HOUSTON — Houston Police Department officials have credited new contracts and pay raises for resounding recruitment wins, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The department reached a headcount of 5,364 in March, more officers than at any time in the past 20 years. The rise in staffing comes shortly after the passage of nearly $1 billion in raises, to be applied over a five-year span.
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Some of the raises prompted an increase of 36.5%, according to the Chronicle.
The rate of officer attrition has dropped, with 269 officers leaving the department in 2024, down to 149 as of the current fiscal year, which ends in June.
“Our new contract appears to be bringing people in,” said Houston Police Officers Union Doug Griffith in a previous interview with the Houston Chronicle.
Houston’s successes have been echoed in other agencies in the state, with seven of the 10 largest departments seeing an increase in officer headcounts between 2024 and 2025.
