HOUSTON (KIAH) -- In a 3-to-2 vote on May 22, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved pay raises for sheriff's deputies and constable's deputies.

The previous day, the Houston City Council approved an identical 36.5% raise for the city's police department putting starting pay for a first-year officer at $81,600.

The action from the commissioners court put deputy pay at $77,800, and commissioners hoped it would be close enough to prevent deputies from migrating to the Houston Police Department for better salaries.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones was one of the votes in favor of the raises, and she continued to express her support for them Thursday before a meeting over the county's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 began.

“We are losing our officers, because they can ge

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