Breaking: Louviere spared execution
April 21, 2015
Audrey Gibson
April 22, 2015
Terrebonne Parish Council members have agreed to discuss pay raises for Houma police officers following what was billed as a surprise shot over the bow from the president of an organization that represents the cops.
Houma Police Association President Kyle Faulk warned Terrebonne Parish Council members earlier this month of a looming “mass exodus” of officers if the department’s pay scale isn’t raised soon in its entirety
“It is getting to a vulnerable point in the history of the Houma Police Department that you’re going to see a mass exodus,” Faulk told council members during an unscheduled presentation, accomplished during the period reserved for public comment. “And I’m begging all of you council members, men and women, to please make a motion. Please do something to stop this from happening.”
Faulk, accompanied by about ten Houma Police officers and their families, implored council members to take action as soon as possible to raise officer pay in order to avoid a potential police shortage in the future.
The council chambers would have been “full” of officers, Faulk said, had they not been already obligated to paid detail assignments, which many officers perform in order to supplement their pay.
The council’s decision to examine the issue was met with applause from officers and their family members.
Armed with a report comparing Houma’s demographics, crime statistics and average officer wages to five similar cities, Faulk painted a grim picture of the future of the HPD.
Faulk told council members that despite substantial increases in the Houma Police Department’s contribution to officer health care and retirement plans – to which city officers themselves contribute, unlike their fellows at the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office – trained and experienced officers are difficult to retain.
According to Faulk, the 2008 class of HPD Academy graduates received a mere 31 cent raise over seven years, bringing each officer’s pay to $15.76 an hour, or $32,780 a year. The average yearly salary for Houma police officers, according to government figures, is $35,496.
The 31-cent increase cited by Faulk represents a 1.97 percent raise over seven years.
Faulk said that as salaries have remained nearly flat, Houma’s population, cost of living and violent crime rates have continued to grow.
Houma Police Todd Duplantis, interviewed the next day, said he was surprised by the presentation.
“I was completely shocked by this,” Duplantis said. “I wasn’t aware that there [were] concerns here.”
Duplantis said that all HPD officers currently receive a one percent pay increase for every year they serve on the force.
“I’m not saying we are underpaid and I’m not saying we’re overpaid,” Duplantis said. “And again, I support any pay raise that the council would choose. I believe police officers across the country are underpaid and should be paid more.”
Duplantis acknowledged that oilfield booms have resulted in officers leaving for higher paying jobs.
“I will say, every time there is an oilfield boom, we do experience that in law enforcement,” said Duplantis. That concerns exist about officer pay – whether or not any have directly approached Duplantis about it – is well documented. Duplantis himself has been asked by council members during meetings regarding the parish’s budget.
Councilman Russell “Red” Hornsby said that Terrebonne Parish has the money to raise HPD officers’ salaries, but it would take a reassignment some property tax collections, which would require voter approval.
“We just need to redirect some millages from people that have $15 to $20 million dollars in the bank sitting there doing nothing,” Hornsby said.
Houma police officers and their families attended last week’s council meeting to show their support for higher wages. The crowd applauded the council for placing a discussion to find public money to finance higher officer pay.
