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Laredo council hears police retention pleas, directs staff to continue contract talks
Summary
After public testimony from local and statewide police associations and the police chief, the Laredo City Council held an executive session and directed staff to continue negotiations and develop retention incentives for the Laredo Police Department.
Mayor David Ramos opened a special meeting July 29 to ask the City Council to consider directing management to strengthen incentives and retention policies for the Laredo Police Department after the city lost its “safest city” ranking in some recent studies.
The council received public comment from police union and statewide association representatives who called for multi‑year contracts and competitive pay to curb an outflow of officers. Sergeant Alberto Ablosa, president of the Laredo Police Officers Association, told the council the department is “losing officers” and urged investment in retention: “We cannot afford to lose more experienced officers or fail to attract new ones.”
The nut of the discussion centered on a proposed directive from Mayor Ramos asking management to create or reinforce retention policies that could include multi‑year contract terms for newly…
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