On Monday, Chesapeake’s council voted 6-0 to give an across the board raise of $1.50 an hour to all members of the village police force.

As interim chief Randy Thompson pointed out, the village was the lowest paid department in Lawrence County and the salaries had impacted recruitment and retention of officers.

Police risk their lives on duty every day and the salary officers in the village were making was not justifiable.

As the drug bust in the village last spring, the largest in Chesapeake’s history, illustrates, Chesapeake is located on a major drug distribution corridor from West Virginia to Ohio. This puts the village’s officers on the front lines of the region’s effort to tackle the drug and opioid epidemic.

While the village may have tight funds, as many in the county do, the department’s income from tickets should cover the cost.

We commend Thompson for his push to improve this situation, as well as Mayor Tommy Templeton and village council for supporting the raise.

In addition to the raise, the mayor and council made moves to purchase new equipment for the department.

It is our hope that a well-equipped and fairly-compensated police department will serve the village well.