St. Paul police chief sends letter to mayor underlining need for officer wage increase
St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell sent a letter last week to Mayor Melvin Carter, urging the need for a new contract and wage increase for officers.
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Axtell said that police have been working without a contract for upwards of 400 days.
The St. Paul Police Department is down nearly 100 officers, which is straining those currently employed, according to Axtell. Since officers have been contract-less for more than a year, the city is losing police to other departments — who are offering better benefits and wages.
“My fear is that if we can’t compete with other agencies, we’ll continue to see the unraveling of what is and has been a premier law enforcement destination agency,” Axtell wrote.
Carter told KSTP Friday that the timing is inconvenient.
“It’s a challenge, particularly because we aren’t in a budget cycle. I certainly wish the chief would have brought forth this spending request in a budget cycle in the form of a budget proposal,” Carter said.
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Carter also added that St. Paul is investing in alternative response strategies in order to make the city safer.
Last October, Axtell announced that he won’t pursue a second term. His current term concludes in June.
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