Nassau County has reached a new eight-and-a-half-year contract with the Police Department Detectives’ Association, which will raise pay to expand the number of detectives.
“This agreement shows that hard work at the bargaining table can produce fair wage increases that don’t burden Nassau’s taxpayers,” County Executive Laura Curran said. “I commend President John Wighaus for his leadership of the Detectives’ Association and his members for supporting the agreement which provides a pathway for restoring our detective ranks.”
One of the immediate issues the new contract will address is the chronic shortage of detectives the Police Department has faced for the last several years. A restructuring of the salary scale for detectives features a new three-tier system of progressive grades.
These grades will be used as incentives for detectives to remain with that division of the Police Department as a viable career path.
According to a news release from Curran’s office, recruitment for detectives is more incentivized under the new contract. The creation of the first-grade detective position, which now pays 10 percent more than top pay for a second-grade detective, will promote retention within the division.
The promotion differential over a police officer’s salary is increased while the time to reach third-grade detective is reduced.
Starting in the new year, detectives of all levels will receive annual raises from 2 to 3 percent over the eight-and-a-half-year agreement.
An additional $2,000 lump sum payment is also granted to the department to cover the two prior years, according to the news release.
With detectives having a ratified payment system and annual bonuses, the contract also includes ways for detectives to alleviate some of the “enormous financial stresses faced by the County,” the news release said.
Police officers promoted to detective after 2025 will receive a payout of over one-and-a-half times their base salaries upon termination. Termination pay for new hires designated as detectives will be capped at one-and-a-half times their base salaries.
Detectives will work at least five additional tours each year, and new detectives will take on an average of 12 additional tours annually. According to the news release, the extra hours will immediately increase the presence of detectives on the street and enhance safety in the county.
Additionally, detectives will begin contributing to their health insurance starting in the new year, and the agreement will slowly reduce entitlement to termination pay. Detectives will also add more working hours by forgoing vacation days over the next three years to help the county fund the new contract.
“I am very proud of my members for recognizing the value of this new contract,” Wighaus said. “These were tough negotiations but the importance of the work detectives do each day was recognized by the county.”
The agreement will be submitted to the County Legislature for its approval in early January, and afterward will be sent to the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which helped negotiate the agreement.
According to Newsday, contracts remain unresolved for the county’s Police Benevolent Association, Superior Officers Association, Sheriff’s Correction Officers Benevolent Association, and Civil Service Employees Association. Their contracts with the county expired in 2017.
