Paying police cadets more might help the Cincinnati land better cops.

        That's a premise Mayor Charlie Luken laid out to City Council on Wednesday. Mr. Luken asked City Manager John Shirey to research the issue and bring back a recommendation.

        Mr. Luken said he would like to see cadets' pay raised by $5,000 to $7,000 a year.

        During their first six months on the force, officers are referred to as “cadets” and are paid about $13,000. After that, the Fraternal Order of Police contract kicks in, and their pay jumps to about $37,000 per year.

        “We have cadets with a couple of kids that can't afford to work for (that),” Mr. Luken said. He said the latest recruitment class has dropped from 28 to 22.

        Councilman Jim Tarbell said it's more of a morale issue than pay.

        “It's not money. It's not vacation. It's morale,” Mr. Tarbell said. “What our police department has gone through over the past six months has made a dramatic difference in morale. We have to deal with that.”

        Mr. Luken said there could be a connection between the two.

        “My morale is always better when I get paid,” Mr. Luken said. “Maybe there's a relationship between morale and pay.”

        The idea comes at a time when Councilman John Cranley is floating a $3.4 million proposal that would allow the city to hire 75 police officers over the next two years. Mr. Cranley has proposed paying for the new officers by cutting $4.4 million from the city budget over the two years.

        Mr. Luken said the city can afford to pay its cadets more.

        “We're just not getting the quality of cadets we've had in the past,” Mr. Luken said.

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