MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police officers were one step closer to a raise Thursday afternoon.
In a City Council impasse meeting, three council members voted to offer the Memphis Police Union a 3% pay increase.
People WREG spoke with who were affected by the raises said it’s a step in the right direction after the city offered them nothing.
However the decision could still be overturned at the next two City Council meetings.
“I’m just glad for the process to continue to move forward,” said Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong.
You could hear the relief in his voice and see it in his expression.
The City Council Impasse Committee made up of council members Wanda Halbert, Reid Hegepeth and Bill Morrison approved the pay increase for Memphis Police Officers.
The union argued for the 3%, which is $3 million, saying it was needed to recruit more officers and keep the ones the city already had.
They said 31 officers left Memphis before February of this year and they haven’t had a raise since 2009.
“The numbers are there. When we are at full strength we’ve had reductions in crime. We’ve had significant reductions in crime,” said Armstrong.
About $90,000 of that money would go towards hiring bilingual officers.
The department said it only had 22 for the whole city.
For council member Morrison, this was important.
He said there were neighborhoods who relied on these officers, especially in the area he represents.
“It’s a public safety issue when you can’t speak the language and people have crisis’s going on,” explained Morrison.
Deborah Godwin, the attorney for the union, said there was still work to be done.
“We won this battle, but there’s still probably a big one to go through. Probably in front of the whole City Council but we’re hopeful,” she said.
Last week, an Impasse Committee approved a 2% pay hike for firefighters.
Mayor A C Wharton has said the city cannot afford the raises.
