CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NBC Charlotte is getting an exclusive look inside the debate over Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officer salaries.
The Defenders team obtained a new internal report from a source within CMPD that highlights a discrepancy between CMPD pay and other similar-sized police departments around the country.
The effort to raise police pay is gaining steam after dozens of CMPD officers showed up to Monday night’s city council meeting.
The internal document details salaries for about 20 different police departments, and it shows CMPD is well below the average. The analysis, which uses U.S. Department of Justice data, shows the starting salary for CMPD officers is about $44,000, compared to the average salary of roughly $51,000 among the other police agencies.
All this comes as CMPD faces challenges with recruiting new officers.
“This is a hard profession right now to get people to buy into,” said Rob Tufano, a CMPD spokesman.
The data also showed Charlotte’s new officers get paid at least $5,000 less than cities like Baltimore, Denver and San Antonio. On Monday night, dozens of officers took their concerns to the city council.
The in-depth analysis also looks at the maximum each officer makes over time. It shows CMPD is 23 percent below the average at roughly $66,000. That’s less than the top out salary for officers in Raleigh.
“When you are trying to make ends meet, how can that not erode morale?,” said Tufano.
Last year, CMPD hired 114 officers. However, 63 others resigned and 57 more retired. Already this year, eight CMPD officers have gone elsewhere.
Tufano remained hopeful the city council is listening to the concerns.
“They realize just how valuable the men and women of this organization are for our community,” said Tufano.
CMPD said the city council wants more information about why officers are leaving before deciding on the next step.