Though benchmarking statistics have been used to justify spending and staffing cuts for the City of Vero Beach, those same numbers have not been discussed, at least not in public, when an unbiased review might well justify salary increases.  For example, comparing the starting salary for an office in the Vero Beach Police Department with that of seven other benchmarked cities and other area law enforcement agencies, Vero Beach, at $36,982, is approximately $2,000 below the average.  Just 40 miles to the south, the City of Stuart offers its police officers a starting salary of $44,626, 20.6 percent more than Vero Beach.