can designate only a spouse or child.
"When the pension was written, the concept of family was mom, dad and 2.3 children," Deasaro said. "Families have changed over the years."