I would like to respond to many inquiries about the pay scale for our Police department.  There was not, in the past, a pay scale for Police Officers in the City of Hitchcock. All Police Officers made basically the same base pay regardless of experience, $44,450 per year. Today, there is a pay scale for each step in their progression as a Police Officer, and according to their time on the force at Hitchcock. There is also over time and incentive pay that is available for them. The range of pay starts at $20.75 per hour or $43,160 a year to $25.97 per hour or $54,017.60 per year, which is based on 2080 hours per year. The officers work normally 7 – 12 hour shifts during a pay period, which adds up to 2184 hours per year ($21.37 X 2184 = $46,672.08/yr.), which increases the year end total earnings plus any earned over time and certificate pay. The officer also may  receive certificate pay according to the certificates each one holds for training. This year, Police Officers with at least one year of service to the City received a 3% merit increase. We are in the process of adding to the compensation scale each year to bring our Police force in line with the surrounding Police departments. Hitchcock P D is and has always been a great place to start a career in law enforcement. We would love to have officers stay in the City and have longevity on our Police force. I personally would not want an officer that does not want to excel or progress in his or her career. The Hitchcock P D has come a long way in the last two years with new training opportunities offered by the department and often secured by Chief Smith.   A copy of the City’s FY 2021 Pay Plan may be found on our website www.cityofhitchcock.org on page 145 of the FY 2021 Adopted Budget.
Our pay scale is not where it needs to be for all departments, but we are moving it in the right direction. When I became Mayor and Mrs. Gelles was hired, we were determined to address the many issues facing the City that no longer can be ignored --from aging infrastructure to replacing old and worn out equipment. We said it would take time and we had to look at the big picture for the City. Each department has a budget and has to work within that budget until the following year. There are infrastructure problems we are addressing, equipment shortages, new subdivisions, road problems, drainage issues and yes, other personnel shortages as well. We have applied for grants to help with some of these issues, but we need to have trained folks to manage these grants so we can maximize the use of the funds. With that comes another salary for the City to absorb. We want to hire the right person to fill these positions that has the attitude, training and hopefully experience to make Hitchcock successful.
I want to assure the Citizens of Hitchcock that we are working on every issue that has been a problem for the City. The results may not be coming as fast as some folks would want, but they are coming. With every issue, there is a larger issue in front of it to be addressed. We have come a long way in a year and a half. Hopefully, 2021 will give us the opportunities to ‘Keep the Progress Moving.”  

Respectfully,

Randy H. Stricklind

Mayor, City of Hitchcock