Phoenix officers, the highest paid in the state, would get 2.5% bonus in proposed contract

The Phoenix City Council was scheduled to consider a new police contract on Wednesday that would boost officer income with a one-time payment this summer.

The two-year contract, which would run through the middle of 2026, includes an August bonus equal to 2.5% of an officer's base pay and leaves the door open for pay increases in the second year if the city expects more than $1.7 billion in revenue for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The agreement would also give freedom in setting starting salaries for officers coming from other police departments and guard against the city using artificial intelligence to analyze and discipline officers.

The city manager's proposed budget set the department's funding from the general fund at $981 million for the coming year, an increase of $2.4 million.

The Fire Department, which shares the public safety budget with police, is projected to see a $3 million general fund revenue cut. Fire department members lobbied for more funding to address increased response times.

The city planned to offset the fire department cut by using $21 million from an excise tax to purchase specialty vehicles, according to the city's director of communications Dan Wilson. Those purchases would have otherwise come out of the general fund, he said.

Phoenix police are highest-paid local law enforcement office in Arizona

The Phoenix Police Department remains the highest-paying local police force department in the state, with the most variety of positions. Last year, improved pay helped stop the hemorrhaging of police officers for the first time in five years.

The growth of the police budget has drawn criticism, including from community group Poder in Action, which says the department should not be getting more funding amid a U.S. Department of Justice investigation and an increase in the number of legal claims against the department from 2022 to 2023.

If the police and other contracts are approved, the city budget will be up for approval May 21.

Reach the reporter at miguel.torres@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police contract proposal includes 2.5% bonus, AI protections