How does RRPD pay structure compare as staff reaches 'critical point?' 

RIO RANCHO —The Rio Rancho Police Department is widely appreciated in the city and has maintained a good reputation with the community for years.

However, the department was called into question recently for how its officers are retained by the very officers that work there.

The union, city and Rio Rancho Police Department all shared their opinions on the matter.

Part I of this three-part series covered what the perspectives were of negotiations between the Rio Rancho Police and Communications Association and the city of Rio Rancho, and learned what Rio Rancho pay is like. But how does that pay compare to other agencies and how does it affect staffing?

Other agencies

Competition is fierce when it comes to police pay at departments across the state and compared to Rio Rancho, most salaries and benefits are more appealing, according to the union.

The first part of the series noted that the union is trying to help RRPD match other agencies when it comes to compensation and benefits to retain and recruit officers.

The city of Rio Rancho/RRPD stated in a response to questions that the city has done “very well compared to applicable comparison communities" when it comes to retaining its officers.

To get an idea of what pay and benefits looks like, the Observer looked at recruitment efforts at other departments with large populations via their websites.

Rio Rancho: 120,000 poulation

Cadets start at $29.24 an hour with a sign-on bonus of $2,000, which includes uniform allowance. Once off probation, pay jumps to $30.41 an hour. The next raise doesn't occur until they've reached senior officer at about three to five years with the department. At most, sergeants make $44.45 an hour. 

Laterals, or those transferring from another agency, do not get a sign-on bonus but do get a $1,500 uniform allowance.  All officers get a uniform allowance of $1,300 per year.

Incentives include $35 per check for early graveyard shift and $40 per check for graveyard. If officers are bilingual, they earn $20 per check as well.  Specialty units like traffic, CID, SWAT, K9 and CNT get $50 extra per pay period.

After 12-15 years with the department, RRPD members get their first longevity bonus of $1,500. After 16-19 years, they get $3,000, and 20-plus years earns $6,000.

Paid time off increases with longevity as well as how much time officers can take off per pay period.

Farmington: 46,300 population

Entry-level pay starts at $31 an hour while cadets are in the academy. Cadets receive a $15,000 sign-on bonus as well.

Lateral officers can make $31 to $41 an hour depending on the level of experience. They also receive a sign-on bonus of $29,100. The top base wage available is $41.

Does RRPD retention need work?

Union and administration each talk the current state of RRPD

In Farmington, officers also get incentives for different levels of education and active-duty military service. Associate degrees earn $5,000, bachelor’s earn $10,000, and active-duty military members who served four or more years earn $10,000.

The maximum bonus amount an officer can make is $39,100 with compounded bonuses.

Santa Fe: 92,000 population

Cadets start at $29 an hour, and sergeants are paid $50.03 an hour. Laterals are paid $36.08 an hour if they have less than five years experience and $43.07 an hour if the have more than five. Laterals get a sign-on bonus of $15,000 as a current limited-time incentive.

Additionally, laterals can test for detective position after 36 months and for sergeant after two years as a senior officer.

There are small incentives for bilingual capabilities and educational degrees.

Lastly, officers get a take-home car if they live within a 5-mile radius.

Las Cruces: 120,000 population

Cadets start at $24 an hour while in the academy and get bumped up to $26 an hour once they have graduated. After one year’s probation, they get another raise to $28.83 an hour.

They get a $36 to $39 overtime rate before probation is up. After that, overtime is $43.25 an hour.

In two years, lateral officers will make $28.83 to $34.60 an hour based on experience. They get a $30,000 sign-on bonus. Las Cruces also provides $5,000 for relocation assistance.

With a 36-month commitment, officers get a starting bonus of $11,000. Educated officers get $15,000 with an associate degree, $20,000 with a bachelor’s, $25,000 with specific majors in a bachelor’s, and $30,000 with a master’s.

Albuquerque: 560,000 population

As of January, Albuquerque is offering cadets $30 an hour starting pay with a $10,000 sign-on bonus.

Laterals are being offered $31.49 an hour with less than 24 months experience and $34.91 with more than 24 months if they are still in probationary status. After probation, they make $38 to $41 an hour. Laterals get a $15,000 sign-on bonus.

