BATON ROUGE — Last month, Mayor Sid Edwards announced proposed raises for Baton Rouge police, but did not include her office. Williams is now putting the city-parish on her own deadline.

Williams says if the city does not provide a plan that gives her office a pay raise by the end of this month, she has some other things in mind that could include legal counsel.

Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse told WBRZ that the department is seeing an increase in interest after the proposed pay raises were announced.

"Chatter has been through the roof, lines at recruiting people have been blowing up, people calling, looking into getting a job with us," Morse said.

Williams says it was great to hear, but it made her a little worried.

"Just to see how the chief of police was able to say that they've been getting more phone calls, they've been getting more applicants, and more inquiries about coming to work for Baton Rouge city police makes me kind of afraid because now what do I do if I can't hire and retain officers at the constable's office," Williams said.

If approved, the pay gap between BRPD officers and city constables would go from $1,400 to a $17,000 pay difference. Williams says that within the last year, she lost four employees to city police.

Metro Councilwoman Laurie Adams says BRPD has significant retention challenges because of how the pay compares to surrounding areas. She says the pay raises will address retention issues.

Adams says she values the constables and their work.

"It's about $132,000, and I'm hoping somewhere, somehow we can find that $132,000 to give the Constables office their pay increase," Williams said.

Williams is asking the mayor and Metro Council to create a plan that will provide pay raises to her department by April 22, the same day the council is expected to vote on the proposed raises for Baton Rouge police.

Adams says once a plan has been introduced and scheduled for public hearing, no substantial changes or amendments can be made. But they are working to make city-parish general fund dollars go further.

"Let's make sure that we think about everybody and put a real public safety plan together before we jump off the porch and make a quick, what I would consider a quick asinine decision to focus on somebody instead of everybody," East Baton Rouge Metro councilman Darryl Hurst said.

Williams says she wants to see a pay raise for her office no later than this year.