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The Edmonton Police Service has a morale problem, according to Chief John Lindsay, but it is nothing that could not be fixed with a 7% wage hike. That would put the salaries of Edmonton lawmen on par with police officers in Toronto and Montreal, two of the highest-paid forces in the country. EPS wages currently rank somewhere between 25th and 30th among Canadian cities, Chief Lindsay told reporters two weeks ago, and the cost of raising their relative standing--and their morale--would be about $7 million. Chief Lindsay's comments were not well-received by Edmonton civic officials--partly because contract talks between the city and the Edmonton Police Association (EPA) were already in mediation, and partly because the chief was already in hot water over a buy-out package his department recently offered senior officers. The package will allow 100 of Edmonton's 164 senior officers an opportunity to take early retirement with seven months salary and a full pension. Chief Lindsay says the $3.1 million budgeted for buy-outs would have been spent in salaries anyway. Besides, he says, "paying senior cops to leave now will free up $2.1 million in the next two years."That will not begin to cover the raise he wants, however. Not that he is likely to get it anyway. "A 7% raise is too high" says Edmonton Councillor Allan Bolstad. He notes that unlike provincial civil servants, municipal employees in the capital never suffered a 5% wage roll-back. Edmonton police wages have been frozen since 1992, but police salaries have been paralysed in most major Canadian cities since 1993.Counc. Bolstad's argument only irritates EPA members. "Somebody ought to give their head a shake," exclaims Norm Koch, a 32-year veteran of the Edmonton force, and business manager for the 1,100-member EPA. "With inflation at 2.5% a year, our salaries are going down, not staying the same."But Mr. Koch is not telling the whole story. Edmonton police receive substantial raises based on years of service and promotions. Nor are their salaries significantly out of line with other large Canadian cities. For example, first-year Edmonton constables start at just over $30,000, slightly below Calgary's $32,588 and $35,104 in Vancouver. After four years of service, those salaries reach $50,016, $50,135, and $54,084 respectively. The equivalent RCMP salary after four years service is $50,508. If the Edmonton police service got a 7% pay raise, a four-year veteran would then earn $53,517, compared with $52,800 (Toronto) and $55,745 (Montreal). Promotions are another way police boost their pay cheques. A move to sergeant or detective--almost 25% of EPS officers now hold these ranks--raises salaries to at least $60,000 (compared to $58,600 in Calgary and $65,000 in Vancouver). But most EPS officers have years to go before retirement, leaving today's constables with few hopes of a promotion. Chief Lindsay says that is one reason he moved ahead with his buy-out plan. It will unplug the promotion bottleneck and give some long-suffering constables an opportunity for better wages. The possibility that a buy-out will eliminate Edmonton's most experienced officers has raised questions about public safety. And it means that until new recruits are trained, fewer police will be on Edmonton streets this summer. "The bottom line must be the consumer of the product," says retired EPS superintendent Chris Braiden. Mr. Braiden says the buy-out could be a useful shake-up for the force. "Not all the experience is leaving," he says, "and there's something to be said for [youthful] enthusiasm." But Mr. Braiden has a warning for Chief Lindsay. "Personnel decisions can't be made for superficial or political reasons," he says. "The chief should never forget the EPS motto, 'committed to community needs'."--Mark Milke