HPD cadets still make less than other departments despite $10K raise

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- This week, Mayor John Whitmire announced that cadets with the Houston Police Department will receive more money effective immediately.

That includes a $10,000 bump in salary, as well as a $5,000 incentive for completing the police academy and becoming certified with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

A cadet in the department would have made $42,000 prior to the increase but can now make $57,000 if the incentive is reached.

That's certainly more money, but it's still less than cadets could make at other departments in the area. For example, a cadet in Sugar Land makes $75,000, according to a chart included in a presentation by HPD leadership at city hall this morning.

"This chart is pretty shocking," Councilman Julian Ramirez said.

Cadet pay in Pasadena is $73,000, according to the chart.

It also showed that cadets make $65,000 in Missouri City and Katy, respectively.

Houston's new police chief, Noe Diaz, came from the Katy Police Department. ABC13 asked him why a cadet should choose Houston if they could make more money at places like his old department.

"It's one of those things where we have a lot to offer," Diaz said.

He mentioned things like the ability to join mounted patrol or fly a helicopter with HPD.

There is also the matter of how the city plans on paying for the raises. An HPD official said it would cost $1.7 million per cadet class. Whitmire's office sent ABC13 a statement saying the raises will be paid for through the city's general fund.

That statement also mentioned the mayor isn't proposing a tax rate increase for the upcoming budget but rather looking to cut spending and make the government more efficient.

"The administration is making plans to enact those expenditure cuts depending on the will of the city council and depending on the tax rate that the city council chooses to adopt," the statement read.

The move to pay cadets more comes as HPD faces staffing shortages.

An HPD official said at Tuesday morning's presentation that there were more people working for the department in 1998 than there are today.

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