AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date:
Item Number:
To:
From:
Subject:
March 18, 2025
Honorable Mayor & City Council
Mark G. Stainbrook, Chief of Police
PROPOSED CITY EMPLOYEE POLICE OFFICER REFERRAL
INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Attachments: 1. Police Department Referral Incentive Program Document
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the Police Department Referral Incentive Program.
INTRODUCTION
The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) is continually working to recruit and retain qualified Police Officer candidates. BHPD is proposing establishing the Police Department Referral Incentive Program, offering financial incentives to City Employees for the referral of Police Officer candidates.
DISCUSSION
The City’s employees are one of its greatest assets to identify and refer qualified Police Officer candidates. The program seeks to support, encourage, and reward city employees for the successful referral of Police Officer candidates through financial incentives.
The proposed program would recognize two classes of referrals: Lateral and Entry-Level (Pre-Service) Police Officers. Lateral Police Officers are officers that have completed the police academy and are working as police officers with other law enforcement agencies.
Entry-Level Police Officers are new officers, that will attend the police academy and upon graduation enter service with the BHPD.
The program would provide incremental incentives as candidates complete various milestones in the employment process, providing the referring employee with a total of up to $5,000 upon completion of probation by the candidate. The program seeks to promote recruitment in preparation for local and regional events, such as the opening of metro stations, World Cup, and the Olympic games in addition to regular turnover and attrition.
G-3
Meeting Date: March 18, 2025
It is expected the incentives will be spread over three fiscal years, anticipated to last through through June 30, 2028.
Eligible employees can earn up to $5,000 per successfully referred candidate, with payments distributed as follows:
Lateral Police Officer Referral
• $2,500 upon hiring
• $2,500 upon successful completion of probation
Entry-Level Police Officer Referral
• $1,000 upon hiring
• $1,500 upon successful completion of the police academy • $2,500 upon success completion of probation
Staff is proposing the following practices, guidelines and exclusions related to the program as follows:
Practices and Guidelines
• The Human Resources Department will administer the program o The City retains sole discretion to resolve disputes regarding eligibility, payments, and other program-related matters, which are final and may not be appealed
• All current full-time and part-time City of Beverly Hills employees are eligible to participate (exceptions noted below)
• Referral information must be provided at the time the application is submitted • Only one employee may qualify to receive a referral bonus for an eligible candidate, and only one referral bonus will be paid per eligible candidate • There is no proposed limit to the number of referral bonuses a referring employee may receive for referring multiple eligible candidates • Removal of conflicts of interest – Example: An employee that refers a candidate could not serve as the employees Supervisor, Field Training Officer, or participate in the evaluation of the candidate’s performance prior to the completion of probation
Exclusions
• Executive Group and Police Management Association
• Employees whose roles are specifically related to recruitment or candidate evaluation in the Personnel and Training Division of the Police Department and Human Resources staff assigned to supporting the Police Department • Employees who participate in recruitment events, job fairs, or other hiring outreach efforts on behalf of the Beverly Hills Police Department Meeting Date: March 18, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated cost of this program is up to $200,000 over three fiscal years.
Incentives may be suspended or discontinued at any time and at the discretion of the City.
Funding will be taken from the existing Police Department budget, and no additional funding is requested at this time.
Mark G. Stainbrook
Chief of Police
Approved By
Attachment 1
CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
POLICE DEPARTMENT REFERRAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM
PURPOSE
The City of Beverly Hills is committed to recruiting and retaining highly qualified individuals to serve as Police Officers. To support this goal, the City has established the Referral Incentive Program, which encourages recruiting both Lateral and Entry-Level (Pre-Service) Police Officers. This program aligns with the City Council’s objectives of strengthening public safety, improving recruitment efforts, and supporting City employees in identifying qualified candidates.
ADMINISTRATION
The Human Resources Department will administer the program, ensuring compliance with all policies and procedures. The City retains sole discretion to resolve disputes regarding eligibility, payments, and other program-related matters, which are final and may not be appealed.
PROGRAM TERM
The Referral Incentive Program will be effective upon formal notice from the Human Resources Department through June 30, 2028, or until the estimated budget is expended, whichever occurs first. The City Manager reserves the right to extend the program, increase funding, or terminate the program based on budgetary or departmental staffing needs at any time.
ELIGIBILITY
Eligible Employees
All current full-time and part-time City of Beverly Hills employees are eligible to participate, except those in the Executive group, Police Management Association, or roles specifically related to recruitment or candidate evaluation in the Personnel and Training Division of the Police Department and Human Resources staff assigned to supporting the Police Department. Employees who participate in recruitment events, job fairs, or other hiring outreach efforts on behalf of the Beverly Hills Police Department are not eligible to receive referral incentive payments for candidates who apply as a result of attending such events.
A referring employee must be employed at the referred candidate’s time of hire and at each incentive payment as outlined by the payment structure below. The referring employee’s name must be listed in the supplemental question of the referred candidate’s employment application and then confirmed by Human Resources. Only one referring employee may be named and is eligible for a referral incentive per referred candidate.
Eligible Referred Candidates
Eligible Referred Candidates are those candidates for which the City will pay an Eligible Employee an incentive payment for their referral. Candidates that are not current City employees, were not recruited through general recruitment events, job fairs or other recruiting outreach efforts, do not have a prior working relationship with the City (volunteer, rehire, etc), and for which the City has not already paid a referral incentive, shall be considered Eligible Referred Candidates. Candidates must apply for a Police Officer position (either Lateral or Entry-Level) with the Beverly Hills Police Department, as discussed above.
INCENTIVE PAYMENTS
Payment Structure
Eligible employees can earn up to $5,000 per successfully referred candidate, with payments distributed as follows:
Lateral Police Officers:
• $2,500 paid upon the candidate’s hire date.
$2,500 paid upon the candidate’s completion of the probationary period as a Police Officer.
Entry-Level Police Officers:
• $1,000 paid upon the candidate’s hire date.
• $1,500 paid upon the candidate’s graduation from the police academy. • $2,500 paid upon the candidate’s completion of the probationary period as a Police Officer.
Tax Withholdings and Reporting
All incentive payments are subject to federal and state tax withholdings as additional compensation. These payments are not reportable as compensation to CalPERS.
Payment Limits
Employees may refer an unlimited number of candidates, with one incentive payment awarded per successful referral.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
• Referring employees may not act as the candidate’s supervisor, Field Training Officers (FTO) and FTO Sergeants, or evaluator during the candidate’s probationary period.
• Remaining incentive payments will not be issued if the referred candidate separates from employment before completing probation.
• The City reserves the right to determine program eligibility and may modify or terminate the program at any time. Any outstanding incentive payments will still be paid provided by the payment structure outlined above.
• Referral incentives are not retroactive or available for employees hired prior to the adoption of this procedure.
• Only one incentive payment shall be paid per candidate. Once an incentive payment has been paid for a specific candidate, that individual shall no longer be considered an Eligible Referred Candidate.
• A candidate with a prior working relationship with the City, such as a rehire, current employee or volunteer, shall not be considered an Eligible Referred Candidate.