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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — On Wednesday, the Houston City Council approved a nearly $1 billion agreement with the Houston Police Officers Union.
The agreement, shared with ABC13, outlines a series of raises for officers over the next five years. Documents show officers will receive a total pay bump of nearly 37%.
Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said the agreement makes HPD “the highest paid police department in the State of Texas.”
Short staffing at the department has gripped headlines in recent years. Top brass, in part, blamed a recent suspended case scandal on the matter.
“These additional resources will be essential in retaining our seasoned officers while also growing our ranks with new recruits,” Diaz said.
Diaz told ABC13 he plans to poach officers from nearby law enforcement entities. He said more than 200 officers who identify themselves as employees of nearby departments used a QR code over a 24-hour period from Tuesday into Wednesday, indicating that they wanted more information on joining the department. Diaz said approximately 75 of the 200 officers identified themselves as members of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
On Wednesday, HPD posted a flyer on social media advertising a lateral officer class for September. The post stated that the department was seeking officers with three or more years of experience.
“That’s what we’re gonna target. The people that we already have here,” Diaz told ABC13.
In light of the HPD pay bump, the Sheriff’s Office requested pay raises from Harris County officials.
According to a press release from Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen’s Office, all eight Harris County Constables, two Harris County Commissioners, and law-enforcement labor leaders plan to host a press conference on Thursday addressing the “City of Houston’s historic investment Wednesday in police salaries and public safety.”
Houston City Council greenlit the HPD agreement, which is baked into the proposed FY 2026 budget, minutes after a public hearing on the budget proposal.
During the hearing, several council members and constituents expressed concern regarding proposed funding cuts to other city departments, which were also outlined in the proposal. Departments were initially asked to cut 10% to help combat a forecasted budget deficit of several hundred million.
The deficit was slashed to approximately $100 million and settled by drawing money down from the city’s fund balance. City Controller Chris Hollins and City Finance Director Melissa Dubowski have both equated the fund balance to Houston’s “savings account.”
“Today we are taking care of our police officers, but we also need to find ways to take care of the other employees as well,” said District F Council Member Edward Pollard.
The FY 26 budget proposal shows the Neighborhoods Department, for example, is set to lose half of its general fund money, dropping from $14 to $7 million. Similarly, the Health Department is set to experience a $7 million cut.
“I agree that police and fire need raises, but we’re taking it away from the other departments. Please, help us out,” pleaded Neartown Montrose Super Neighborhood President Jack Valinski.
Wednesday Diaz pushed back against insinuations that officer pay bumps resulted in cuts to other city departments. He told ABC13 that the department was also subject to recent cuts.
While uniformed officers will receive raises, many civilian HPD services are being consolidated with city departments. More than 100 department civilian employees also accepted a city employee retirement buyout package that went into effect May 1.
Diaz said the reorganization efforts resulted in the loss of approximately 50% of the civilian staff at HPD headquarters over the past seven months.
“There’s no blank check. There’s no endless pot of gold,” he stressed.