State-wide Officer Pay Deal - Bo Lucky
DPS official says agency will seek statewide law enforcement pay raise this session
Mississippi Department of Public Safety boss, Commissioner Bo Lucky, said the agency plans to ask state lawmakers for another across-the-board pay increase for law enforcement this legislative session.
Speaking in an interview broadcast on "This Week in Pearl" on Nov. 12, the official said, "that is one of the things that we're also going to bring to the table this session is trying to get our pay increased again across the board at DPS and try to get more competitive." The remarks came as part of a discussion of staffing and pay at the department, according to the broadcast.
The official's identity and title as DPS commissioner have not been independently confirmed, nor has his succession of former commissioner Sean Tindell.
The request would follow a round of DPS pay increases in 2022-23. Figures cited in the interview — including a $54,000 starting salary for Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers and a $64,000 advertised starting salary for a Madison Police Department position — have not been verified. Any formal pay request would come before state lawmakers as they consider appropriations in the coming session.