FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A place for public safety, the Fort Pierce Police Department stands erect off U.S. 1.
It has since it was built in 1987.
Yet, inside the department's doors, the pillars holding up the precinct say they're tired and worn: and now they're pushing for higher pay.
It's a push from Fort Pierce Police officers for higher pay.
The Fort Pierce Police Officers Union, in a letter and video issued to Facebook, said officers are overworked, underpaid, and that the low wages are making it more difficult to keep experienced officers on the job.
The push for pay comes after WPTV has been holding City leaders accountable about violent crimes keeping officers busy.
"If we don't have a solid foundation, the entire building crumbles," said Sgt. Troy Carter, who represents the supervisor unit for Fort Pierce Police Officer Union.
Carter and other union officers plan to head to City Hall Monday to ask City Commissioner to raise the salaries of Fort Pierce Police Officers.
In an official letter and video issued to Facebook, the Union said officers are overworked and underpaid.
"We need higher salaries. We need to attract and retain officers. And we’re not going to be able to do that without the public voicing their opinion to the commission," said Carter.
According to a Fort Pierce police recruiting advertisement, the starting salary for a Fort Pierce Foot Patrol officer starts at $51,314.61. The top salary a foot patrol officer can make is $78,840.27.
WPTV's Kate Hussey reached out to 11 different police departments across south Florida, requesting their starting and maximum foot patrol salaries.
We found that the only department paying officers a lower starting salary than Fort Pierce is the City of Stuart, whose starting foot patrol officer salary is $57,000.
However, the top pay in Stuart, a city with a population a third the size of Fort Pierce, is still more than Fort Pierce.
We also found in many cities, like Boca Raton, starting salaries are either higher than or close to the maximum salary an experienced Fort Pierce officer can ever earn.
"We have a major issue with retention. We can find officers who want to work here initially, but over the years they get attracted by higher salaries at other agencies," said Carter.
City records Carter shared with us show of the department's 56 patrol officers, 45 (more than 80%) have less than five years of experience. About half of those 45, 22 officers, have less than two years of experience.
"We need to fix that gap. Correct that issue," said Carter.
Meanwhile, the workload may be one of the most taxing.
Data we obtained shows Fort Pierce officers responded to 4,665 calls for service per square mile in the past year. (May 2023- May 2024).
Port St Lucie police responded to 1,923 calls for service per square mile in that same time frame, about half the amount of calls Fort Pierce officers responded to, yet Port St Lucie officers make significantly more.
Officers there can make up to $91,208.3, which, broken down per call per square mile, is about $47 per call.
In comparison, Fort Pierce officers make less than $17 per call per square mile.
"We have to meet a minimum threshold of service, and we just don't have the staffing, and that’s a function of the salary levels and the City Commission not funding us over the years," said Carter.
WPTV reached out to the City, who declined an on camera interview amid their negotiations with the union.
However, the City, on behalf of City Manager, Nick Mimms, did provide WPTV with the following statement, reading in full:
“We appreciate the concern for our law enforcement officers and their compensation. Negotiations are currently underway to address these compensation and other employment-related issues. The City Commission and City Administration are actively engaged in discussions to find a resolution that supports our officers while considering the city's budget and resources.
We acknowledge the significant difference in starting and top-step salaries compared to Port Saint Lucie and understand the need for competitive compensation to retain and attract skilled officers. The Union's presence at the upcoming City Commission meeting is an anticipated part of this process, and we welcome their input.
Regarding your request for an interview, we are currently in the midst of negotiations and will be better positioned to discuss details once we have more concrete information. However, we recognize the importance of transparency and will strive to provide an update soon.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through this matter.”
Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney also weighed in, releasing the following statement to WPTV:
“I am confident that both parties will come to an agreement wherein Fort Pierce Officers are competitive with other agencies in this current environment.”
"We’re at a breaking point where if we don't fix it now we wont recover," said Carter.
Monday's City Commission meeting begins at 5 p.m.
Officers are encouraging the public to come speak, too.
Note: We originally reported Stuart had the only starting salary lower than Fort Pierce’s, but after receiving an updated number from Chief Joseph Tuminelli,we found Fort Pierce has the lowest starting and maximum foot patrol salary compared to every other police department in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.
