MIAMI -- Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez on Thursday defended his choice to give pay hikes to three dozen police majors just weeks after announcing that the county was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Alvarez said he raised the salaries of 36 police majors by 5 percent in March in order to bump up the pay of non-union commanders who lost out on overtime and other lucrative union benefits when they were promoted.

Maj. Gary Jeaninnton, an 18-year veteran of the Miami-Dade County Police Department, went from making $105,000 to about $113,000.

"He's a major. The captain who works for him makes ten grand more than he does," Alvarez said.

Maj. Mark Jeter, who has been on the force for 28 years, will take home $138,000 this year, up from $131,000.

"It was too long in coming. We work hard for people. We do things that nobody else wants to do," Jeter said.

Alvarez said the majors requested the salary corrections 18 months ago, long before the current economic crisis. The money they were given came from this year's budget, not the pool of tax dollars that will likely lead to layoffs and pay cuts for county employees in the next fiscal year.

Alvarez said all the other county employees who were due raises this year got them, too.

"If somebody shows you a wrong, you correct it. I stand by what I did. I'm sure there's other people who will have a difference of opinion," Alvarez said.