Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón announced on Wednesday, October 21, the second phase of the police pay raise, which will benefit 6,449 officers across several ranks. It follows the Financial Oversight and Management Board’s approval, two weeks earlier, of the Classification and Compensation Plan. The payment, retroactive to August 1, will be made in the second biweekly paycheck of October.
The governor said the first phase, on August 1, disbursed $33 million to more than 5,317 officers, who received adjustments of $465 a month. The second phase covers members who received no raise under the new salary structure in August and others whose annual adjustment was under $2,000 in that first stage. González Colón said $16 million is being worked on for this phase, with payment on October 31 (the announcement also gives October 30 as the pay date), and raises ranging from $162.92 to $268.17 depending on rank.
She said some members were left out because, among other reasons, they were already at the minimum of their scale. The $16 million transfer will be authorized so the Treasury Department (Hacienda) has the funds ready. Of the 6,449 members, subject to eligibility validation, 5,089 are agents, 958 sergeants, 316 lieutenants II, 31 lieutenants I and 55 captains.
Police Superintendent Joseph González Falcón estimated that the first phase already reached 50% of the force and said the scale had not been revised since 2005. The governor added that the longevity bonus for police comes in December and that overtime pay rates also increase. Budget Office director Orlando Rivera Berríos accompanied her.