HOUSTON – Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced a $10,000 pay raise for HPD cadets Monday.
Whitmire made the announcement in front of a class of cadets.
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“I’m here today to let you know, thank you,” Whitmire said to the class. “I know for a fact the citizens of Houston appreciate your commitment.”
Whitmire told the class they would receive the $10,000 raise immediately and then receive their $5,000 incentive once they get out of the academy.
“That is still not appropriate for your commitment to public service, to put your life on the line, but it is a start in the right direction to let men and woman across the state, this nation, and this great city to know we want you to become a Houston police officer,” he said.
Whitmire said the pay raise will be helpful, but a new contract will be negotiated next year with the department.
“I’ll be the same mayor at the negotiating table looking out for you, and the citizens of Houston that I am today,” Whitmire told the cadets.
HPD Chief Noe Diaz thanked the mayor for both the raises for new officers and for bringing him to be the new chief of the department.
“Know that we’re working for you. From 1200 Travis, we love you, our focus is on you when you get out in the field because you guys are the next generation of this community,” Diaz told the cadets.