Rapid City PD moving toward more competitive pay for officers

RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Rapid City Police Department is taking a step towards more competitive pay for their officers.

Moving forward in Wednesday’s Legal and Finance Meeting is an agreement between the City and the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police. Following contract negotiations, wages will grow to be more in line with other departments in the region over the next three years.

“We’re a very busy police department and just very active with many calls for service,” said RCPD Chief Don Hedrick. “We probably haven’t grown enough over the last few years. And now we’ve hit a point where we just

Chief Hedrick says the RCPD has run into difficulty with recruitment and retention. Workloads that are 73% higher than the regional average have posed a challenge. It’s something Hedrick says it’s been time to evaluate for some time.

“And now we’ve hit a point where we just simply need to make some changes,” said Hedrick. “You know, along with our budget next year, where we’re adding a couple of full time employees. We also got to make sure that we’re having competitive wages.”

Hedrick says statistics for workload, pay, and cost of living adjustments are based on research, not only in South Dakota, but across the country.

According to the contract, FOP members will see a 10% increase in pay starting in January 2022. The following year will yield a 5% increase and by 2024, members will see a one-step increase in pay. Cost of living will be adjusted beginning July 1, 2022 and will depend on the City’s sales tax in the year prior. 

Hedrick adds that the police department will re-evaluate this annually as the number of service calls fluctuates. The approval of the contract passed through the Legal and Finance Committee on Wednesday and will head to council on Monday.