TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Lisa Jenkins, Human Resources Director
Rachel Johnson, Police Chief
SUBJECT: Title
Consideration of a Resolution Approving Police Officer Recruitment and Referral Bonuses (Human Resources Director Jenkins and Police Chief Rachel Johnson).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 23-0021
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 23-0021 authorizing recruitment and referral bonuses directed by Council at the February 7, 2023, Council meeting.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The current bonuses are $3,000 for lateral transfers and $2,000 for referrals. The proposed bonus structure provides a discretionary 3%-10% recruitment bonus with installments paid at time of hire or appointment to Police Officer and passing of probation. Additionally, there is a proposed increase to the referral bonus to 5% of the annual Police Academy Trainee salary (currently $4,035) for Police Department employees who refer successful Police Officer or Police Academy Trainee candidates.
The current recruitment and referral bonuses are paid from the salary budget. It is estimated that the newly approved incentive levels could similarly be paid from salary savings (including either savings from vacancies or the savings from hiring some positions as Police Officer Trainees that are budgeted as Police Officers).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The City hires both Lateral/Academy Graduate candidates (laterals and academy graduates) as well as Police Academy Trainee candidates (PATs or trainees) to become Police Officers. Lateral candidates are currently working as Police Officers in other organizations while academy graduate candidates have attended a police academy but do not yet have the required agency experience. Finally, trainee candidates are entry-level employees who do not yet have training and experience in law enforcement, and the City sends them to a basic police academy (approximately six months in duration).
Previously, in 2021, the City Council raised the issue of additional recruitment incentives for incoming Police Officers. At its February 7, 2023, Council meeting, the Council considered and provided direction on Police Department staffing levels, as well as enhanced recruitment incentives for Police Officers (or trainees).
The following includes the background on Police Officer recruitment and referral bonuses previously provided in the September 21, 2021, staff report <https://manhattanbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5138900&GUID=9E1F608E-414F-444F-BBE1-6D9CD4863CFD&FullText=1> and February 7, 2023, staff report <https://manhattanbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6013505&GUID=26599A06-5013-4449-A3E9-B2A5B36E153B&FullText=1>.
On February 1, 2000, Council adopted a resolution to establish a referral bonus for police recruitment. At the time, a referral bonus of $1,000 for current Police Department employees who refer lateral Police Officer candidates (half paid at time of hire and half paid upon successful completion of probation), and $2,000 recruitment incentive to new lateral transfers (half paid at time of hire and half paid upon successful completion of probation). In 2003, the referral bonus increased to $2,000 and the recruitment incentive to new lateral transfers increased to $3,000. No additional changes have been made to the bonus amounts since 2003. Since 2011, the City has paid approximately $79,000 for the lateral signing bonus and $32,000 for the referral bonus.
Additionally, attached to this staff report is a comparison of current vacancy rates and available recruitment incentives in neighboring and competitor agencies, originally provided to the City Council at the February 7, 2023, meeting (“Comparison of Current Vacancy Rates and Available Recruitment Incentives within Labor Market”). At the February 7, 2023, Council meeting, the Council directed enhancing the recruitment and referral incentives for the hiring of Police Officers as follows:
The recruitment incentive bonus for incoming Police Officers will be set at a discretionary 3% - 10% of the annual salary for the Police Officer step in which the candidate is hired. The bonus level will be determined by the Police Chief, subject to City Manager approval, and may be adjusted in response to changing recruitment and retention conditions. The recruitment bonus, which was previously only available to lateral candidates, may be extended by the Chief to academy graduate or PAT's should it be deemed warranted. Additionally, the current referral bonus for employees to recruit incoming Officers or Trainees will increase to 5% of the annual salary of Police Academy Trainee. Based on 2023 salaries, this would place the available recruitment bonus for incoming Police Officers (or trainees) between $2,421 and $11,782.80, depending on the level of position and percentage designated, and would place the amount per referral to $4,035. The attached document entitled “Example of Range Bonus Amounts” originally provided to the City Council on February 7 provides examples of the different amounts available for a lateral recruitment bonus depending on the level at which they are hired.
The attached resolution will provide formal Council approval for the new Police Officer recruitment and referral bonus program.
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 23-0021 authorizing recruitment and referral bonuses directed by Council at the February 7, 2023, Council meeting.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 23-0021
2. Comparison of Current Vacancy Rates and Recruitment Incentives
3. Example of Range Bonus Amounts