CT lawmakers approve 2.5% raises for CT state police; Republicans say money's not the problem

Yahoo

20-05-2025

State troopers and sergeants would receive 2.5% wage increases on July 1 under an agreement approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.
The House voted 134 to 12 with all negative votes coming from Republicans after a relatively brief debate at the state Capitol in Hartford. The measure still needs approval by the 36-member state Senate.
House Republicans were split on the matter as their caucus has called for a two-year wage freeze for state employees in order to balance the state budget currently being negotiated as the regular legislative session's June 4 adjournment approaches.
Overall, 35 House Republicans voted for the raises, 12 were opposed, and two were absent. All Democrats present voted in favor.
The agreement, reached with Gov. Ned Lamont's administration, covers about 880 troopers, sergeants and master sergeants who are in the troopers' union. The total cost of the deal is about $4.4 million in each of the next two fiscal years, and the money has already been set aside in the reserve for salaries account.
The raises were part of a fourth-year 'reopener' under a four-year contract that provided 2.5% raises in each of the first three years, officials said.
Lamont said that 'our state troopers deserve salaries that reflect the essential work they provide to our state and can help recruit more officers to serve in these positions.'
He added, 'Ensuring the safety of our residents requires us to invest in state troopers and their families. I am glad that the majority of lawmakers in the House supported it, and I urge the Senate to join them in approving the plan.'
State Rep. Tammy Nuccio, the ranking member of the budget-writing appropriations committee, expressed concerns about the long-term costs of funding the state police operations, including extensive overtime.
On an average week, the force of 900 state troopers is doing a combined 5,000 hours per week in overtime, chiefly due to staffing shortages, Nuccio said.
Nuccio, whose daughter and future son-in-law are both troopers, voted in favor of the contract Tuesday after voting against the measure at the committee level.
The top concern for troopers, Nuccio said, is not their salaries but instead is being able to do their jobs properly. That includes having more freedom to chase suspects in their cars and to perform 'consent searches' that were restricted in the police accountability bill after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Nuccio said.
'I've talked to a lot of troopers in my time, and I will tell you this — not a single one of them says the way to go out and recruit more people to be troopers is a 2.5% wage increase,' Nuccio said. 'They want an accountable legal system that when they arrest somebody for crimes, they're actually going to get prosecuted for it and put away for the amount of time that they should be so they're not arresting the same people dozens of times.'
She said it is not fair to be 'penalizing them for the actions of a terrible officer in Minneapolis.'
House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford, who voted against the pay raises, questioned whether the raises are an effective recruitment tool because he sees no changes in the state police in recent years as the number of troopers — around 900 — has remained essentially the same.
'We did this two years ago and the numbers have not changed,' Candelora said of the contract. 'There's no amount of pay that is going to be able to recruit more officers. … There is no longer a written test for state troopers. … Pay isn't everything to individuals. It's also the quality of the workplace.'
With overtime, many troopers are currently earning more than $175,000 per year, he said.
'So, why aren't they able to recruit?' Candelora asked on the House floor. 'We have tilted the scales on the side of the criminal. … I'm frustrated on this side of the aisle.'
Candelora added, 'What they really need is our support. We need criminal justice reform.'
A key factor in the state police budget is the amount of money spent on overtime.
The latest statistics from the state comptroller's office show that the state spent $378 million for overtime during the 2024 calendar year across nearly 50 departments in state government. The highest amounts were in the state prison system with $113 million in overtime, followed by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services at $62 million and the state police at $60 million, according to the records.
Among the top 25 individuals with the most overtime, 17 work for the state police, while six work in mental health facilities. The highest-paid was a state police dog handler, who received $439,000 overall for 2024, including the highest amount of overtime at $303,000. Through the years, he has handled dogs who search for fleeing suspects and missing persons at all hours of the day and night.
The state legislature voted in 2023 for a new, four-year contract that provides annual pay raises for troopers because many would-be troopers have been recruited by municipal police departments. With the state police lagging behind some other departments, the trooper trainee salaries were increased by 35% over several years. The trainees are now earning $67,279, up from $50,000 in the past.
Overtime has been an issue for years. While police and legislators often focus on starting pay for rookies, the amount earned by veteran officers is far higher. With overtime, more than 10 troopers were paid more than $300,000 in 2021, according to state records. More than 100 union members were paid more than $200,000 each, and a sergeant was paid more than $350,000 that year.
Christopher Keating can be reached at [e-mail]