At least 10 Selma Police Department patrol officers called in sick to work Thursday amid demands for pay raises.

At least five officers didn’t report for work during the morning shift, and an equal number were absent in the afternoon.

About 20 officers met with Selma Mayor George Evans and city council members for more than three hours Thursday afternoon.

Officer Michael Kiser said officers left the meeting without any guarantees.

“We haven’t gotten any guarantees. Nobody came to a conclusion about anything. They requested specific things in writing. We are going to submit that to them and go from there,” Kiser said.

Officers repeatedly said they weren’t on strike but wouldn’t answer if they would report for work Friday.

“We don’t want to discuss that because that’s going to cause conflict among the police department,” Kiser said.

Police Chief John Brock said the department can staff all patrols with detectives, part-time employees and retirees. He said he had “no idea” if the sick-out would continue.

“We have a plan in place in case they don’t show up. We have a plan in place when they do show up. The ball is in their court,” Brock said. “We have a complete shift tonight and in the morning.”

Before the meeting, Kiser read a prepared statement that addressed comments about the timing of the move, 12 days ahead of the city’s municipal election.

“We the members of the Selma Police Department would like to say we love and care about the citizens of Selma. Our first priority is the safety of this community. Any statements or assertions this is only about the money and this is only about an election are absolutely false,” Kiser said.

Kiser said officers are concerned about the safety of the community, fair pay, a safe working environment, needed equipment upgrades, fair promotions and hiring, professionalism and the chain of command, among other issues.

“Everything that was discussed is things we need to maintain a quality of life and survive here in Selma just like all other citizens,” said officer Marqueis Neely.

The meeting was closed to the public and media, but at least one officer broadcast the discussion over Facebook Live. Brock said the meeting was between him and his department as well as some city officials.

Any meeting of five members of the city council or more has to be advertised and open to the public. To stay in compliance with the Alabama Open Meeting Act, council members played musical chairs at times coming in and out to make sure no more than four members were inside the George P. Evans Building at a time.

Councilman Michael Johnson, who oversees the council’s public safety committee, said he appreciated officers’ honesty.

“It was a very interesting meeting. Those young men came out and told it like it was. Everything they said was straight up,” Johnson said. “I appreciate them. The things that they expressed to us, we didn’t know.”

The starting hourly wage for Selma patrol officers is $12.90 per hour. Most make more than that due to incentives like being on night patrol or having advanced training, according to Brock.

The hourly wage of the highest paid patrol officer is $15.70 per hour, while the lowest makes the minimum of $12.90 per hour.

After two years with the department, officers can take the sergeant’s test. The starting salary for that rank is $14.89 plus any earned incentives. The department has 10 sergeants.

The next eligible promotion is lieutenant, of which the department has seven, and captain. Johnny King was promoted to the department’s only captain earlier this summer.

There are a total of 47 officers in the Selma Police Department.

Officers delivered an unsigned letter to the Selma City Council on Tuesday demanding a meeting for this week and immediate raises.

The last permanent pay increases for officers were in 2007. Since then, officers as well as all city employees have received a one-time pay raises, which amounts to a bonus of up to $1,600, the past three years around Christmas.

The Selma City Council approved a half-cent sales tax in 2013 that has helped pay for the bonuses, which cost approximately $400,000 each year. Johnson said that money should have been used to provide permanent raises.

“If we had done what we were supposed to do with that half-cent sales tax, they would have gotten the money,” Johnson said. “I just hope and pray we take care of this right away.”

Evans said the city is working on a pay plan that would bring back step raises to officers as well as all city employees.

“The fact is that police officers have the right to get some questions answered, and we welcome the fact they wanted to address some concerns they have … Our employees will have a raise by hopefully Oct. 1 in the new fiscal year budget,” Evans said.

Evans said he thinks there were some politics involved too as he runs for a third-term in office.

“I think some of this does bring into play the issue of politics. I can’t prove it, but I believe it,” Evans said.