Vicksburg police officers just promoted to the ranks of sergeant and lieutenant will now have to wait two years before being allowed to test for the next rank up.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously agreed Monday at the behest of Chief Walter Armstrong to add one year to the time period for both ranks before candidates are eligible to test for promotion.

“We believe once an officer goes up in rank, they need that experience,” Armstrong told the board Monday. “That one year we currently have them serve now, we don’t think is enough time for them to learn the ins and outs of what’s required of them as a supervisor.”

“I think this is a positive move,” Winfield said.

Exams include written and oral components.

Pay rates will not change with this addition, Armstrong said.

The base pay for sergeants is $18.05 per hour, $19.98 for lieutenants and $21.91 for captains.

Currently, there are 14 sergeants, three lieutenants and no captains.

The base pay for an officer is $13.65 per hour.

Last year, the board approved paying new recruits an extra 20 cents per hour for every year of experience they bring to the force with a maximum of $2 per hour.

“The higher you go, the more responsibilities you have,” Armstrong said.

Also on Monday, the board approved another of Armstrong’s requests to change a rule to allow self-sponsored law enforcement academy graduates to apply for a position with the VPD.

“The benefit would be that the officers are properly trained through a state academy and they are self-sponsored, which means we will not have to foot the bill,” he said.

The self-sponsored graduates will still have to go through a background investigation, complete the psychological evaluation, physical exam and drug screen.