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Trooper pay hikes reflected in new report on police wages
A comprehensive review by the Legislative Auditor finds starting pay for Minnesota State Troopers is higher than the median.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Wages for Minnesota State Troopers are doing a better job of keeping par with area police officers, according to a new review from the Office of the Legislative Auditor.
According to the report, state trooper starting pay, at $5,766 dollars per month in 2022, is about 2% above the median starting wage for a group of 34 large police departments. There were 14 departments with higher starting pay and 20 departments with lower pay for new officers.
The state legislature asked the Legislative Auditor to periodically review state patrol pay and compare it to a group of 34 cities, to determine how the state patrol stacks up against other police departments that are competing for the same law enforcement talent pool.
“The law states that the cities we should include for comparison purposes are the ones in the Twin Cities over 25,000 population and then statewide that are 100,000 or more in population,” Deputy Legislative Auditor Jodi Rodriguez told KARE 11.
She said work on the new review began last June.
“We looked through all of the contracts for the cities and the state troopers, that are included in the report. We looked through rate sheets for dental insurance, health insurance. We looked through information on their retirement benefits. So, it’s a good amount of paper.”
The report found that top pay, at $7,743 per month, was 8% below the median in that group of police 34 departments. There were 32 departments with higher top pay.
“Top is that highest wage they can get to after the highest number of years they’re required to complete in order to get to that top wage without having a different designation. So, we were looking at non-supervisory police officers and troopers.”
The report points out that the amount of time it takes to go from starting pay to top pay can vary quite a bit. For example, troopers reach top pay in only seven years. But at the Inver Grove Heights Police Department, which had the highest top pay in 2022, it takes 20 years to get to that highest level.
Rodriguez noted that local police officers and state troopers both have opportunities to earn supplemental pay, even without becoming supervisors.
“A lot of the police department contracts included supplemental pay for things like being a school resource officer, for doing investigative duties, for being a training officer,” she explained.
“If you look at state trooper contracts there’s something called freeway pay, and if the chief patrol officer designates a station as receiving freeway pay then all of the officers within that station would receive at least that bump in salary.”
The first review, based on 2019 wage levels, prompted the Minnesota Legislature to raise trooper wages in both 2020 and 2021. It added up to 10.45% wage increase for troopers who had reached the top level, and an 8.45% increase for all other troopers.
Col. Matt Langer, the head of the Minnesota State Patrol, issued this statement in reaction to the new report on 2022 wages:
“The objective, comprehensive, and thorough report completed by the OLA sheds factual light on an important issue when it comes to recruiting and retaining our workforce of State Troopers. The end product will inform important conversations related to salary.”
Sargent Mike LeDoux, who heads the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association, told KARE 11 the report points to the need for that law enforcement agency to remain competitive.
“We’re still not as competitive as we need to be, not necessarily at that starting wage, but at that top wage,” LeDoux explained.
“That top wage is important because if you’re underpaid while you’re working it affects you that way, of course. But then, in retirement, your retirement is based on those earnings as well. You get penalized essentially twice.”
LeDoux, who is approaching his 30th anniversary with the Minnesota State Patrol, says he’s glad state lawmakers raised trooper pay in recent years. But he said in this day and age it’s easy to start lagging behind.
“I think it’s reasonable to say that pay, in and of itself, isn’t the driving factor why somebody becomes a law enforcement officer, but it does become crucial when you have a limited applicant pool, right? The old law of supply and demand, that you pay a competitive wage.”
The new comparison comes at a time when hundreds of law enforcement officers statewide are nearing retirement age, and recruiting is tougher than ever.
“I’m very proud to be a state trooper. The state patrol’s an excellent organization to work for. And we’re hiring. If anyone’s watching this, I hope they apply.”
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MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
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