Milton police get pay boost

Milton elected officials have approved nearly $34,000 in raises for the town's six-member police department in an effort to retain officers.

Milton Town Clerk Kristy Rogers said the annualized retention raises are based on the rank of the officers and come after new Police Chief Robert Longo researched neighboring municipalities' pay rates to compare to Milton's current wages.

“You're always going to have the bigger agencies, the bigger towns that can offer more,” Longo said. “That's just the nature of the beast. But in a small town, we offer things that others don't.”

Prior to the raises, an entry-level patrolman in Milton earning about $34,000 annually was paid about $10,000 less a year than similarly ranked officers in nearby towns such as Rehoboth Beach, Georgetown and Lewes.

Currently, Milton's police department includes the chief, a lieutenant, a captain and three patrolmen. Longo said he plans to hire two more patrolmen, to bring the department to a staff of eight officers.

Longo said the raises, which are intended to keep officers in Milton, are good for morale.

“They're motivated right now, and I want to keep them that way,” Longo said. “In today's climate, for an officer to hear from a civilian and from supervisors that we appreciate what they're doing and that they're doing a good job, that continues to motivate your staff.”

The raises come less than a month after Longo, former chief of Bridgeville Police Department, was sworn in as the Milton's new police chief. The chief position has been vacant since former Chief William Phillips retired in August, after being on terminal leave for an illness since 2014.

In November 2015, Milton elected officials provided a 5 percent pay raise for all officers in the department, using a portion of the $46,200 set aside in the fiscal year 2016 budget for officer retention.

“It was fair and equitable, and it will last a long time,” Mayor Ted Kanakos said.

Kanakos said the new pay scales, which are based on rank and experience, will continue in next year's budget.

“The last step is, once we retain officers and they stay and grow, when they do decide to leave, they don't necessarily leave for more money, but they leave for more responsibility,” Kanakos said. “This money is just the first step in building a new police department.”