By WMBD-TV
NORMAL – Normal police officers and sergeants will see a pay increase over the next four years. The town council approved the union contract last week.
It guarantees the Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 22 a 15% pay increase broken up over the course of four years.
Steve Petrilli, Police Chief said the agreement not only benefits current officers but it also includes perks for recruiting new members and retaining existing ones in the force. He also said changing the police residency requirement to a 60-mile span may lead to an increase in recruitment.
“There’s a real need in all of those, in that profession the criminal justice that encompasses all those different areas,” said Petrilli, “We need to do some revamping of recruiting and retention efforts to make sure that that’s sustainable for the future.”
The new contract increases paid time off from 72 hours to 88. These two holidays match the town’s plan for non-union employees. The four-year agreement retroactively went into effect April 1.