Indianapolis, Indiana – State troopers’ starting wage should increase by 30%, according to governor Eric Holcomb.
“For any thriving, prosperous community, they need to be safe,” Holcomb said at a news conference Wednesday as he announced his 2023 agenda.
According to Holcomb, Indiana has the funds to increase spending on public safety. This year, he has made considerably increasing Indiana state troopers’ starting pay one of his primary priorities.
According to the governor’s office, the starting pay for state troopers is currently $53,690, which is significantly less than the starting pay for many other law enforcement organizations in Indiana.
The beginning salary for any police officer in the state would be the highest under Holcomb’s proposal to raise it to $70,000.
Approximately $36 million a year would be spent by the state, according to the governor’s office.
“It’s going to be life-changing for our troopers,” said Scott Krueger, president of the Indiana State Police Alliance, which represents more than 90% of the state’s troopers.
According to Krueger, the Indiana State Police is not currently paying enough to remain competitive with other agencies.
According to him, this makes it challenging to find and keep troopers.
“We do lose officers to other police agencies,” Krueger said.
“It definitely strains operations with less people available to work, it inhibits how many troopers are working the road,” he added.
If granted, the wage raise would put Indiana troopers on par with several departments across the Hoosier State and among the highest-paid state police agency in the Midwest, according to Krueger.
As they work on a new two-year state budget, lawmakers in the state will now have to decide whether to support Holcomb’s proposal.
“The hope is that this really levels the playing field with other law enforcement agencies in Indiana, and we can attract the best and brightest candidates to come work for us,” Krueger said.
“We’re humbled and appreciative of the support from the governor’s office and the legislators that will take this under consideration,” Capt. Ron Galaviz of the Indiana State Police said in a statement.
Monday will mark the beginning of the new session for lawmakers in the Statehouse.
