Levy looking to chop salaries of new police recruits

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy wants to cut salaries for new recruits of the county's police department. Levy is currently negotiating a new contract with Suffolk's police force, one of the highest

News 12 Staff

Dec 27, 2007, 12:21 AM

Updated 6,331 days ago

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Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy wants to cut salaries for new recruits of the county's police department.
Levy is currently negotiating a new contract with Suffolk's police force, one of the highest paid departments in the country. While any cops currently under contract will be protected, the county executive is looking to decrease the base pay for the county's next batch of recruits.
The starting salary for Suffolk cops is about $60,000. After serving on the force for five years, base pay jumps to around $98,000. Nassau officers, on the other hand, start at $34,000 per year, which jumps to $96,000 after eight years.
"We can bring [starting salaries] down and still attract a very good, high-quality officer," says Levy.
Jeff Frayler, president of Suffolk's Police Benevolent Association, refused to comment about Levy's salary cut proprosals.