PD’s sergeants, lieutenants to get 2% raises
The Riverhead Town Board is expected to approve a contract with the town police department’s sergeants and lieutenants on Wednesday.
The deal with the Superior Officers Association, the union that represents those ranking officers, includes terms similar to the Police Benevolent Association contract for police officers that was approved in December, town officials said.
“It’s two percent [raises] per year over four years,” Supervisor Sean Walter said of the deal.
The contract, like that of the PBA, also adds another step on the salary scale, which means that it will take longer for officers to reach the highest salary at a given rank, officials said.
The SOA represents the three lieutenants and nine sergeants, while the PBA represents uniform officers and detectives.
The department’s captain and chief each have individual contracts.
SOA president Ed Frost could not be reached for comment.
The PBA contract called for two percent increases for each of three years, plus the added step.
Officials say that with the state’s two-percent spending cap in place, along with recent calls by Governor Andrew Cuomo for the state to cap police arbitration awards at two percent per year, it was important that the contractual increases not top two percent.
The Civil Service Employees Association, which represents the bulk of non-police town employees, signed a contract in 2011 that called for no increase for 2011 and 2012, a one-percent increase for 2013, and a 1.5 percent increase in 2014.
