SAN ANTONIO – Deputies with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office are getting a pay raise that officials said will make the law enforcement agency among the highest paid in Texas.
The average pay raise of 9% for sheriff’s deputies working in the law enforcement and detention bureaus was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Bexar County Commissioners Court.
“We recognize the job our hard-working deputies perform every day,” Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said. “This raise is in appreciation of the role they play in helping keep everyone in Bexar County safe. The deputies put themselves at risk every day and deserve not only this pay hike but also our sincere appreciation for their devoted service.”
The Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County overwhelmingly ratified a contract amendment that provides deputies with the salary increase. Because a collective bargaining agreement covers the deputies, they had to formally approve the amendment to their contract. The deputies voted by secret ballot from July 20-26. The votes were tabulated on July 27, with 95% of the ballots cast in favor of the amendment.
“We applaud this adjustment to our collective bargaining agreement, because it will enable higher recruitment and better retention of deputy sheriffs,” said DSABC President Ronald Tooke. “For far too long, we’ve been short several hundreds of deputies in the jail and on patrol. Our deputies are constantly forced to work extra shifts. This agreement is a step in the right direction.”
Tooke said the new salaries will make BCSO positions competitive with other Texas law enforcement agencies. A study conducted in 2022 found that BCSO deputies were the lowest paid in the state’s six major metropolitan counties, with entry-level pay 15.9% and maximum pay 39.6% below the average. The study found that sheriff offices in Kendall, Atascosa, Guadalupe and Comal counties all offered higher entry-level wages.
The pay raise, which will cost the county $9.6 million, was also connected to a recent pay analysis for all Bexar County employees, officials said.
The commissioners also approved a new recruitment enhancement called “Straight to the Streets.”
The program will allow recruits to apply for law enforcement positions without the previous requirement of first serving as a deputy at the Bexar County Jail. The agreement also allows employed detention officers without possession of a peace officer license to apply directly for patrol positions and receive preference points over non-detention applicants. Currently, detention officers, who often work nearly 80 hours a week, cannot go to school to obtain such licenses due to work restrictions. All patrol applicants will still be required to attend the patrol academy.