© 2024 KASU
Your Connection to Music, News, Arts and Views for 65 Years
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KASU will produce features about local music, news, arts, and views which will air during Morning Edition. Just in case you missed your favorite story or you want to hear it again, you may read them again or listen to them on demand in our Morning Edition Features podcasts.

Jonesboro Police Pay Plan to be Considered in September

Brandon Tabor, KASU News

The Jonesboro City Council’s Finance and Administration Committee has forwarded to the full council a pay plan for the police department that will provide “step-raises” over years of service.  Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliot provided a plan that would start officers off at $34,500 and will provide raises in years 1,3, 5, 7,10, 15, and 20.  The maximum that an officer could make after 20 years would be over $51,000.   

Sergeants would start off at $52,000 and max out at $60,000 after ten years, Lieutenants would start off at $61,000 and max out at $70,000 in seven years, Captains would start off at $71,000 and max out at $81,000 in five years, the Assistant Chief would start off at $82,000 and max out at $92,000 in five years and the chief would start out at $96,000 and max out at $108,000 in five years. 

Elliot tells KASU news the proposed pay scale would make it easier to recruit and retain officers.  He says this scale makes the job more competitive with area police departments and agencies.  He says 77 officers have left the force over the past 5 years because of the current officer salary.   Alderman Darrell Dover is Chairman of the Jonesboro Finance and Administration Committee.  He tells KASU news the city would have to closely watch its budget in the future if a step plan is adopted.

Darrell Dover  says the city employs over 500 employees, with 150 of those employees making up the police department.  He says the council will have to determine if a step plan is feasible to support the other 350 employees and city services.  The full council will consider the plan next Tuesday night.  

Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.