Scott Swan/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis, Dec. 16 - "They'll find the money for the Colts, they'll find the money for the arts. The police department is the bottom of the list in this city's mind." Tempers flared outside the City-County Council meeting Monday night between an Indianapolis Police officer and Councilor Steve Talley.
Earlier in the night cops carried protest signs. They want better benefits and more money.
Christopher Bailey with IPD says, "We're the 12th largest city in the country and the 74th highest paid police department. We want to be paid comparable to what other cities in the Midwest are paid."
But city officials say they can't afford to pay cops the eight percent raise. "If anything like eight percent raises were agreed to, it would simply bust the city's budget," says city attorney Scott Chin.
And cops are asking the mayor, what blue crew is watching your family?
Some are upset with the mayor's negotiating game plan, upset that Mayor Bart Peterson appears to be more interested in negotiating with the Indianapolis Colts than the cops.
IPD's Mike Roach says, "It seems like they're more interested in keeping a football team here than keeping their police officers salaries up and drawing good police officers to this department."
The city agrees the cops need a raise, but point out they are doing better than others in public safety. Chinn says, "Our research indicates that IPD has the highest paid officers in the state, at least cities and towns in the state, and makes about $10,000 more, for example, than his or her counterpart at the state police."
Cops say they're just looking for fairness.
It's apparent that frustration over waiting for a better deal is spilling over.
An IPD officer makes a little more than $43,000 a year.
By contrast, officers in Columbus and Louisville are paid $48,000 a year.
The city is offering three to four percent raises during the next four years. The union wants double that.
The two sides are bringing in a mediator around the first of the year to try to reach a compromise.
