FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Skelly
917-364-8142
After Months of Unproductive Negotiating Sessions with an Intransigent and Irresponsible City
Co1nmission, the Paln1 Beach County PBA files Declared Impasse Over Contract Negotiations with the
City of Delray Beach
PBA President John Kazanjian Warns That by Turning Their Backs on Delray Beach’s Police Officers, the City Conzniission is Essentially Defunding Their Own Police Force and Jeopardizi1zg Public Safety for the Citizens of Delray Beach
WEST PALM BEACH– The Palm Beach County PBA, which represents over 160 police officers in the City of Delray Beach, declared impasse yesterday after the Delray Beach City Commission failed to reach an agreement with the PBA on
wages, retire1nent benefits, take-home vehicles, and other key issues related to their contract, which expired in September of 2024. Currently, the starting pay for police officers in Delray Beach ranks second from the bottom for police officer salaries in Palm Beach County. The starting pay for Delray Beach Police Officers is $61,000, while the average starting salary for police officers in Paln1 Beach County is around $70,000.
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Faced with low pay and low morale, many officers are leaving the Police Department and seeking employment in other agencies in surrounding jurisdictions where wages and benefits are far more competitive. In fact, since contract negotiations With the city started last June, nine Delray Beach Police officers have left the department for better pay.
This attrition comes at a time when violent crime in Delray Beach is on the rise. In 2024, there were a total of 39 shootings and two homicides. Just since January 1 of this year, there have been 12 shootings and two homicides.
Additionally, Delray Beach’s Road Patrol is operating at minimum staffing levels with about ten officers available for the
entire city both during the day and at night. When there is a shortage, officers are called in from their days off to fill the
gaps. Forcing officers to give up their personal days and work overtime is also contributing to lower morale.
PBA President. John Kazanjian said:
“The citizens of Delray Beach should be outraged by the failed leadership of the City Commission, particularly Mayor Tom Carney, Vice Mayor Juli Casale, and Commissioner Tom Markert, who have turned their backs on the men and women who risk their lives every day maintaining public safety. Not only have they failed our officers, they have also failed the taxpayers of Delray Beach, who spend $200,000 to train every new police Officer, only to see those officers leave for other jurisdictions, where the pay and benefits are far more competitive. The Delray Beach Police Department has basically become a training ground for law enforcement agencies in other cities. That’s gross mismanagement and a heavy price to pay for Delray Beach taxpayers and for public safety. Moving forward, we encourage every Delray Beach resident to join us at the public impasse hearings to demand that the City Commission stop defunding their own police force and start providing them with the wages and benefits they deserve.”
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- Delray Mayor Tom Carney: Does the Police Union Want to Defund Our City? - February 24, 2025