KCPD starting salary could be rising, but where will the money come from?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City, Missouri police officers could be getting a $10,000 raise, upping their salary from $50 thousand to $60 thousand dollars.

Mayor Quinton Lucas says he’s all for it. He’s been advocating for this for a long time. What it comes down to is if the budget will allow it.

“This is something that will be important for us to do. Long term the real debate is where do we find the money, how do we make sure there are cost saving measures in other areas of the police budget,” says Mayor Quinton Lucas.

The city estimates this salary increase would be a 10-15 million dollar additional cost.

The Board of Police Commissioners will review the budget recommendation and send a proposal to City Council as early as Monday.

The final city budget will be voted on in March and implemented May first.

There are currently over 300 open positions in the police force. We talked with Chief Stacey Graves who thinks this move would help tremendously.

“This would mean a lot to our officers because when you bump the starting salary that will give them encouragement that we’re gonna get more officers to come in and help them but it will also show them we value the work we do,” says Chief Graves.

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