Police in one South Carolina city will get a raise of more than 10%, and the chief says higher pay could help him recruit new officers.
The Spartanburg City Council on Monday voted to increase the starting police salary from $36,300 to just over $40,500.
Police Chief Alonzo Thompson approached Spartanburg leaders in February to request more money for officers because their last raise was in 2016.
The budget adopted in July did not include the extra pay for police. Officials said raises are possible now because the city is in better financial shape than expected, with revenue exceeding projections by 2.5%.
