Pushing police pay From the cover
What you need to know
Montgomery County deputy pay four-year plan
Years in service FY 2024-25
FY 2025-26 FY 2026-27
FY 2027-28 FY 2028-29
Zitzmann said the team that developed the Montgomery County pay parity plan believes it will keep the county competitive in the region. During the Aug. 12 budget hearings, Zitzmann said the number of vacancies in Harris County and Houston—at least 1,400—exceeded the total number of peace officers in Montgomery County, which is about 1,000. Turnover in the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department is only 1%, and there were only 20 vacancies as of Sept. 3, Sheriff Wesley Doolittle told the Commissioners Court in May. However, he also said that negotiations in Houston have created potential retention challenges. In a Sept. 11 emailed statement, Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray said Montgomery County’s pay parity plan will allow agencies to find and retain good personnel. Gray’s precinct covers east Montgomery County, including New Caney and Porter, according to the county commissioners’ website. “This is critical to keeping our rapidly developing community safe,” Gray said.
0-3.99
$60,528
$70,928
$81,952
$90,896
$101,296
4-5.99
$66,019
$76,336
$87,360
$96,304
$106,704
6-8.99
$70,783
$80,704
$91,728
$100,672
$111,072
9-11.99
$73,756
$84,032
$95,056
$104,000
$114,400
12-15.99
$77,126
$87,568
$98,592
$107,536
$117,936
16+
$82,638
$92,976
$104,000
$112,944
$123,344
Comparing Montgomery County and Houston deputy salaries
$125,000 Montgomery County
City of Houston
$100,000 $75,000 $50,000 $25,000 $0
FY 2024-25
FY 2025-26
FY 2026-27
FY 2027-28
FY 2028-29
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Zooming out
Digging deeper
Under the city of Houston’s pay parity plan, a first- year Houston Police Department officer will now have a base salary of $75,000, according to the plan, which went into effect in July. Previously, the same officer would have been paid a base salary of $62,574. On Sept. 24, Harris County Commissioners Court approved $102 million for law enforcement parity raises under the fiscal year 2025-26 budget. Originally, in May, commissioners had pledged to budget $140 million in funding for police raises.
Montgomery County’s pay parity plan was also influenced by pay changes made for Harris County law enforcement departments, as well as the Dallas Police Department, Lt. Jim Slack, the public information officer for Montgomery County Constable Precinct 4, said in an email. Precinct 4 covers east Montgomery County, including New Caney, according to the precinct’s website. “The pay raises ... will pay off for years and years with amazing deputies to serve our resi- dents, business owners and visitors,” Slack said. Prior to Montgomery County’s new pay parity plan, keeping pay competitive was a challenge, and hiring and retention are always a challenge, Slack said. Precinct 4 has 54 full-time officers, and in the last year, has lost four to five officers to other agencies, he added. “The law enforcement pool isn’t as big as it used to be,” Slack said. “We have a rigorous testing process, but it’s necessary to get the best of the best we can find.” The regional law enforcement job market is active, said Glenn Riddle, the director of Lone Star College’s Law Enforcement Academy, which
Law enforcement job market
54 full-time officers and 13 reserves work for Montgomery County Constable Precinct 4
3 positions are open in Precinct 4
182 students have graduated from Lone Star College’s Law Enforcement Academy in the last 3 years
Police department raises
Montgomery County
City of Houston
47 different police agencies have hired LSC graduates
+17.2% +10% +15.5% +8% +10.9% +6% +11.4% +6%
FY 2025-26
SOURCES: MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 4, LONE STAR COLLEGE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
FY 2026-27
will be relocated to LSC-Kingwood in January. The academy has a 95% hire rate for graduates, he added. “Since most police agencies do not have their own police academies, regional academies such as the LSC Law Enforcement Academy are a major pipeline for filling their job openings,” Riddle said.
FY 2027-28
FY 2028-29
SOURCES: HOUSTON, MONTGOMERY COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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