Unidentified Speaker, a representative of the Orange County Police Department, said the department will raise its starting salary effective 07/01/2026 to "just over $90,000," calling the increase a key part of recruitment efforts.

The speaker opened by praising the department's personnel, saying "the success of our agency is solely due to the wonderful people that make up our ranks," and framed the pay change and other supports as efforts to sustain and improve service to the community.

The announcement came as part of a short address that listed four primary initiatives for 2026. The first initiative, crime control and prevention, was described as centering on identifying and holding accountable those who commit crimes and on preventing crime. The second initiative was transportation safety, with the speaker emphasizing the department's responsibility "to make sure we're doing all that we can to make sure that the roadways are safe for everybody who uses our roadways." The third initiative was community engagement; the speaker said the department has worked in collaboration with the community "since the late nineties" and will continue that approach. The fourth initiative focused on wellness and employee development: the speaker described a "very robust wellness program" started several years ago and said the department has changed its training model to invest in employee knowledge and skills.

The address also noted staffing reductions in recent years and said remaining sworn and professional members have worked additional hours and overtime to maintain service levels, placing the salary increase and wellness investments in the context of recruitment and retention needs. The speaker closed by citing the department's "very proud and distinguished 80 plus year history" and reaffirmed a commitment to providing "the best police services we can to this community."

No formal motions or votes were recorded in the transcript; the salary change was presented as an administrative change announced by the speaker, not as an action taken on the record by a governing body. The department attributed the pay increase and the training and wellness changes to efforts to recruit and retain staff and to improve service delivery.

The next procedural or public-facing steps were not specified in the address.