Collin County reviews law-enforcement pay, considers removing cities from comparables

Human Resources presented a detailed review of law-enforcement compensation and turnover, using comparables as of January 2026. Cynthia Jacobson reported a five-year history that included the addition of many detention-officer positions and noted that detention officers account for the majority of recent turnover; she said the county added positions but also loses most detention officers within their first two years.

The larger policy discussion focused on which jurisdictions to include in market comparisons. Jacobson said the court previously added cities to the comparables and adopted a 75th-percentile target, both of which have pushed Collin County’s pay ranges higher. Commissioners questioned whether city comparables and volatile Rockwall County data should remain in the peer set for future budget planning. Several commissioners asked staff to prepare alternative comparison sets (for example, county-only peers or removing Rockwall) and to show the budget impact before the county’s budget workshop. Jacobson agreed she can produce numbers without the cities and noted she already has a version that excludes cities.