Berkeley City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley said the new financial incentives are projected to cost the city more than $300,000.
Berkeleyside reports Williams-Ridley outlined the plan in a letter last week to the Berkeley City Council. Similar financial incentives are already offered by a number of police departments throughout the Bay Area and the state.
The Berkeley Police are already dealing with a shortage of manpower – with slots 31 of the city’s 181 officers currently unfilled. The hiring bonuses mean $12,000 for new hires, $15,000 for lateral hires – who have graduated from an academy – and $25,000 for lateral hires, who have finished their probationary period at other departments.
The payments would be disbursed in three steps; once a new officer is hired, completes their training, and then when they have completed their probationary period.
In addition, the city has vacancies for a third of its 36 dispatchers. Under Williams-Ridley’s plan, a $5,000 signing bonus would be offered to new dispatchers.According to the city manager, the manpower situation could get even worse, as 20 police officers and four dispatchers are now eligible for retirement.
Williams-Ridley added that the manpower shortage has already resulted in mandatory overtime, slower response times, delays in investigations and a decrease in community engagement.