Shreveport approves 6% police, fire raises

The Shreveport City Council unanimously approved a 6% pay increase for police and firefighters effective Dec. 1, while city officials also agreed to accelerate a planned 3% raise for roughly 1,000 other employees to Jan. 1 rather than March. The change follows council members’ concerns that delaying raises for other municipal workers would be unfair and could harm morale. More than 400 employees identified as underpaid in a compensation study are separately scheduled for January parity adjustments, with some receiving larger increases after the across-the-board raise. Officials said the earlier timetable will require extra work from human resources and payroll staff and is expected to cost about $180,000 in 2026 and $360,000 in 2027, with funding reflected in the proposed 2027 budget.