Photo: Scott Halleran
After Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced a new contract agreement with the Houston Police Officers Union, deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Department stepped up at Commissioners Court to ask for a raise of their own.
If HPD's new contract is approved, it would raise the starting pay of HPD officers to around $81,000 a year. The current starting salary for Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies is around $57,000. That's a $24,000 disparity.
At Commissioners Court yesterday, Jose Lopez, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, spoke out about the disparity, saying, "We're losing deputies, and a crisis is inevitable. We need pay parity with HPD, and we need it now. Don't be the one who turns your back on law enforcement."
After Lopez spoke, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said that in order to give HCSO deputies a raise, a tax increase would be required, and resistance to tax increases is the reason one hasn't been given already. She said, "Nobody's going to be upset about pay raises for law enforcement. Everyone's going to be happy about it. The challenge is, are you there when it's time to ask for the money?"
Precinct Three Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who is also the only Republican on the court, suggested that rather than raising taxes, we just cut wasteful spending and use that money to pay for deputy raises. He said to Lopez, "Choices have been made which have impacted y'all's ability to get increases. When we're looking at the budget, I'll be looking at that wasteful spending."
As he was speaking, Judge Hidalgo attempted to interrupt him multiple times. Ramsey finally addressed her interruptions, saying, "Would you not interrupt me? I didn't interrupt you when you were making some outlandish comments. So I will continue my conversation without you interrupting me. Period."