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Chief presents plan to raise Clarksville Police starting pay to $57,712 to address shortages
Summary
Chief Berdine told council the Clarksville Police Department will raise starting pay to $57,712 and use equity adjustments to reduce compression; staff cited 32 sworn vacancies, 56 operational vacancies and lateral pay pressures, and estimated initial cost of about $110,000 if adopted in April.
Chief Berdine told Clarksville City Council that the police department plans to raise its starting salary to $57,712 and apply targeted equity adjustments for selected positions to address recruitment and retention shortfalls.
In a presentation to the council, Chief Berdine said the department currently has 32 sworn vacancies and what he termed 56 "operational" vacancies — positions the department lacks in cars and patrol capacity. He told council hiring and retention problems include a 14% decline in qualified applicants and significant lateral salary gaps that allow officers to leave for nearby agencies. "We cannot become a department where we have long wait times," the chief said, stressing operational impact.
Berdine and staff offered cost context: they estimated that if the salary adjustment took effect in April the remaining cost to implement the increase would be roughly $110,000 and that the department can phase and fund the change through existing salary savings created by vacancies. He also noted training and replacement costs associated with officer turnover, citing an example where equipment and academy costs for a set of resignations totaled roughly $301,000.
Council members praised the presentation but raised budget concerns. Councilman Streetman thanked the chief and staff for the work on recruitment strategy; Councilman Chandler said his biggest concern is next year’s budget and asked whether the department would return for supplemental funding during the annual budget process. Chief Berdine replied that salary savings could cover near‑term costs and that he understood the need to reconcile the change in next year’s budget.
The transcript records the department proposal and council discussion; no formal vote or ordinance adopting the pay change appears in the recorded segments. The chief and staff signaled they would pursue the adjustments and that implementation and any required budget amendments would follow the city’s regular budget process.
