The average Annapolis police officer looks either fresh out of college or ready for retirement - a situation the department is trying to change with improved benefits and increased salaries that went into effect this year.

"People either stay here forever or we lose them after five or six years of service," said Officer Hal Dalton, police spokesman and an Annapolis officer for 28 years.

Until July, Annapolis police officers received no medical benefits after retiring, which meant some had to pay up to $700 a month for health insurance, Dalton said.

"That pretty much made it impossible to retire," he said. "And with all the retirement-aged people here, that bottles everything up, and there's not a lot of movement upward for the younger people."

But in the spring, the police union negotiated a contract with a stipulation that the city pay 80 percent of medical coverage when an officer retires with at least 25 years of service. The retiree will pay the remaining 20 percent.

The new benefit, coupled with an across-the-board 11.1 percent pay increase that goes into effect tomorrow, has Annapolis' 108 police officers feeling that they made great strides this year.

"We've never had a hike like this," Dalton said. The raise increases the minimum salary to $35,000.

Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, who approved the raise this month, said better pay and benefits should "help stop the exodus of police officers to other jurisdictions."

Police Chief Joseph S. Johnson said he was glad to see that the mayor had "lived up to her campaign promises," saying she "truly understands our needs."

"She's done a lot in six months," Johnson said.

Officer Floyd Carson Jr., who patrols Main Street and the city dock, called this the year the department "has really come of age."

Carson, 33, said his salary will jump by about $4,200 and help him pay for night classes at Bowie State University, where he is about a year away from obtaining a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

With three children - and a fourth on the way - Carson said every dollar counts.

The changes this year, he said, are "long overdue" and should help the department with recruiting and retention.

The four-year veteran said that he had "questioned momentarily" whether he should leave the department but that Johnson assured officers that improved pay and benefits were on the way.