BCSO and APD compare pay rates in friendly social media competition

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the Albuquerque Police Department are having a little competition on social media over how much they pay their employees.

“We always want our law enforcement officers across the sea to get paid more, and it certainly gives our deputies grounds to stand on to go to the union and advocate for more for themselves as well,” said BCSO Public Information Officer Jaymer Fuller-Gonzales. 

Fuller-Gonzales says it’s a friendly competition between the agencies. BCSO first posted on social media comparing their pay to APD’s.

“A lot of questions have been asked of our recruiter lately, and they were wanting me to make some clarifying points that, yes, you do get paid lower than some other agencies when you first start the academy as a cadet. But as soon as you graduate the academy and come off that first year probation, we really are one of the highest if not the highest,” said Fuller-Gonzales. 

Once BCSO posted on social media, APD responded with their own version of a comparison using updated pay rates.

“The second tier of our current pay raise goes into effect in the middle of next year. So when the next cadet class starts at the beginning of 2024, by the time they graduate, they’ll be earning that next tier of salary. So if you want to come to APD, you’ll start the next class which starts in January or February, when you graduate, you’ll be earning that higher salary,” said APD Communications Director Gilbert Gallegos. 

When you compare the numbers, APD pays its officers more than BCSO pays its deputies. But when you compare the deputy first class to the officer first class – the difference is just a few cents. It’s the same for the lateral position.

Right now, APD aiming to get 200 new officers. But Gallegos says their target has always been high. 

As for BCSO, it’s down 51 deputies, but the agency has 10 lateral officers graduating next month, so they’ll be looking for 41 deputies after Christmas.

People interested in applying online can view the APD and BCSO website.