As Redding debates a new budget, the city council on Tuesday will take up the issue of whether to approve a new round of signing bonuses to attract new police recruits that would significantly boost payments to experienced officers.
Under the proposal up for discussion, officers with more than five years of experience would receive a $60,000 signing bonus, up from $40,000, according to the staff report.
The incentive will continue to be disbursed in three installments: 25% upon hire, 50% upon successful completion of RPD’s training program and the remaining 25% upon successful completion of a probationary period.
A three-year commitment to RPD would still be required. So new officers who leave voluntarily before fulfilling the full term will be required to repay the bonus amount on a prorated basis, the staff report said.
The signing bonus recruitment tool comes as other police agencies are also offering bonuses, ranging from $50,000 in Eureka and Chico to $75,000 in Alameda, the report said.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office is offering a signing bonus of $15,000, the same as in 2023.
In early 2022, the Redding council approved increasing the signing bonus for experienced police officers who joined the force to $40,000, a four-fold increase from the $10,000 signing bonus the city approved the prior year.
The council initially approved the bonus to remain in effect for 18 months and in September 2023 extended the incentive for an additional 18 months to help shore up hiring in the midst of retirements, resignations and injuries.
The cost of the proposed hiring incentive will be paid through the police department’s existing budget, the report said, funded by existing salary savings from police officer positions that are currently vacant.
Since the signing bonus program began in March 2022, the department has hired 29 experienced officers, with 21 of them still employed. RPD hired 17 police recruits, during the same period, with 14 completing the program, the staff report said.
The police department has a $43 million budget. Meanwhile, the city is dealing with a $5 million deficit and pulling back some services as a result.
“When I took over in October of 2023, we had 122 sworn police officers on the street. We are down 10 positions now,” Redding Police Chief Brian Barner told the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in late February during a summit on countywide public safety efforts.
In response, the agency moved two officers from its Crisis Intervention Response Team back to patrol duties.
In addition, “We’re down two traffic officers and, as of May 1, we are reducing down to two park rangers to keep our patrol staff at 50,” Barner told the board.
With some officers preparing to leave Redding for other agencies or remaining out on long-term medical leave, Barner added, “I anticipate us to be down 17 police officer positions by May. That is a huge number.”
Michele Chandler covers public safety, dining and whatever else comes up for the Redding Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. Accepts story tips at 530-338-7753 and at mrchandler@gannett.com. Please support our entire newsroom’s commitment to public service journalism by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding Police Department wants to boost signing bonuses again
Reporting by Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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