DELRAY BEACH — After nearly a year of negotiations and growing concerns over officer departures, Delray Beach and its police union have agreed on the terms of a new contract, setting the stage for a vote by rank-and-file officers.
The three-year deal includes front-loaded pay increases for officers, sergeants and lieutenants, with the city adding between $500,000 and $600,000 to the salary budget over the term of the contract, which is three years.
Both sides also agreed to extend the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) from five to eight years, allowing senior officers to remain on the job while collecting retirement benefits — though the change will not take effect until October 2026.
The agreement further clarifies when the city can request psychological testing for officers and sets clear rules for drug and alcohol testing following accidents.
“I’m not going to try to compete with municipalities that have larger space and fewer uniformed officers,” Mayor Tom Carney said at an Aug. 21 special meeting, during which the city and police union reached agreement on the new contract. Before this, the commission had been presented with a comparison of other police department contracts in Palm Beach County.
The contract comes as the department faces ongoing staffing challenges. According to union officials, 25 officers have left the force since negotiations began last June, citing dissatisfaction with pay and benefits.
“You’ve got to pay your people in order to retain them,” Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association President John Kazanjian said. “People aren’t going to stick around if you’re not going to take care of them with paying benefits.”
Kazanjian said it felt good to come to an agreement, “but it really didn’t have to take that long.”
“Frankly, I think our police officers are among the best trained that we have in the county, and I’m happy to say that,” Carney said.
Delray residents frustrated about recent crime
Residents at the Aug. 21 meeting voiced frustration over local crime, with some sharing personal experiences of car thefts and break-ins, while also praising officers for quick responses.
“My family and my friends pay a lot of money to live here and raise our families,” Delray Beach resident Melissa Morales Milkman said. “Little did we know before moving here we would be sacrificing our safety.”
Since January, she said, three of her cars have been targeted in auto thefts.
The agreement follows a recommendation issued in July by Special Magistrate Thomas W. Young III, who was brought in after the city and the union reached an impasse in negotiations.
In a 26-page report, Young sided with the union on pensions, endorsing its proposal to extend the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) from five to eight years, but backed the city on wages, management rights and post-accident drug testing.
With the city and union now in agreement, the terms will be presented to Delray Beach police officers, who must ratify the deal before it takes effect.
“Hopefully, next week, we can bring it in front of the membership, and we’ll try to get it ratified,” Kazanjian said. “Then, we’ll have a contract for three years.”
Delray Beach hires a new police chief
The agreement also comes as the department undergoes a leadership transition.
On Aug. 20, the city named Darrell Hunter as its new police chief, following two months in the interim role.
Hunter, who joined the department in 2007, has risen through the ranks over 18 years and previously served as assistant chief, detective and community patrol supervisor before taking over from former Chief Russ Mager in June.
Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: After a year of negotiations, Delray Beach, police union at last have deal for new contract
Reporting by Jasmine Fernández, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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