Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Department of Public Safety says it continues to encounter difficulties in recruiting new officers after raising starting salaries by 12 percent.
Agency Sec. Scott Weaver briefed state lawmakers Thursday on efforts to better recruit and retain officers at a meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee in Roswell.
The department plans to implement a more modest $1.2 million increase to its officer pay plan with the new fiscal year starting July 1, after a $3.2 million increase the previous year.
Weaver said fewer employees than are departing the roughly 675-officer force than in previous years. That leaves a 10 percent vacancy rate in state police positions. The average across state agencies is 13 percent. Patrolmen currently earn between $21.62 and $27.16 an hour.
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