Police have yet to see pay raise

Posted by Arlyssa Becenti | Dec 8, 2016 | News |

WINDOW ROCK

Nearly two months after a pay increase for law enforcement was approved, it hasn’t yet been implemented, the Navajo Nation Law and Order Committee discovered during a meeting Tuesday.

The committee gave a directive to the Department of Personnel Management to implement the raises as soon as possible.

“Where is the barrier? What is going on?” asked Committee Vice Chair Ray Smith (Klagetoh/Wide Ruins/Houck/Lupton/Nahata Dziil). “It seems like there is no clear path to get this accomplished.”

In October, Budget and Finance was the last committee to hear legislation that would approve the law enforcement pay raise. But the paperwork to grant the pay raise has taken longer than expected, and Law and Order Committee member Kee Allen Begay (Tachee/Blue Gap/Many Farms/Nazlini/ Tselani/Cottonwood/Low Mountain) asked for a special meeting to discuss what could be done to hurry the process along.

“As of today where is this salary increase? Where is it?” asked Begay. “Don’t you think it’s affecting them as well? Imagine what (officers) go through on the job and then they have to come to home and put food on the table for their children, grandchildren. Let’s take care of our Navajo police officer.”

Begay said that Police Chief Phillip Francisco was the one who had disclosed the fact that the pay increases have yet to be distributed.

Reycita Toddy, acting director for Department of Personnel Management, said the reason for the long delay is based on a few findings. Toddy found a history of inconsistency in the department on giving pay raises. Generally, Navajo Nation departments grant raises based on job performance and years of experience, but before this can happen a job appraisal needs to be done on each employee. According to Toddy, the Public Safety Department hasn’t had job appraisals since 2008.