MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Local Fraternal Order of Police leadership has notified Morgantown City Council that legal action has been filed against the city regarding new personnel rules adopted July 1, 2022.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 87 President Brandon Viola informed councilors of a new incentive program that will increase the pay of probationary officers. The program is designed to attract officers from nearby departments and also includes a clause to preserve “internal equity.”
“The pay and compensation plan is creating a situation where there’s no incentive for senior officers to be employed by the Morgantown Police Department, and there’s no incentive to get promoted,” Viola said.
Police officer pay rates were reviewed and increased as needed to put them at the pay level they would be at if they started at the new grades and steps. According to Viola, if an officer is already paid at a higher rate or has 12 years in the step system, he would not have a salary change.
“Twenty-three police officers have pay adjustments that move them one or more steps below what their years of service would dictate, and 16 police officers did not have any pay adjustments made for years of service, and three of them had the twelve years of service mentioned in the email,” Viola said.
No officers in the supervisory chain of command received a pay increase. Viola said one sergeant is paid less than 11 of the other police officers and will have to be promoted two more times to the rank of lieutenant to make more than the officers he supervises.
“What used to be more than a $1.75 pay increase for that promotion has been reduced to.48 cents,” Viola explained.”It no longer pays for a sergeant to give up his seniority and rank to get promoted, and if a sergeant does not get promoted, a new sergeant cannot be promoted, and the department will be short one supervisor.”
The Morgantown Police Department is authorized to have 76 police officers and has maintained about 60. In recent months, the department has increased recruiting efforts with advertising on billboards, launched a new website, and proposed a new state-of-the-art training facility at the former location of Defense in Depth in Sabraton.
“Very soon, the Morgantown Police Department will be comprised of inexperienced officers with no supervision,” Viola said. “This will cause a breakdown in public safety.”