Many police departments around the Bay Area are facing a similar problem due to officers retiring and waning recruitment. In April, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors considered subsidizing housing for their police officers. On Tuesday, San Leandro considered something similar to help with retention as well.
The City of San Leandro says it only has 57 of its 90 sworn officer positions filled - that’s a vacancy rate of nearly 40 percent. That’s why city officials say they are voting on a pay incentive for their existing staff.
The police department says that recruiting new officers can cost up to $88,000. This pay incentive, on the other hand, would use money that’s already been allocated for the currently vacant seats to help retain officers already on the force.
This retention program presented by San Leandro city manager Fran Robustelli would give eligible officers $20,000 in three installments. If passed, eligible officers would receive the first bonus of $10,000 in the next 30 days.
