Sophie Sonnenfeld, Contributing Photographer

Following almost two years of negotiations, the New Haven Police Department’s union has reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year contract for officers. 

The collective bargaining agreement has been submitted to the union’s members for review, Officer Florencio Cotto — president of the union, Elm City Local — and Mayor Justin Elicker announced in a Tuesday press release. If the 326 police officers currently covered by the union vote to ratify the contract, Elicker will send it to the Board of Alders for approval.

The agreement comes after the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration imposed binding arbitration on the city and the police union in early August — a move that assigned a state-appointed third party to oversee contract negotiations. Tensions subsequently increased between Cotto and Elicker, who criticized each other for delaying the process.

The union members will meet on Monday for an informational session, according to NHPD Officer Christian Bruckhart.

“We encourage all our members to review the details carefully and participate in the upcoming vote scheduled within the next few weeks,” Cotto said in the press release.

The tentative contract boasts a nearly $20,000 increase in officer starting salaries, a 25 percent salary raise over a six-year period and new, less time-intensive work schedules. Other proposed changes include altered pension and healthcare plans, an online tool for reporting non-emergency crimes and stronger disciplinary procedures for officers charged with felonies.

New police recruits will be paid $70,000 each year, marking a nearly 38 percent boost in starting salary from the previous contract. Elicker said this pay raise makes new NHPD officers “among the highest paid” in comparably large Connecticut cities. 

The starting salary for Bridgeport police officers is over $71,000, while new Hartford police officers have an annual salary of over $63,000. New recruits for the Yale Police Department make over $76,000 each year. 

The contract’s proposed salary increases total $7.5 million, in addition to $5.6 million in retroactive pay. Officers would receive 2.5 percent in retroactive pay increases for the past two fiscal years since the last contract ended and 5 percent annual pay increases leading up to 2028.

The pay raises aim to “reward and help retain” current officers, according to the press release. The NHPD has struggled with officer recruitment and retention in recent years.

“Part of the problem with recruiting was you’re two years out of contract, and our pay and benefits were low, certainly, compared to neighboring municipalities,” Bruckhart said. 

The agreement also updates the work schedules for patrol officers and administrative staff, with the goal of providing them with a “better work-life balance,” the press release states. Under the tentative contract, patrol officers would work five days “on” followed by three days off. Their current contract has them working a 5-2, 5-3 schedule — five days on, two days off, five days on, three days off. 

Under the tentative contract, officers charged with felonies could be placed on unpaid leave to ensure “appropriate accountability.”

“Every day our police officers do an outstanding job under very challenging circumstances and put their lives on the line to keep our residents and streets safe,” Elicker said in the press release. “This is a contract that all sides can be proud of and one that I hope both the union membership and the Board of Alders will support.”

The current city budget funds 389 sworn police officers for the 2024-25 fiscal year.