The St Martinville City Council voted to give a 10% raise to St. Martinville police officers following a discussion with Chief Ricky Martin.

Martin said he had drawn up the salaries of surrounding cities and parishes to show that St. Martinville officers was not as competitive with nearby agencies. However, even if the St. Martinville Police Department could not match the salaries of Broussard or Lafayette, the agency still had to be competitive.

“We’re not going to compete with Lafayette or Scott, the city’s just not built that way,” Martin said. “At the end of the day, we still have to have police officers.”

Martin said the department was currently fine with benefits for officers as well as equipment for the officers. The only thing lacking was the salaries.

As with police departments around the country, Martin said a lack of new officers has become an increasing problem for the SMPD as well.

“People just don’t want to do it anymore,” he said. “They’re either scared to do it or they can get a job at a fast food restaurant and get the same thing or more.”

Mayor Jason Willis said the city needed to make an effort to be competitive where it can.

“The pay is never good in public service,” Willis said. “You have great benefits but it’s never great pay. You’re asking someone to put their life at risk for money but that’s pennies compared to others. I don’t know how to deter that, we can only try to compete where we can.”

Raises for officers in nearby Lafayette Parish and Iberia Parish had also drawn any new talent to those two entities recently as well, Martin said.

The council unanimously agreed and voted on a 10% increase for the department.

“Go recruit some officers,” Willis told Martin.