Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday announced that his proposed budget will include pay raises for the commonwealth’s public safety officers.
“Law enforcement officers carry a heavy burden as they work to protect Virginians, and this raise is the right thing to do,” Northam said in a statement.
The raise would apply to state troopers, whose starting pay would go up by 7.7%; correctional officers, whose starting pay would increase 25%; and deputy sheriffs and regional jail officers, whose entry-level salary would each go up about 20%.
Northam’s proposed budget would also include money for raises for “targeted officers and sworn personnel,” the statement said.
Virginia gave one-time bonuses of $3,000 to $5,000 to public safety officials this year, and a one-time bonus of $500 in 2020, the statement said.
“I want to thank Governor Northam for continuing to prioritize Virginia law enforcement,” Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Gary T. Settle said in the statement. “The bonuses and pay raises given to public safety officials every year during the governor’s term have boosted morale and changed lives. This announcement comes just in time for the holidays and will mean so much to all of the officers and their families.”
Northam made the announcement a day after saying he planned to increase pay for teachers by 5% a year in the next two years.