Perry sees rising violent crime, council approves officer retention pay and raises for chief

Perry City Council members on Oct. 1 heard from Police Chief Hancey that the department is seeing an unusually busy summer and a rise in violent crime, and the council approved a compensation ordinance that includes a retention bonus plan and an immediate pay adjustment for the chief.

In a presentation to the council, Chief Hancey said the department’s caseload has climbed well above prior years. “As you can see, we're quite a bit busier than we have been a lot the previous years,” he said, adding he has not “seen a summer like this” in his 17 years. Hancey told the council the trend line shows a rise in property offenses as well as violent-crime categories such as nondomestic assault, aggravated assault and threats.

Council members pressed for more detail about geography and workload. “Is there a particular region of the city, like, along the highway or anything that we're seeing that increase more?” Council member Walker asked. Hancey said incidents are scattered across the city: when he “plotted it out, it was just stab like, a shotgun blast all over town.” He also said case-per-officer counts are up and that he would supply a quarter-to-quarter comparison.

Council members and staff devoted much of the discussion to the department’s staffing and pay. City staff presented a proposed retention bonus to reduce turnover after the department lost six officers over three years — two in the prior four months — producing 22% attrition and the possibility of 33% if another departure occurs. The retention bonus being proposed would be paid quarterly with amounts tied to years of service: $500 for employees in the first-year bracket, $1,000 for two-to-four years, $1,750 for five-to-10 years and $2,000 for 11-to-20 years. Staff said this would cost about $30,000 in fiscal 2026 and about $40,000 in the next fiscal year if continued.

Shanna (city staff) explained the bonus is not subject to retirement contributions, which lowers the long-term budget impact. She also reported local salary comparisons showing Perry’s hourly pay lagging neighboring agencies by $1.84 to $3.70 per hour and by as much as $10 per hour in some nearby jurisdictions; the retention bonus, she said, would “get us somewhat to that mark.”

The council opened the required public hearing under SB 91 and then voted to adopt the compensation ordinance (Ordinance 25R). The roll-call vote recorded Council member Walker, Council member Wright and Council member Toor voting yes; the motion carried.

Council discussion noted overtime and scheduling pressures: officers work 12-hour shifts that make it easier to reach overtime when calls run long. Chief Hancey said patrol shift workloads and subpoenas or court appearances often create unplanned overtime, and the city factors overtime into payroll projections. Council members also discussed whether a bonus or straight salary increase would better aid retention, and noted bonuses can be administratively quicker while salary raises affect retirement costs.

The meeting also included an oath of office for a newly hired officer, Tyler Bell; that was ceremonial and separate from the compensation and budget actions.

The ordinance approved Oct. 1 increases the chief’s compensation by $6,000 in the current year (as the staff presentation noted), establishes the quarterly retention bonus tiers described above, and directs staff to incorporate the ongoing cost into future budget discussions.

Votes at a glance: the council approved Ordinance 25R (amending the compensation schedule) by roll-call vote (Council member Walker: yes; Council member Wright: yes; Council member Toor: yes).