GEORGETOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — Georgetown’s police chief is asking city leaders to find a way to pay their officers more.
During Monday night’s council meeting, Police Chief Darin Allgood shared a conversation he had with a 15-year veteran of the department last week.
"He told me he planned to resign,” Allgood said. “He’s going to another law enforcement agency in the county and the only reason he said he is leaving is pay."
The new job includes an $11,000 raise. The specific role won’t be easy for them to replace, Allgood said. Their department averages paying their officers $10-13,000 less than similar departments, Allgood said.
“What I’m scared of is this starting a domino effect,” he added. “I’m afraid if we don’t do something I’m afraid more may leave.
Since 2017, they have lost 19 officers to other agencies or higher-paying non-police jobs.
That’s about a third of the department, said department chaplain Benjamin Monroe.
“If they want to attract and maintain the best of the best police officers then have to be competitive realistically to do that,” he said.
