City proposes TPD pay increase to address officer shortage

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The City of Topeka is trying to address a shortage of police officers by offering more competitive pay.

The city budget manager said there's a shortage of 40 officers, and that there's a growing pay gap for officers in the Topeka Police Department (TPD) compared to similar cities.

Robert Perez, Topeka's city manager, said addressing the officer shortage is a high priority. He says currently the city is forced to rely on cops working overtime.

"As we...