DeKalb OK’s new police union deal with annual pay raises

DeKALB – A new three-year DeKalb police union contract was approved this week with annual wage increases for police officers through Dec. 31, 2026.

The deal, approved unanimously by the City Council, replaces a one-year collective bargaining agreement between the city and the DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 115. Annual wage increases, a loosened residency requirement and increased staffing levels were among the provisions outlined in the contract, which is effective starting Jan. 1.

DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 115 President Chuck Verdone said negotiations between the two sides went smoothly.

“It’s a whole team effort to make the city function correctly,” Verdone said. “We can’t complain, especially with how the economy is. It’s so unstable with everyone going on with the world and all the wars that are going on.”

The contract also expanded a residency requirement for DeKalb police employees. Starting Jan. 1, DeKalb police employees can live up to 40 miles outside of the DeKalb Police Department, 700 W. Lincoln Highway.

City Manager Bill Nicklas said he stands behind the hard work that went into hashing out the details of the new police union contract.

“On the whole, the existing agreement stands except for these economic changes that are representative of where we are today in terms of the local economy,” Nicklas said.

The contract includes wage step adjustments of 2.5% in 2024, 3% in 2025 and 3% in 2026, city documents show.

Like many law enforcement agencies across the country, DeKalb police has faced its share of trouble with filling position vacancies. The union contract also includes a commitment from the city for the police department to reach 73 employed sworn officers by the end of 2024. That includes the police chief, deputy chief and four police commanders.

DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd previously said the department 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.

Nicklas said the city believes it was important that the new collective bargaining agreement include revised language to identify how the pay of lateral hires – meaning police officers who already are trained and certified when they’re hired in DeKalb – is determined.

“The process of putting candidates on a list, which is a very time-consuming and intensive labor project ... it’s about six months,” Nicklas said. “People get on a list, and if we’re not ready to hire, some of those people will move onto another job because they may be on multiple lists.”

Nicklas said lateral hires have been important to the city as the police department has sought to expand its force.

The contract outlines an annual wage increase pay scale that impacts rank-and-file police officers, sergeants and lateral hires. 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.

Council reacts

First Ward Alderwoman Carolyn Zasada said she was pleased to support the new police union contract as presented to the council.

“I think it was a very transparent process,” Zasada said. “I think it’s really important that we respect and take care of those who serve us and protect. I’m really happy that we were able to add some officers. I think that the addition of new officers is going to have a really positive impact on the community as well as the addition of social workers to the department.”

Third Ward Alderman Tracy Smith, a retired DeKalb police officer, said he supported the labor contract to help keep DeKalb enticing for recruitment.

“We need to get quality officers in the city of DeKalb and to do so, we’re competing with all the other agencies around us,” Smith said. “In this day and age, people want to work where they’re valued and where they earn a decent wage. The number of police officers joining, if you will, or going into that profession is diminished. So, everybody’s competing for the same person over and over again. So, we have to pay, I think, more to get quality police officers to come to DeKalb.”

Seventh Ward Alderman John Walker said he voted for the labor agreement this week despite his own feelings related to what he called racial profiling by DeKalb police officers.

“Everybody when they work a job over a number of years and were dedicated to their job, they deserve compensation for the job that they’re doing,” Walker said. “I know how to differentiate how I feel about a few officers that racially profile [people of color]. … I knew when I ran for alderman, I knew I would be put in situations that I had to be able to differentiate my feelings versus my job. When I was voted ‘Yes’ about the [collective bargaining agreement], it was because we need good police officers drastically.”

Walker, who is Black, said that having to give consideration to a new police union deal weighed heavy on him due to personal reasons. He described an incident earlier this year where his adult son was pulled over by DeKalb police at a traffic stop. Walker and his son alleged his son was racially profiled during the traffic stop.

Walker’s son was pulled over by DeKalb police in April and issued a citation for improper signaling, according to police records obtained by the Daily Chronicle through public records requests.

After the traffic stop, Walker’s son filed a complaint with the city’s DeKalb Citizens Police Review Board – which his father sat on before his council election. The complaint alleged two DeKalb police officers racially profiled Walker’s son. The Review Board ruled in July violations of any city policy during the stop were unfounded however, records show.

“The violations referenced in this [traffic] stop seem like small, insignificant offenses,” the board ruled.

In its findings, the Review Board promised to make future recommendations with equity and community in mind.

“I’m never going to forget about some of the racial profiling that goes on in DeKalb,” John Walker said. “My son has been racially profiled, [so have] kids that I’ve coached and grown men that I work out with. … But at the end of the day, I’m never going to [turn my] back on the people that get racially profiled all the time. I shouldn’t let a few bad apples mess it up for the officers that are really good.”

When asked if she believes the deal goes far enough to protect not only the interests of police officers but members of the public, Zasada said it does.

“If we’re meeting our goals for recruitment and retention and we believe this agreement will continue to support our recruitment and retention goals, I believe that that will support the interests of the community,” Zasada said.