Mayor reacts to Police Officer pay raise request.

After a Meridian police officer shared her opinion on the department deserving a raise., The decision of whether the council will grant the request has yet to be decided.

We spoke with Mayor Jimmie Smith to get his reaction.

“It was a little surprising", said Smith. "I think we’ve got to look at it in the future as far as administration and the council. Look at their pay and make adjustments where it’s needed.”

Earlier this month, a discussion with the mayor of what the officers needed took place.

“ I talked to them about pay increase and pay evaluation, and I think we’ve got to get on board with that.”

Smith shared the battles that he sees law enforcement is up against today.

“I realize having been in law enforcement, it’s a tough job, and it’s even tougher today because everybody’s got a camera and can play something different on something that happened innocently.”

The decision of whether the department will receive the raise is based on the council’s findings.