Ever since the FY21 Durham city budget, Durham has had an authorized police force of 533 officers. However, due to several factors, Durham has had trouble filling those vacancies. The police department has lost 23% of its sworn staff since May 2021.
Looking at the graph to the right, you may notice that after the red line (which marks the implementation of a city-wide market rate pay study), while there have been some continued losses, the line becomes much more stable after the pay adjustments took effect.
As the city entered the FY23 fiscal year, it was becoming clear that inflation was eating up more and more of Durham employees’ wages. That budget cycle saw a brief sick out of the city’s santation workers and culminated with a motion by then Mayor Elaine O’Neal to implement immediate raises (ultimately failed 3-4). In that fiscal year budget, a market pay study was funded and implemented. The results were stark, but not surprising. Pay for police had fell significantly behind the market with some grades ending up 23% behind.
Since the pay adjustment was implemented, Police Chief Patrice Andrews has noticed a decrease in resignations and an increase in officers wanting to return to the force.
In addition, after a significant drop-off in Basic Law Enforcement Training cohorts, the number has increased to the highest in 10 academies. The Durham Police Department has 2 academies per year, so the most recent academy is the largest since 2020.
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