SAN ANGELO, TX — Recent discussions between the San Angelo Police Officers Coalition (SACOP) and City Manager Daniel Valenzuela have highlighted a pressing issue: the need for increased police salaries in San Angelo. SACOP contends that San Angelo's pay scale for police officers is no longer competitive compared to similar cities in Texas, a concern that merits serious consideration given the nature of police work and the cost to train new officers.
Police officers risk their lives with every traffic stop and response to incidents like domestic violence. Recognizing this, the San Angelo community understands the importance of competitive police compensation as a crucial aspect of public safety.
Currently, the starting salary for an entry-level police officer in San Angelo is $49,164. With a decade of service, depending on rank, this salary can increase to approximately $64,000 annually. However, a comparative look at nearby cities reveals a stark contrast: a beginning police officer in Midland earns $57,290, while their counterpart in Odessa starts at $67,684.
This disparity raises a question: How does San Angelo's police pay compare across the state of Texas? A deeper dive into the salaries offered by other Texas cities is essential to understand where San Angelo stands and what steps might be necessary to ensure that our police officers are compensated fairly and competitively.
Here's the result of our inquiry about police salaries (data gathered on Nov. 13, 2023):
| City | Starting Salary | Mid-Career (10 years approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| San Angelo | $49,864 | $64,000 |
| Midland | $70,344 | $103,137 |
| Odessa | $67,684 | $89.848 |
| Wichita Falls | $57,800 | $86,904 |
| Del Rio | $35,408 | $49,481 |
| Abilene | $62,706 | $93,530 |
| Tyler | $66,611 | $82,486 |
| Lubbock | $62,402 | $92,062 |
| Fort Worth | $64,807 | $89,682 |
| Longview | $63,090 | $78,000 |
The data was gathered with a telephone survey of comparable police departments to San Angelo's across the state of Texas.
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Updates: Abilene and Lubbock salaries were updated at 4:25 p.m. to reflect FY 2024 levels just published. Midland was updated with new and higher salary information at 5:05 p.m. The new fiscal year saw police salaries skyrocket across the state.
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I wouldn't offer more until there's a change among the top ranks. Carter himself, along with Asst. Chief Fincher, Lt. Hernandez and Lt. Scott to name a few don't deserve the salary of an entry level officer in San Angelo. Once the shoddy upper ranks have been ousted and there's a morale change, I could support that effort. SAPD has some very real issues and the trickle down effect on the citizens they serve is very real. Maybe this fallout they are experiencing will result in some real change, like officers who are caught lying being dealt with. It is a first time, fire-able offense for any officer to lie in the performance of their duties. Can't wait to see how everything pans out from the sidelines. God sees everything and I'm sure he knows how to straighten out what is crooked among the authorities ranks.
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PermalinkPossibly if the salary was corrected for the rank and file we would stop loosing so many officers to other cities and we would have a wider pool to select from for the upper ranks. You should fix the immediate problem before demanding a long term solution.
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