After swearing in two new non-certified police officers, Monterey will review the pay rates for non-certified police officers.
Monterey Mayor Alex Garcia said the town approved paying the officers at the top non-certified rate. However, Garcia said in 2022, the town had removed the non-certified pay scale, meaning that they would be paid at the same rate as a certified officer. Garcia said he believes all non-certified and certified officers should be paid the same
“It’s hard to get people, first of all,” Garcia said. “Second of all, just cause they are not certified doesn’t mean that they are not currently getting the training. They are in the FTL (Field Training Leadership) Program, they are risking their lives, they are doing all the same things that the other officers are doing.”
Garcia said as of now, the non-certified officers will pay the same rate as a certified officer. Garcia said the town’s Police Committee is responsible for reviewing the pay rates.
“That was some of the discussion that was there, is to go back and review the stance or review the certain positions and the money attached to them,” Garcia said. “There’s no meeting scheduled, and that would be up to the Police Committee to actually have a meeting.”
Garcia said the town budgets all officers at the certified rate. Garcia said hiring non-certified officers will likely be the strategy moving forward to bolster the police department.
“At first, we were under the impression that we would have to pay for the academy, but the academy is still free,” Garcia said. “So it’s not a cost to us to put a non-certified officer and make him certified. And this is the reason that we hired non-certified.”