22 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Wichita City Council debated several hot-button items on Tuesday, including one that would have given police officers a $5,000 bonus. The bonus was postponed by a slim majority.
A move strongly contested by some city council members.
The bonus for police officers is represented by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5. It was meant to help with retention and recruitment, and the money would come from 2023 salary savings.
But Mayor Brandon Whipple said the council shouldn’t vote yet. Instead, they should hold off on bonuses until a full contract is established between the FOP and the City, potentially during the time when the council will discuss the FOP contract and the Jensen Hughes recommendations for the Wichita Police Department. His motion passed 4-3.
District 1 Councilmember Brandon Johnson was one of the council members who voted for the delay. He says the officers deserve a bonus especially given their staffing shortages.
Johnson also said that he wants that bonus tied in with contractual obligations for police to improve departmental culture, but some council members say the police need the bonus now.
“Community has been telling us for quite some time they support law enforcement, but they want to see some cultural changes, especially after the text message issue,” said Johnson.
“For us not to do a good faith effort to show our police officers how much we appreciate them and that they would be willing to serve in that capacity, it was really disappointing for me,” said Becky Tuttle, City of Wichita District 2 Councilmember.
Tuttle and three other dissenting council members say the city is already down more than 100 officers. She says the city needs to pay police more to retain its existing officers and attract new ones.
The city council expects to discuss the bonuses again in mid-December.