Amid calls for 'defunding,' Goldsboro police get 5% pay raise to attract more applicants

As many U.S. cities across the country debate whether funding to police departments should decreased, the city of Goldsboro is moving in the opposite direction.

Posted 9:27 p.m. Jul 26, 2021 — Updated 10:01 p.m. Jul 26, 2021

Keenan Willard

, WRAL eastern North Carolina reporter

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — As many U.S. cities across the country debate whether funding to police departments should decreased, the city of Goldsboro is moving in the opposite direction.

By mid-August, Goldsboro is set to implement a 5% raise for all of its police officers below the rank of major.

“It was an opportunity to provide them with compensation that they deserve,” said Goldsboro Police Major Dean Edwards.

In petitioning the Goldsboro City Council for the raise, police chief Michael West said the pay boost would help the department to keep officers from leaving the force.

Across the country, police departments are struggling to hire and retain employees. For example, Asheville has seen officers leave the force in big numbers in light of widespread protests, calls to defund the police and poor pay.

NPR reports that veteran police officers say the job has changed due to officer's authority being challenged in recent protests.

A spokesperson for the GPD said at last count, the department had 22 open positions and an average of 13 officers leave the force every year.

“We have looked at the other departments to see what they are making, we are behind the schedule, and we’re going to do whatever we can to keep that up,” Edwards said.

Edwards told WRAL News that police officers in Smithfield and deputies with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office both start out making $41,000 a year.

In contrast, Goldsboro’s starting salary has been $36,600, nearly 11% below the rate in those other communities.

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The New York Times reported early this month that a survey of almost 200 police departments shows retirements were up 45% from April 2020 to April 2021. In addition, resignations rose by 18%.

A spokesperson for the Goldsboro Police Department said many of the officers leaving had between five and 15 years of service.

“When you lose experience like that, you lose a lot of mentorship, a lot of coaching ability, a lot of community involvement,” Edwards said.

Recruiting new police officers has been difficult for some time, NPR reports, but protests against police has made it worse.

Activists nationwide argue that funding should be spend on services in the community. But Goldsboro officials argue the raise would benefit the community, as it would work to keep experienced officers on the streets.

“This is a really good police department,” Edwards said. “They deserve more than what they are getting.”

“This is a great starting point for raises, we really need to push for more,” he continued.

WRAL reached out to both Smithfield police and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office to confirm the starting salaries cited by the Goldsboro Police Department. Neither responded in time for this story.

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