Every day in Baton Rouge, while most of us are going about our lives—going to work, taking our kids to school, enjoying dinner with our families—there are men and women putting on a badge and stepping into uncertainty to protect our community. Julio Melara is the Chairman, President and CEO of Melara Enterprises and Publisher of Baton Rouge Business Report. Our police officers answer the call more than 200,000 times each year. Every call represents someone in need. A crime. A crisis. A family asking for help. Yet today, the men and women who carry that responsibility are doing more work with fewer resources than at any time in recent memory. Years ago, patrol squads in Baton Rouge typically had 13 officers on a shift. Today, many shifts operate with only seven officers responding to the same or even higher call volume. That reality means officers are covering larger areas, responding to more calls, and carrying heavier caseloads than ever before. The result is predictable: more overtime, more stress, and greater strain on the mental health and well-being of the people we rely on to protect us. This is not sustainable. Furthermore, we are in a recruitment and retention crisis. We often hear about the national challenges facing law enforcement recruitment, but here in Baton Rouge the problem has a very clear driver: compensation. Officers are not leaving the profession. They are leaving Baton Rouge. Exit interviews since the summer of 2025 show a clear trend — many officers are departing for nearby agencies in the region that offer significantly higher pay. Think about that for a moment. These are trained professionals who want to serve. They are simply moving a few miles down the road so they can pay their bills, support their families, and build a stable future. When we lose experienced officers, we lose more than personnel. We lose institutional knowledge, mentorship for younger officers, and stability within the department. And this matters because crime — and just as critically, the perception of crime — is the number one concern among Baton Rouge residents and taxpayers. Survey after survey confirms it. That reality should make public safety the top priority when it comes to the budget. Not one of the priorities. The top priority. Competitive pay is about public safety. Increasing police compensation is not simply about fairness — it is about keeping our community safe. When compensation is competitive: Departments can recruit stronger candidates Experienced officers are more likely to stay and build careers Staffing levels stabilize which reduces overtime and improves officer wellness And most importantly, communities receive more consistent and effective policing. Right now, Baton Rouge officer pay falls well below the national average for cities of comparable size, and below many departments across the South. That gap has real consequences. But let’s be honest about the full picture. Some on the Metro Council have suggested reducing the proposed police raises in order to extend pay increases to other city workers and the Constable’s office as well. I understand the impulse, but this is a matter of priorities. Public safety comes first. That has to mean something when budget decisions are made. It is also worth acknowledging a structural conversation this city has largely avoided: benefits. While Baton Rouge officer salaries lag behind peer cities, our government employee benefits package — including defined pension obligations — adds costs that are among the highest in the region, representing roughly 70% in additional compensation burden. That is not a sustainable model either. A transition to a 401(k)-style retirement structure, as many governments and private employers have already made, could free up meaningful resources for competitive salaries without simply piling new costs onto taxpayers. More broadly, with advances in technology and artificial intelligence, it is reasonable to ask whether our city-parish workforce is sized and structured appropriately for the work that actually needs to be done. Government should not function as an employment agency. It should deliver services efficiently. For example, many cities across the country no longer maintain a standalone Constable’s office, consolidating those functions into other departments where efficiencies exist. These are conversations worth having. And while we are strengthening the department, we have to be clear-eyed about what effective policing actually requires. Arresting people matters. But arrests without prosecution are a revolving door. The District Attorney’s office needs the resources and the will to prosecute. Judges must be held accountable for decisions that return dangerous individuals to our streets. The entire system — from patrol to prosecution to the bench — has to function as one coherent effort. You cannot address crime by fixing only one piece of it. A vote to increase police compensation is not simply a budget decision — it is an investment in the safety and stability of our community. It helps ensure Baton Rouge can recruit the best officers, retain experienced professionals, and build a stronger department for the future. This action is not only deserved. Frankly, it should have happened years ago. But increasing pay is the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it. Structural reform, fiscal discipline, prosecutorial accountability, and a willingness to ask hard questions about how our government is organized — these are all part of building a city where people feel safe and businesses want to invest. As this proposal comes before the Metro Council, I hope the vote reflects a shared understanding of the moment we are in and the opportunity we have to strengthen our city. Businesses always consider public safety first when deciding where to invest. Strengthening BRPD supports the entire economic ecosystem. Supporting the men and women who protect Baton Rouge should not be controversial. It should be unanimous. ...read more read less