CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are pushing for better pay and more officers to help keep the Queen City safe after they said the raise the city gave them last year was not enough.
Officers packed the city council chambers in 2018, demanding a change.
The Fraternal Order of Police said from last year to 2019, CMPD is down 17 officers and the city needs to make a dramatic change.
Officers are expected to address the Charlotte City Council at Monday night's meeting. They said they want city leaders to make police pay a priority.
The specific figure hasn't been finalized, but officers would like a pay raise somewhere around the 15 percent they requested last year.
They said they want not only officers to receive the pay increase, but also sergeants and they also want the city to invest in retirement benefits.
The address to the council comes days before the start of an extremely busy few weeks for CMPD with the NBA All-Star Weekend and the CIAA and ACC Tournaments.
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CMPD Officer Mark Michalec said the counciil needs to show public safety is a priority if they want to recruit and retain.
"It is just a difficult environment to recruit and retain for law enforcement," Michalec said.
The Fraternal Order of Police requested a 15 percent raise last year and the City of Charlotte provided a 6.5 percent raise.
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Cox Media Group
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