All officers start receiving longevity bonuses after three years with the department starting at $150 bi-weekly, or $3,900 annually. Officers who have served more than 18 years can make $780 bi-weekly, or $20,280 annually. There are increasing bonuses with more longevity throughout those years.

Staffing and the chief

The union’s main concern is staffing levels, and after an interview with Chief Stewart Steele, it was clear he shares their concerns but is constrained by the budget.

According to records released to the Observer by the city of Rio Rancho and Steele, about 15 to 20% of the department’s positions are vacant, with most of the vacancies occurring amongst patrol and uniformed officers. Explanations by the union and Steele for these vacancies included retirements, resignations, terminations, lateral transfers and military service. But the key reason for officers leaving, according to the union, is the pay.

"It's just the compensation. The city doesn't care. They are just sitting there watching this happen, and nothing's being done about it," union Treasurer Anthony Tortorici said.

The other reason they mentioned was a Dec. 15 email that went out to RRPD staff from Steele. Steele, though uninvolved with negotiations, is in charge of staffing and training. He takes requests to the governing body and based on their votes gets what he gets, according to Steele.

"Patrol staffing levels have reached a critical point; therefore, after consultation with Union President (Kevin) Buchanan and command staff, we have decided to conduct an early shift bidding process. This approach will facilitate the redistribution of officers and supervisors — ensuring consistent coverage throughout the city," Steele states in the email.

The new bid reduced the number of shifts, making each of the three shifts 10 hours long.

Steele noted that the adjustment is temporary and will be re-evaluated in March. If the schedule is no longer needed, the shifts will revert back to what they were.

"Morale is low, and this shift change that just happened was like the nail in the coffin," Buchanan said.

Tortorici said they confronted the chief about the re-bid when the first email went out that didn't allow a lot of time for people to make their decision about the bid. 

"We went in there — and again, our relationship with our admin is good; we don't blame them. We understand, too, that they're kind of in a hard place to really stick up for us because they're at-will employees ... But with us, they agreed, and they're like, 'You're right. That's too soon. Sorry about that,' and they sent out another email," Tortorici said.

He recalled two people that intended to resign because of that shift change "because their life was just going to be uprooted," he said.

When it came to Steele, the union representatives stated he is a good chief. They recognized him for being on scene with the officers a lot of the time, especially if someone is hurt or killed. They said he cares about everyone in the department.

"I definitely understand the frustration," Steele said during the interview.

He admitted that staffing is low but wanted to make sure the community knew that the officers' work ethic has remained strong. 

"I know what my maximum staffing is and we're not there but I know how many I am allowed to have and that number is given to me by the city and through the budget," he said.

He reassured that even though "we're not where we should be," that there are enough officers to keep the community safe.

"I just did a ride-along, and they are rocking and rolling out there. They are working hard," he said.

He added that patrol is the "backbone" of the department and part of the reason he went for the shift changes was to fortify the officers.

The shift change is actually not too different from when Steele first joined on, he said.

He recognized the difficulty shift changes can cause, especially for people's work-life balance. But at the end of the day, it was about keeping everyone safe on the streets, he added.

"I'm not saying we don't have a problem with staffing. And it's hard to talk about staffing shortages because it's ebb and flow. I always tell them 'three seps forward five steps back,'" he said.

Steele got emotional as he started to talk about his officers.

"I enjoy getting out with the officers. I love riding with them when I can. I love talking to 'em," he said.

He said he wants RRPD officers to have good things, too.

According to the emailed response from the city/RRPD separate from the chief's interview, Rio Rancho has more positions currently funded than at any time in the city’s history. 

"Currently, 88% of sworn positions are filled. At any given time, staffing numbers and who is available for shifts fluctuate because of things such as military leave, light duty assignments, training, medical leave, vacation, and retirements," it reads. "For example, last week a new lateral officer joined the department, four new officers will complete their field training next month and be on patrol duty, and five cadets are in the police academy slated to add to the department’s resources soon."

Additionally, it was made clear by both the chief and in the city's emailed response that Steele has monthly meetings with the union on top of his open-door policy.

This is the second of three installments in the series of articles covering the union's concerns and the city/RRPD's view of retention in the police department. The next installment will cover how RRPD pay compares to city administration, how staffing is impacting the community and officers, and what the future holds for RRPD, the union and the city.