Florida Chief Cites Low Pay for High Employee Turnover

The chief of police for the Fort Pierce (FL) Police Department went before city leaders on Monday and said that employee retention has improved somewhat, but that still more needs to be done to keep his officers from leaving to work at other agencies.

According to WPTV News , Chief Diane Hobley-Burney presented their case to the city as to why they feel a bigger investment in the police department will reverse turnover trends.

The chief said that while the starting salary is competitive, neighboring agencies compensate their more seasoned officers at a level several thousand dollars higher than what Fort Pierce pays.

City leaders are considering raising property taxes in order to address the salary issue at the police department.