BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Base pay for new police officers at the University of Vermont has jumped from the lowest in the state to the highest.

And the higher starting pay has already increased the quality of applicants for open positions at the 22-member department, said Chief Gary Margolis. The salary increase, from $30,514 to $40,246, is thanks to a new union contract that took effect Dec. 1.

The department has been plagued with vacancies and recruitment problems.

“We’re at the top of the pecking order right now,” Margolis said.

“UVM is willing to pay a premium for the people who police the university because we recognize the skills it takes to be a university officer. We need to be competitive and this is about maintaining an appropriate market edge.”

The department his responsible for law enforcement on the campus of 8,784 undergraduates, but officers are also authorized to enforce state law anywhere and they frequently work with area departments and the state police.

The department has been short six officers since spring, when two left to take other jobs and another officer was serving in Iraq.

Margolis said the higher pay is helping him fill the vacancies.

“Before these salary adjustments, I had nothing really to offer,” Margolis said. “Now we’re able to call some of these folks and say to them, I’m now in a position where I can make you an offer you can’t refuse.”‘

In addition to the base-pay increase, each officer will receive bonuses of $4,000 bonuses, Margolis said.

The department plans to hire five or six new officers by February, Margolis hopes to be fully staffed by summer.

UVM Police Services is part of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.

The university has operated its own full-service police department since 1991.