AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: December 13, 2022
Item Number:
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Mark G. Stainbrook, Chief of Police
Shelley Ovrom, Director of Human Resources
Subject: RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT
SIGNING BONUS PROGRAM
Attachments: 1. Proposed Police Department Signing Bonus Program – Sworn Positions
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of a Police Department Signing Bonus Program for sworn positions to further support the recruitment of Police Officers (Pre-Service and Lateral).
The proposed Police Department specific program will be an enhanced version of the City's current program, with increased bonus amounts ($20,000 for Lateral and $15,000 for Pre-Service) to attract more candidates in the competitive recruitment market for Police Officers.
INTRODUCTION
The City currently offers a signing bonus program for the purpose of recruiting and retaining qualified applicants for positions identified as “difficult-to-fill”. This program provides a bonus of up to 10% of the position’s annual base salary. A signing bonus of 10% is currently being offered to applicants that successfully complete the selection process for the position of Lateral Police Officer. Depending on the salary placement of each new hire, the current signing bonus amount ranges from $10,452 to $12,986.
DISCUSSION
The City of Beverly Hills, like many other municipalities nationwide, is experiencing a diminished pool of qualified candidates for Police Officer positions. As of the submittal of this report, the City currently has nine (9) Police Officer vacancies, with approximately two (2) retirements expected by the end of the year, which Human Resources and the Police Department are continuing to work diligently to fill. All agencies are competing for the same limited pool of candidates, which requires the City to be more competitive and set itself apart to attract top talent. For this reason, at the request of mayor Bosse, the F-2
Meeting Date: December 13, 2022
City negotiated new Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with the Police Officers Association (POA) and Police Management Association (PMA) and in May 2022, the City Council approved new MOUs which provided a 14% base salary increase over a three year term. This was a significant and important improvement due to the fact that base salary is a significant factor for candidates as they are exploring the many options currently available in law enforcement. With the new MOUs in place, the City has placed itself as one of the top agencies within the Southern California law enforcement labor market.
To address the labor shortage in law enforcement, numerous agencies nationwide are offering additional incentives such as generous signing bonuses to attract new Officers.
Staff conducted a survey of surrounding agencies and nine (9) of the nineteen (19) surveyed agencies are currently offer signing bonuses that vary from $3,000 to $40,000 for Lateral Officers and from $10,000 to $30,000 for Entry-Level Officers. The City’s proposed program includes changing the current bonus from a percentage based amount of 10% of base salary to a flat bonus amount of $15,000 for Pre-Service Police Officers and $20,000 for Lateral Police Officers. The terms of the program and payment of the bonus would be as follows:
Pre-Service Police Officer: $15,000 total signing bonus $2,500 upon initial hire
$2,500 upon graduation from academy
$5,000 at end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$5,000 at end of 2nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
Lateral Police Officers: $20,000 total signing bonus
$5,000 upon initial hire
$5,000 upon successful completion of six (6) months of service $5,000 at the end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$5,000 at end of 2nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
The recipient of the bonus shall be required to commit to at least forty-two (42) months of service with the City for Pre-Service Police Officers and thirty-six (36) months of service for Lateral Police Officers. If the recipient of the bonus separates from the City during the bonus accrual period and such separation is either voluntary, disciplinary, forcause, or because the employee does not pass probation, the employee shall be required to reimburse the City for the full amount of the bonus paid up to the date of separation.
While the proposed amounts are not the highest in the region, staff believes the increased amounts, along with the newly negotiated compensation increases, are Meeting Date: December 13, 2022
significant enough to successfully further the City’s competitive edge in the market.
Should the proposed program be approved, Human Resources and the Police Department will continuously evaluate the effectiveness of this hiring incentive and report back to Council if any adjustments to the program are recommended.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the program will be provided through salary savings from current vacant Police Officer positions.
Mark Stainbrook
Chief of Police
Shelley Ovrom,
Director of Human Resources
Approved By Approved By
Attachment 1
City of Beverly Hills
Police Department Signing Bonus Program
As of XX
The City of Beverly Hills established the Police Department Signing Bonus Program for the purpose of recruiting and retaining qualified Police Officer candidates (pre-service and lateral).
Terms of the Program
The bonus is paid as follows:
Pre-Service Police Officer: $15,000 total signing bonus $2,500 upon initial hire
$2,500 upon graduation from academy
$5,000 at end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$5,000 at end of 2nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
Lateral Police Officers: $20,000 total signing bonus
$5,000 upon initial hire
$5,000 upon successful completion of six (6) months of service $5,000 at the end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$5,000 at end of 2nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
The recipient of the bonus shall be required to commit to at least forty-two (42) months of service with the City for Pre-Service Police Officers and thirty-six (36) months of service for Lateral Police Officers. If the recipient of the bonus separates from the City during the bonus accrual period and such separation is either voluntary, disciplinary, for-cause, or because the employee does not pass probation, the employee shall be required to reimburse the City for the full amount of the bonus paid up to the date of separation. Recipients of a bonus shall only be entitled to receive a bonus on a one (1) time basis for the same classification.
If an employee transfers to a different position within the City during the bonus accrual period, either voluntarily or involuntarily, the employee will be allowed to keep the portion of the bonus paid up through the date of transfer, but will not be entitled to receive any unpaid portion of the bonus. Additionally, the employee must remain in City employment for (twelve) 12 months from the date on which the last bonus payment was made, or they must repay the full amount of the bonus paid up to the date of separation.