ESPN NEWS: Tentative deal reached between Louisville and

Tentative deal reached between Louisville, police union.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Louisville and its police union have reached a tentative deal for the next four years.

Pay raises for officers are in the new police contract, as well as accountability reforms. One of the key items this contract includes are pay raises across the department – 7% to start out and then 5% pay increases in the final two years of the contract.

It would mean the starting pay for an officer would increase to $56,000 per year.

“People have other options,” Metro Council President Markus Winkler (D) said. “And you have people leave the force, you get to a situation where you’re at 1,000 officers when you should be at 1,300. I think there’s an argument to be made, you can’t not afford to fund it appropriately.”

He said the negotiated pay bump is critical to stabilizing LMPD, and he said the city needs to invest in other public safety salaries too.

“I would not be surprised to see similar pay bumps in other areas of public safety when we talk about EMS, fire, etc.,” Winkler said.

The contract also includes reforms on accountability. Supervisors are now required to keep notes on officers’ performance and conduct, which will be kept until an officer’s performance review. That was optional before. The contract also sets out clear deadlines for the Professional Standards Unit to complete investigations. 180 days, with limited extensions if needed.

The Mayor’s Office called the deal a win for the city.

“Mayor Greenberg’s top priority is to make Louisville a safer city and that requires a well-trained, trusted, transparent and fully staffed police department and these two collective bargaining agreements set forth a new standard to better support our first responders and the families across our city who depend on them,” Spokesperson Kevin Trager. “These agreements address our 200+ officer shortage directly by offering a competitive wage, a four-year contract for a longer commitment to our hardworking officers and changes to overtime to allow a better work/life balance. These agreements will also expand transparency by preserving more records, taking another step forward in Mayor Greenberg’s commitment to transparency.”

The deal comes when the city is still negotiating the consent decree with the Department of Justice on how to enforce reforms to the department. Winkler said these contract votes won’t interfere with that process.

“One is not dependent on the other, and I think the DOJ has been very clear that nothing in our collective bargaining agreement would prevent the reforms they would want to see or vice versa,” said Winkler.

The Council’s Public Safety Committee will discuss the contracts Monday. It set aside 25 speaking slots for members of the public to offer their feedback.

The public hearing starts at 5 p.m.