Legislative Police get pay grade increase but director says no actual pay raises

The Legislative Commission earlier this month approved a three-grade reclassification for the Legislative Police.

However, Legislative Counsel Bureau Director Brenda Erdoes said at this point none of the officers will actually get more money in their paychecks.

“We figured out we weren’t going to be able to implement the actual dollars yet,” she said. “Nothing can happen with that until the freeze is over. They’re not getting any pay increase.”

She said LCB did a reclassification study in April that supported increasing the rank and file members of the legislative police from Grade 36 to Grade 39.

“We did a reclass because it turned out we were way below everybody else,” she said.

Each grade increase is worth about 5 percent more money.

Legislative Police Chief John Drew has long complained that it’s practically impossible to get people to sign on — especially for legislative session duty — at a Grade 36.

But she said once the economic crisis is over and the state budget back in decent shape, those officers would be eligible for more money.

The Capital Police and the Supreme Court Marshalls are classified at Grade 36.