BATON ROUGE — The East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council approved massive pay raises for the Baton Rouge Police Department on Wednesday, and will consider raises for other departments in May. 

The nearly 40-percent department-wide raise brings pay for starting officers from $40,000 to $58,000 a year, the biggest pay raise in BRPD history. 

The city hopes the raise will help recruit more officers to the understaffed force, and Chief T.J. Morse said it already has. He told WBRZ earlier this month that BRPD saw interest in becoming an officer go "through the roof" after the raises were first announced. 

Other city departments, such as the city constable's office, are concerned that they aren't getting their fair share. They will have to wait until May 13, when the council will hold a public hearing to discuss raises for other city-parish departments.