PATASKALA, Ohio — After what seems like years of not getting a fair shake, officers with the Pataskala Police Department have a reason to smile.
“Everybody’s smiling a lot bigger the past couple weeks,” Officer Tony Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski has been with the department for the last 10 years. For him, being an officer was never a second thought.
“I just like it,” he said. “[I] don’t really know what else to say than that,” he laughed.
However, being an officer in Pataskala has been difficult in the last few years. The department has had a high turnover rate losing good officers to other departments because of a lack of competitive pay compared to other agencies in Licking County.
“It’s tough,” Wisniewski said. “It’s tough.”
To help, PPD put two ballots before voters to increase the income tax from its current 1% to help with more pay and more officers. Both times in 2020 and 2021, the measure failed.
So, the department took matters into its own hands.
“We solved one problem,” Chief Deputy Michael Boals said. “We couldn’t solve them both, so we acted on the one that was the most crucial at the time, which was retaining people and making pay competitive.”
Last week, Pataskala City Council voted to give all patrol and sergeant officers a 10.76% pay raise.
“It took us 10.76% just to become competitive,” Boals said. “So, that kind of gives you an idea of where we were.”
The raises are set to take effect May 29.
The money, an estimated $81,250, comes out of the police fund. Boals says it’s a more competitive rate compared to police departments in Heath, Newark, Johnstown and the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. He’s hopeful with more business coming in and Intel coming to the area, it will help with the other issue of adding more officers to its current roster of 23. If not, he says it’s possible another levy issue could find its way on a ballot in the future.
“For me…it was…I struggle,” Wisniewski said. “With money, it’s life-changing. It’s life-changing.”
Officers like Wisniewski are appreciative of more pay, hoping it has a trickle effect for more great things to come.
“We are definitely coming back,” he said. “Absolutely.”