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Henderson officials warn of police staffing shortfalls; chief seeks pay adjustments and retention measures
Summary
Police Chief Marcus Barrow told the City Council Feb. 25 the department is short 17 officers and has high turnover; he outlined retention proposals — including longevity pay, reclassifications and small pay increases — and said staff will return with detailed budget numbers for formal action at the March 8 meeting.
Police Chief Marcus Barrow told the Henderson City Council on Feb. 25 that the police department is struggling to retain officers and is currently short 17 sworn positions, prompting calls for pay‑plan changes and other retention measures.
Barrow said the department hired 80 officers in the past 10 years and that 50 have since resigned, with roughly 40 leaving for reasons the department attributes to pay and call volume. "In all honesty I am in panic mode," Barrow told council, describing a force with a large share of officers who have fewer than five years’ experience and concern about losing well‑trained officers to neighboring agencies that offer higher salaries.
Barrow highlighted the department’s CALEA accreditation, held since 2001, and said accreditation has helped secure grants and required practices that reduce liability. He also noted the department recently received a $200,000 NIBIN grant that will allow local agencies to process ballistic evidence without traveling to other counties. Council members expressed concern about long‑term maintenance costs for NIBIN and possible cost‑sharing with neighboring jurisdictions.
On compensation, Barrow described a series of targeted measures to improve retention: a proposed service longevity program (0.25% per year of service), reclassification and pay‑grade adjustments, compensation for Special Response team duties, and a 2.5% increase to investigative on‑call and K‑9 overtime pay for care and training. He said the department projects an $800,000 surplus in employee compensation due to vacancies and estimated that some of the proposed adjustments could cost under $50,000 if taken from the current budget. Finance Director Joey Fuqua and the City Manager said staff would verify figures and return to Council for formal action at the March 8 meeting.
Barrow also reviewed starting salaries in nearby towns as context for retention pressure: Zebulon ($41,739), Wilson ($41,640), Huntersville ($43,000), Wake Forest ($48,781) and Smithfield ($51,000). He said the Highway Patrol offers a structured pay progression culminating near $67,453 at six years, which some officers find attractive compared with municipal duties that include domestic violence, assaults and other intensive calls.
Council expressed consensus that the pay plan needs adjustment and that the matter should be examined formally at the March 8 meeting with verified budget numbers. No formal compensation decisions were made at the Feb. 25 meeting.
