Metropolitan Council approves pay increase for Baton Rouge police after public hearing

The Metropolitan Council of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge voted April 22 to approve an ordinance implementing changes to the municipal police pay plan and appropriating $5,615,000, a measure supporters said is needed to recruit and retain officers.

The vote followed a lengthy public hearing in which the Police Chief urged approval, saying the department is budgeted for 696 officers but currently has roughly 525 — a shortfall the chief described as “about 170 officers” that threatens response capacity. “Your Baton Rouge Police Department desperately needs these raises so that we can attract, recruit, and hire more top‑tier talent,” the Police Chief said in remarks to the council.

Union leaders and other proponents backed the increase. Brandon O’Neil, president of Baton Rouge Union Police, called the plan “a meaningful investment in the men and women who put the uniform on every day” and urged the council to approve it. Corporal Brian Strong, president of the Magnolia State Peace Officers Association, warned that pay lagging behind surrounding agencies has driven officers to leave and said passage would help stabilize staffing.

Opponents at the public hearing urged caution and argued the council should pair pay increases with accountability and investment in prevention. Champagne Rountree, who said she had filed dozens of internal‑affairs complaints without response, told the council she would support pay increases only if the department first improved complaint handling. Maryann Boomlong urged the council to invest more in youth programs and other prevention strategies rather than increasing the police budget alone.

Council members debated whether to approve a BRPD‑only pay raise at tonight’s meeting or to defer and vote simultaneously on raises for other city‑parish employees. Councilman Hurst offered a substitute motion to defer the item to the May 13 meeting so raises for police and other employees could be considered together; the substitute motion failed on roll call. The council then voted on the original motion to approve the police pay plan; the motion carried on a subsequent machine and roll‑call vote.

The recorded roll call for the approval included recorded responses from council members; the clerk read votes after the machine tally. The council recorded multiple “yes” votes and at least two “no” or “no vote” responses from members who had opposed approving only BRPD tonight.

Supporters pointed to a pay‑study and recent fiscal changes the administration said freed funds for the raises; several council members — including proponents of a broader raise for all city employees — said the administration told them sufficient funds were available to proceed. Several public speakers and council members also urged the administration to include constable deputies in future pay adjustments.

The ordinance is effective for the pay plan changes set to begin May 16, 2026, according to the item introduced by the mayor‑president, human resources director and finance director. The council approved the item during the April 22 meeting; members and administration signaled follow‑up discussions about broader compensation reforms and benefit changes would continue.

The council moved on to other agenda items, including deferred pay‑plan amendments and a separate package of votes that night.