Rio Rancho police union says retention lags amid stalled contract talks

Union leaders for the Rio Rancho Police Department say recent contract negotiations failed to secure the pay and incentives they sought to stop officers from leaving the department, raising concerns about retention for a widely appreciated local force.

Buchanan, a member of the union leadership team, described the bargaining context as a first negotiation for a new board and said the union prepared with outside advice. "We've done a lot of research about what we are asking for, but being that this was as a new board, this is our first negotiations, we had an advisor with us not to run the negotiations, but for us to ask questions to, for him to kind of oversee and make sure that we weren't doing anything that was going to harm us," Buchanan said. He added the union won some concessions but not all: "We got some of what we asked for and some not."

Other union leaders were more blunt about the process. Tortorici said the union leadership team thought the talks "went 'horribly.'" He summarized the bargaining outcome in stark terms: "There were just no negotiations."

City contract language and departmental materials outline a package of retention pay and other benefit changes. "It adds that in Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028, sworn law enforcement personnel that sign a 1-year retention agreement will receive $3,000 in retention pay, and non-sworn $1,000," the agreement reads. The same document provides a year-by-year breakdown: "This breaks down to $5000: 2025/26, $3000: 2027, $1000: 2028," it reads. The negotiated and approved new agreement also increased overtime pay, uniform allowance, monetary fitness benefits, and "provided non-sworn law enforcement personnel longevity pay for the first time, RRPD states." The record further notes: "It also writes that staff received yearly raises."

Those numbers give a mixed picture for local taxpayers and for recruiting and retention. The retention pay is contingent on signing a 1-year retention agreement, which narrows eligibility to those willing to commit for a short term. The union sought broader pay, benefits, and incentives "to not only retain officers but encourage recruitment," according to union comments, but union leaders say many of their requests were unresolved.

Several key details remain unclear from available materials: whether the $5,000 entry for 2025/26 applies to sworn personnel, non-sworn personnel, or both; exact effective dates tied to the city fiscal calendar; and the eligibility rules and repayment conditions for retention agreements. The contract text mentions increased overtime and allowances but does not list amounts or formulas for those changes.

For Rio Rancho residents, the dispute matters because officer staffing affects patrol coverage, response times, and public safety budgets. The union has signaled further scrutiny as the city and department implement the approved agreement. This story is part of an ongoing series on negotiations and RRPD pay structure; forthcoming coverage will seek the final contract language, staffing and vacancy numbers, and responses from city and department officials to the union's assessment.