Police officers and sergeants have inked a new three-year contract with Brookfield after the board of trustees ratified the agreement at its March 25 meeting. The deal is retroactive to Jan. 1 and expires Dec. 31, 2026.
The contract — which was negotiated from Nov. 21, 2023, to March 1 between Brookfield’s legal counsel and representatives from the Illinois Council of Police — calls for base pay raises of 3.5% in 2024 and 3% the next two years for the village’s officers and sergeants.
Brookfield Police Chief Michael Kuruvilla said Friday that the negotiation process “went well.”
“I felt that both sides came to the table with a sense of respect for one another. And I think it was because of that respect, and because of a spirit of, obviously, purpose, but also diplomacy and reasonableness” that negotiations were successful, he said.
Step increases built into the salary structure will boost junior officers’ pay, through their seventh years of employment, in addition to the contract’s base pay raises.
For example, according to the contract’s pay table, a new officer in 2024 — like the two Brookfield is in the process of hiring — would have a starting salary of $72,743. With both the base and step raises, that officer’s salary would be $91,278 in 2026, a total pay increase of about 25.5% over the three years.
Sergeants also benefit from both kinds of pay raises, though they only receive step increases through their third year on the force. An entry-level sergeant in 2024 will make $116,875. In 2026, that same sergeant will make $131,476, an increase of nearly 12.5%.
Minor changes to the contract include an increase to officers’ required equipment allowance, from $200 to $225; the maximum amount that can be accumulated over multiple years increased from $400 to $450. Juvenile officers and detectives saw their monthly plainclothes stipend increase from $130 to $140.
For officers hired on or after Jan. 1, 2024, the village more than doubled the amount owed to Brookfield by employees who quit within their first two years to cover the costs of training at the police academy. Officers who quit within the first year will owe $4,000, up from $1,800. Those who quit between a year and 18 months will owe $3,000, up from $1,400, while those who quit between 18 months and two years will owe $2,500, up from $900.
The village also decreased its share of approved tuition reimbursement for officers in accredited education programs across the board. Brookfield will cover 80% of all tuition, textbook and fee costs for officers who receive an A in a course, decreased from 100% in the previous contract. Those who get Bs will be reimbursed 70%, down from 85%, and those who get Cs will be reimbursed 50%, down from 70%. Officers who pass a course that is only offered pass/fail will receive the same reimbursement as officers who get Cs in a graded course, as they did under the last deal.
Union firefighters in Brookfield saw a similar change to tuition reimbursement rates when the village approved their 2023-2025 contract last year.
The health insurance benefits to union police officers have not changed in the new contract. The village will continue to cover 85% of the cost of premiums for individuals and their families, with the employee responsible for the other 15%. The village also pays 90% of dental coverage for officers and 75% for dependents.
