New DeKalb police union contract: Here’s what we know

DeKALB – Annual wage increases, a loosened residency requirement and increased staffing levels are among the terms outlined in a three-year DeKalb police union contract proposal up for City Council vote Monday.

DeKalb police officers are working under a one-year union contract approved in 2022. The new contract, if approved, would be effective Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026, according to city documents.

Negotiations for the latest round of union terms began in September, city staff said. A tentative agreement was reached by both parties Oct. 19. The DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 115 approved the terms in early November and recommend Council approval, according to city documents. The union includes nonsalaried uniformed police officers who are not a chief, deputy chief or police commander.

The DeKalb City Council is expected to vote on the union contract during its regular meeting set for 6 p.m. Monday at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St.

Annual wage increases through 2026

• The rank-and-file police officer wage schedule calls for increases of 2.5% in 2024, 3% in 2025 and 3% in 2026.
• According to the union contract, the one-year union deal last year was meant to help address inflation immediately, with the understanding that a more comprehensive, longer contract would follow. “Both parties designed a longer-term agreement but, in the context of surging price inflation and volatile interest rates that financial analysts predicted would not last, a one-year agreement seemed more prudent with respect to wages and other compensation,” city staff wrote.
• Wage increases are meant to keep DeKalb police jobs competitive with surrounding municipalities, according to city documents. “Most of these cities are east of DeKalb,” city staff wrote.
• DeKalb police officers would have nine ranks. A second sergeant ranking would be added.
• If approved, a DeKalb police officer at the lowest entry level would make $37.81 an hour in 2024 and $40.12 an hour by 2026. The highest (ninth level) rank of DeKalb police officer would make $52.57 an hour starting Jan. 1 and be bumped to $55.77 an hour by 2026.
• A second-rank DeKalb police sergeant would make $60.80 an hour in 2024 and $64.50 an hour by 2026. City staff said the wage increases would incentivize more officers to test for the rank of sergeant.
• Lateral hires, meaning police officers who already are trained and certified when they’re hired in DeKalb, also would be included in the wage increase schedule based on the number of years of experience they come in with, according to the proposed contract.

Residency radius expanded

• A proposed 10-mile radius increase would allow officers and their spouses to remain with wider range of residency options.
• City staff said widening the residency radius would allow for DeKalb Police Department officers, including senior ranking ones and their spouses, to still live in DeKalb. “More typical that the spouse is working to the east where opportunities are more various and abundant,” city staff wrote. “As a result, some senior officers are making the difficult decision to transfer laterally to another department outside the current radius.”
• Currently, the radius extends 30 miles out from the DeKalb Police Department at 700 W. Lincoln Highway. The proposed change would extend that to 40 miles.

City match to employee retirement contributions

• If approved, the city of DeKalb would match employee contributions to their retirement plans up to $2,000 a year, starting Jan. 1. Government employees are offered a 457 Plan instead of a 401(k) plan, the latter which is generally offered by private employers.
• The city of DeKalb already offers a 457 Plan employer match to contributions made by members of the DeKalb firefighters union IAFF Local Union 1236, documents show.
• The retirement benefits match would incentivize more employees to save for post-employment health, city staff said.

Staffing increase commitment: At least 7 new hires by 2024

• Staffing levels have been a priority outlined by city leaders, including in the city budget, over the past several years.
• The city would make “a commitment to reach a threshold of 73 sworn officers by the end of 2024.” That includes the police chief, deputy chief and four police commanders.
• DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd said the department currently has 66 sworn officers, including two who are going through the police academy. Recruits can be hired with the stipulation that they will go through the police academy then work for the DeKalb Police Department upon graduation.