Suffolk lawmakers approve new detectives contract with 18% raise, stipends

Suffolk taxpayers are on the hook for a five-year detectives contract that raises base pay 18% and adds stipends for specialized units, a package that would amount to about $18,000 more over the term for a detective earning $100,000 before benefits and add-ons. The Suffolk County Legislature approved the deal unanimously, extending pay and staffing terms for the county’s 323-member detectives union through Dec. 31, 2029.

The agreement was reached between the county and the president of the Suffolk County Detectives Association, according to legislative backup materials. County budget staff said the salary increases are phased in at 3%, 4%, 4%, 3% and 4%, and are not compounded. The same materials say the salary schedule was cut from 14 steps to 10, with top step now reached in nine years.

That shorter path to the top matters in a department whose detectives handle violent crime, narcotics, child abuse, major fraud and homicide cases. The public-value question for residents is whether the extra wage cost buys enough in return, in the form of steadier staffing, better retention and stronger coverage in specialized investigative units. County officials are betting it will, especially with the added stipends aimed at keeping officers in the most demanding assignments.

The detectives contract also fits a broader compensation reset inside the Suffolk County Police Department. It mirrors earlier agreements with the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association and the Suffolk County Superior Officers Association, signaling that county leaders want pay aligned across ranks rather than negotiated piecemeal. In the earlier police officers deal, the county budget office said the five-year package delivered 18% total base-pay growth and cut the time to top pay from about 11.5 years to eight.

Under County Executive Edward P. Romaine, elected in November 2023, Suffolk has already pushed staffing changes through the department. In February 2024, Romaine and Acting Police Commissioner Robert Waring announced 68 promotions and added 24 detectives to the force, underscoring how closely pay, promotions and retention are tied together. The Suffolk County Detectives Association scheduled an informational meeting on the new contract for March 30, as members were briefed on the details.

The legislature’s vote, and the matching contracts that preceded it, show a county trying to stabilize its public-safety workforce while keeping a tight grip on long-term labor costs.