City of Alameda
Interdepartmental Memorandum
Date: January 15, 2025
To: Office of the Chief of Police
Attn: Chief Nishant Joshi
From: Bureau of Professional Standards
RE: Evaluation of Hiring Incentive
______________________________________________________________________
SUMMARY
An evaluation was conducted to determine the impacts of the resolutions that established a temporary recruitment and hiring incentive policy to fill police officer vacancies. Four periods were compared: pre-initiative, 2017 initiative, 2019 initiative, and 2023 initiative.
The evaluation determined the 2017, 2019, and 2023 initiatives resulted in increases in the number of applications and the number of police officers hired . The largest gains occurred following the implementation of the current 2023 initiative.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
On March 21, 2023, the City Council approved the adoption of a resolution establishing a temporary recruitment and hiring incentive policy with the purpose of filling police officer vacancies. The payment schedule of the incentive is as follows:
- $25,000 paid upon being sworn in with proof of graduation from an accredited California POST academy. Out of state candidates would qualify if they successfully pass California POST academy standards and achieve California POST certification.
- $50,000 paid upon completion of the Field Training Program. To be eligible for this second incentive payment, hired personnel must commit to five years of service.
Voluntary separation prior to five years of service would require a prorated payback at $10,000 per year not-to-exceed $50,000.
The purpose of this evaluation was to assess whether the program worked as designed.
The performance measures were identified as:
Exhibit 1
- Number of applications received before and during each of the hiring incentive programs, and
- Number of police officers hired before and during each of the hiring incentive programs.
Data were collected from the Human Resources Department.
ANALYSIS
There have been three versions of a hiring incentive program. The 2017 and 2019 initiatives enhanced benefits for lateral officers, while the 2023 initiative expanded the benefits to all classifications of applicants.
Pre-Initiative
Jan 2015 to Jan
2017 (25
months)
2017 Initiative
Feb 2017 to
Nov 2019 (34
months)
2019 Initiative
Dec 2019 to
Feb 2023 (39
months)
2023 Initiative
Mar 2023 to Jan
2025 (22
months)
Incentives
Recruits,
Attendees
None None
None
Match: salary,
vacation,
service credit
Shortened
probation
$75,000 bonus
Academy
Graduates
None None None Match: salary,
vacation,
service credit
Shortened
probation
$75,000 bonus
Lateral
Officers
None Match: salary,
vacation,
service credit
Match: salary,
vacation,
service credit
Match: salary,
vacation,
service credit
Shortened
probation
Shortened
probation
$30,000 bonus $75,000 bonus
Applications
Recruits,
Attendees
130
(5.2/month)
1,064
(31.3/month)
540
(13.8/month)
964
(43.8/month)
Academy
Graduates
34 (1.4/month)
132
(3.9/month)
82 (2.1/month)
163
(7.4/month)
Lateral
Officers
6 (0.2/month)
28 (0.8/month)
33 (0.8/month)
83 (3.8/month)
Exhibit 1
TOTAL 170
(6.8/month)
1,224
(36.0/month)
655
(16.8/month)
1,210
(55.0/month)
Hires
Recruits,
Attendees 6 16 20 21
Academy
Graduates 6 8 6 6
Lateral
Officers 2 1 1 6
TOTAL 14
(0.6/month)
25 (0.7/month)
27 (0.7/month)
33 (1.5/month)
Highlights:
- The 2017 initiative led to an increase in applications, but the momentum slowed after the 2019 initiative.
- The 2023 initiative led to the strongest growth in the number of applications across all three types of applicants.
- The rate of hires following the 2023 initiative doubled.
When assessing the 2023 initiative against the two performance measures, it appears the program worked as designed. The increase in the number of applications has allowed us to be more selective in our hiring process , ensuring that we hire the highest caliber applicants. The 2023 initiative also helped us gain free national media attention allowing us to expand our reach to as far as New York.
Although we were successful in hiring 33 police officers or recruits following the implementation of this program , we experienced 23 departures. Given the need to prioritize our recruiting efforts, staff recommends continuing this program.
BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
When this resolution was proposed, staff anticipated ending the 2022-23 fiscal year with approximately $1.7 -$1.9 million in vacancy savings. Staff anticipated there would be sufficient salary savings in year 1 and year 2 to the FY 2023-25 Biennial Budget to fund the proposed incentive program without the need to ask for additional funds.
To date, 16 employees have received both installments totaling $1.2 million, while another nine employees have received the initial installment totaling $ 225,000. The cost of this program between March 2023 and January 2025 has been $1.425 million . Cost of this program has been less than what was budgeted.
Exhibit 1
RECOMMENDATION
Continue the adopted resolution establishing a temporary recruitment and hiring incentive policy of $75,000 for Lateral, Academy Graduate, and Entry Level Police Officers through use of existing salary savings.
Alan Kuboyama
Captain of Police
Bureau of Professional Standards
Exhibit 1