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Lonoke police chief proposes large pay bump to stop departures; council defers action to budget review
Summary
Police Chief Graham urged a roughly 20% pay increase and higher jailer starting pay to address four officer vacancies and staffing needs; the council approved a school resource officer contract but voted to "work on the budget" and revisit the pay proposal next month.
Police Department Chief Graham told the Lonoke City Council that low starting pay is driving officers away and asked the council to approve a new pay scale that would boost patrol pay by about $7,500 a year and raise jailer starting pay from $13 to $15 an hour.
"We're starting jailers at $13 an hour," Chief Graham said. "It's not a livable wage whatsoever." He said the plan would put starting officer pay at $19 an hour for uncertified recruits and $20 for certified officers and estimated annual pay for entry-level officers at about $44,320 and $46,600 for trained officers. Graham said the city currently has four patrol openings and two jail openings and that a detective recently left for higher pay.
The proposal came during the monthly police report, which also included a routine request that the council approve the 2026'2027 school resource officer (SRO) contract. The council approved the SRO contract on a voice vote.
Council members pressed for more detail on the immediate budget impact and whether previously budgeted raises were included. Some members said a sudden across-the-board increase would be difficult to absorb this month; others said the city must be competitive to recruit qualified officers. After discussion, a councilmember moved that the council not approve the full proposal immediately and instead "work on the budget" and return next month with options; that motion carried on a voice vote.
On operational concerns, Chief Graham told the council that the city cannot open the new jail until sufficient officers are on patrol to process inmates. He also said he had no detective currently assigned and warned that prolonged vacancies would limit the department's ability to investigate serious crimes.
The council directed staff to develop alternate scenarios and budget amendments for consideration next month, including options that could prioritize hiring jail staff sooner. No roll-call vote tallies were provided in the transcript; votes on the SRO contract and the motion to delay the pay decision were recorded as voice votes by the presiding officer.
What happens next: staff will prepare budget options and cost breakdowns for the council's next monthly meeting; the council did not adopt the proposed pay scale at this meeting.
