Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has called for immediate attention to the pay disparities among his deputies, emphasizing the urgency of competitive compensation to maintain public safety standards. According to Click2Houston, during a recent press conference, Gonzalez, alongside the Harris County Deputies Organization President Sgt. Jose Lopez, urged that deputy pay should be the "top priority" in the upcoming budget cycle.
Sgt. Lopez highlighted the frustration and fatigue felt by deputies being asked to do more with less in terms of pay, staff, and support, in a statement obtained by Click2Houston. After Houston Police Department's new agreement promised raises of 36.5% over five years, over 100 deputies applied for the more lucrative HPD positions, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. This could lead to a "mass exodus" of experienced officers, which has become a crisis demanding commissioners' attention, as Sgt. Lopez put it.
In a letter to the county commissioners, Sheriff Gonzalez highlighted the aggressive pay raises approved by surrounding jurisdictions, which put Harris County at risk of falling behind in recruiting and retaining law enforcement talent. Despite proposing incremental raises, recent pay hikes in nearby areas have rendered those plans insufficient. At present, a new Harris County deputy earns a base pay of about $59,200, significantly less than the $81,600 starting pay for a first-year Houston police officer after the recent tentative agreement, as of January 1, according to the sheriff's office website.
Former sheriff and now Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia labeled the pay gap as a crisis that has persisted for decades. In an interview with Click2Houston, he noted the dangerous nature of law enforcement jobs, underscoring that some deputies may never enjoy their pension if they don't make it through their service safely. Adding urgency to this financial gap, Garcia, having seen the consequences of underfunding in the past, stated during the budget discussions that he didn't want to repeat the mistake of the 1980s when the homicide rate in Houston increased due to less investment in public safety.
The cost of redressing the pay imbalance is steep, as the new deal with Houston police will cost the city nearly $67 million this year, ballooning to $832 million over five years. Yet, the emphasis from both Gonzalez and Garcia at the conference, as captured by the Houston Chronicle, was clear.
