AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
Item Number:
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Mark G. Stainbrook, Chief of Police
Shelley Ovrom, Director of Human Resources
Subject: RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE AN UPDATED POLICE
DEPARTMENT SIGNING BONUS PROGRAM
Attachments: 1. Proposed Police Department Signing Bonus Program – Sworn Positions
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of an updated Police Department Signing Bonus Program for sworn positions to further support the recruitment of Police Officers (Police Officer Trainee and Lateral) for a period of two years, with review and reevaluation in May 2027. The proposed Police Department specific program will be an enhanced version of the City's current program, with increased bonus amounts ($45,000 for Lateral and $35,000 for Police Officer Trainee) to attract more candidates in the competitive recruitment market for Police Officers.
INTRODUCTION
The City’s current Police Department program was approved in December of 2022 and provides bonus amounts of $20,000 for Lateral and $15,000 for Police Officer Trainee.
Staff is proposing to increase these bonuses to $45,000 for Lateral and $35,000 for Police Officer Trainees to remain competitive in the current employment market. This change would be effective upon Council approval, with no intention of retroactivity.
DISCUSSION
The City of Beverly Hills is impacted by a nationwide challenge related to a diminished pool of qualified candidates for Police Officer positions. This is compounded by a very competitive local job market which includes both compensation and signing bonuses from regional law enforcement agencies.
G-2
Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
As of July 29, 2025 the City had thirteen (13) Police Officer vacancies. This also includes seven (7) Police Officer positions added to provide community support surrounding the opening of the La Cienega Metro Station. Human Resources and the Police Department are continuing to work diligently to fill these positions and there are currently three (3) officer candidates in the recruitment process. Additionally, there are three temporary annuitants currently underfilling three sworn officer positions, which will continue to be part of ongoing recruitment efforts.
While this vacancy total is representative of authorized, vacant positions, it does not consider operational implications. When Police Officer Trainees are first hired, they must attend a police academy, which means they are not available to support operations for a significant period. At present, there are five (5) Police Officer Trainees in the academy who are expected to graduate by the end of the year. Additionally, as attrition occurs, additional vacancies will arise that will need to be filled, which will create additional operational challenges.
The City is concurrently pursuing (as part of a separate consent Agenda Item) a proposed $100,000 appropriation from Asset Forfeiture to put towards Recruitment and Outreach.
This seeks to create a competitive and modern recruitment campaign which will include multi-channel advertising and digital outreach, peer- and influencer-led promotions, testing coordination and candidate logistics, and development of branded materials and recruitment media.
Law Enforcement agencies nationwide are competing for the same limited pool of qualified candidates. While the City is continually evaluating ways to set itself apart to attract the most qualified candidates, including the proposed recruitment and outreach enhancements and world-class technology and equipment, the City must remain competitive to attract top talent. Regionally and nationwide, several agencies offer signing bonuses to attract new officers.
Staff conducted a survey of thirty (30) agencies. Of the agencies surveyed, bonuses for entry-level Officers range from $1,000 to $50,000 and bonuses for Lateral Officers range from $5,000 to $50,000. The proposed update increases the current bonus amounts from $15,000 to $35,000 for Police Officer Trainees and from $20,000 to $45,000 for Lateral Police Officers. The terms of the program and payment of the bonus would be as follows:
Police Officer Trainees: $35,000 total signing bonus
$5,000 upon initial hire
$5,000 upon graduation from academy
$10,000 at end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$15,000 at end of 2nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
Lateral Police Officers: $45,000 total signing bonus
$10,000 upon initial hire
$10,000 upon successful completion of six (6) months of service Meeting Date: August 5, 2025
$10,000 at the end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$15,000 at end of 2nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
Irrespective of the payment schedule, the recipient of the bonus shall be required to commit to at least forty-two (42) months of service with the City for Police Officer Trainees 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 or prior to the required commitment as set forth above 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.
The proposed amounts are among the highest in the region, and represent the top tier of offerings, and staff believes the increased amounts, along with other benefits, are 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 incentive and report back to Council if any adjustments to the program are recommended.
FISCAL IMPACT
If all thirteen (13) vacant positions as listed herein were to qualify for the $45,000 bonus level and if the City was also able to fill the three (3) positions temporarily filled by annuitants (totaling 16), the total cost of the program over the two-year period would be $720,000. Based on the schedule of installments, payments will likely be distributed over at least two, and possibly three, fiscal years based on the date of hire and installment payment amounts.1 Upon completion of the current fiscal year, staff will be able to more accurately calculate a partial schedule of payments based on the qualified candidates participating in the program and the associated installment payments for subsequent fiscal year budgets.
Funding for the program will be spread over multiple sources, including salary and other budgetary savings from the Policy and Management operating budget and salary savings available from vacant Police Officer positions. Based on the success of the program, if and when these funds are exhausted, staff will return to the City Council with a proposed appropriation of funds from General Fund Reserves for the current fiscal year and budget for known payments scheduled for future fiscal years.
Shelley Ovrom,
Director of Human Resources
Mark G. Stainbrook
Chief of Police
Approved By Approved By
1 Payments to candidates that qualified for the signing bonus prior to the program reaching the revaluation period in May 2027 will continue to be paid scheduled installments beyond the sunset date at the times and payment increments as contained herein.
Attachment 1
City of Beverly Hills
Police Department Signing Bonus Program
The City of Beverly Hills established the Police Department Signing Bonus Program for the purpose of recruiting and retaining qualified Police Officer candidates (Trainee and Lateral).
Terms of the Program
The bonus is paid as follows:
Police Officer Trainees: $35,000 total signing bonus
$5,00 upon initial hire
$5,000 upon graduation from academy (Approximately six (6) months) $10,000 at end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$15,000 at end of 2
nd year as a Police Officer; contingent upon receiving a satisfactory performance evaluation
Lateral Police Officers: $45,000 total signing bonus
$10,000 upon initial hire
$10,000 upon successful completion of six (6) months of service $10,000 at the end of twelve (12) month probationary period as a Police Officer; contingent upon passing probation
$15,000 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 Police Officer Trainees 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 or prior to the required commitment as set forth above 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.