PULASKI COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Members of the Arkansas Senate approved Senate Bill 103, the 2022 Full-Time Law Enforcement Officer Salary Stipend Act which would give full-time, certified law enforcement officers a one time stipend of $5,000.
The bill was approved Wednesday following a unanimous vote in the state senate of 33-0, all in favor.
Matthew Shepard, speaker for the Arkansas House of Representatives and bill sponsor, said that the bill focuses on county sheriff's deputies, local city police officers, parole officers, probation officers, and state troopers.
According to Shepard, state troopers would get $2,000 due to other bills in the session that would financially compensate them in other ways.
"It is a thank you for their service. I think in part, it is trying to help particularly some officers whose agencies have not necessarily been in a position to increase their pay," said Shepard.
He said the money is a one-time stipend and there's still more work to be done at county and city levels to support law enforcement.
And while some officers may be omitted from the stipend, Shepard believes this is still a step in the right direction.
"I think the other part of it is to try to encourage our cities and our counties to also look at efforts that they can take to improve pay going forward," he said.
This is something that's impacting Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins, who said some of his correction deputies wouldn't receive the stipend because they didn't meet certification requirements. Regardless, he wishes they could still see a part of the pay day.
"[The bill] doesn't address those who are working in the detention environment. Those deputies we have working in the detention center or corrections, they're also committed to the safety of our community as well as those officers on the street," said Higgins. "I would never take away from those officers on the street. I would just say that we need to consider these other individuals as well."
The efforts of the correction deputies were especially felt today.
It was graduation day for the facility's Community, Safety and Integrity-based (CSI), used to help inmates recovering from addiction. They've had the program since 2019.
Inmates went up to the podium one-by-one, speaking about the program's benefits and how thankful they were for the individuals that helped them along their journey, which consisted of many correction deputies.
Higgins said he understands legislators did what they could, but hopes they'll consider other concerns in the future.
"I appreciate them trying to help these officers, and like I said, I always want to keep in mind the other part of the organizations that are keeping us safe."
Senate Bill 103 now goes to the house where lawmakers will discuss and make any changes before sending it to the governor's desk for final approval.