City Approves $15K, $20K Signing Bonuses For Police Department

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Police recruits in Beverly Hills could soon get $15,000-$20,000 for signing on the dotted line. The Beverly Hills City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a signing bonus program for the police department to help bolster recruitment and retention.

The city has made police recruitment a key priority in recent months, and officials hope the signing bonuses will help recruit top officers as the department currently has nine vacancies and two retirements anticipated by the end of the year, according to a city staff report.

The signing bonus program outlines a $15,000 signing bonus for pre-service police officers, paid in increments: $2,500 on initial hire; $2,500 upon graduating the police academy; $5,000 at the end of a 12-month probation period; and $5,000 at the end of the second year as a police officer.

Lateral officers would receive a $20,000 signing bonus paid out over two years. The newly approved bonus program will replace an existing program, which offers signing bonuses worth 10 percent of the hiree's base salary.

Funding for the signing bonuses would come from the salaries set aside for vacant positions, BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook said.

The city council in May approved a 14 percent base salary raise for sworn police employees. At the time, the department had the third highest base pay in the region and highest total compensation, according to Director of Human Resources Shelley Ovrom.

City staff took a comparative look at other cities' signing bonuses, which range between $3,000 and $40,000. Hermosa Beach and Inglewood were on the high end, both offering around $30,000 to $40,000 in law enforcement signing bonuses.

"We really felt that based on the recent salary increases in conjunction with the increased bonus amounts, that these figures would really be more than adequate or sufficient to accomplish what we're looking to accomplish," Ovrum said.

The city has seen an increase in applications over the past year but a decrease over the past 10 years, according to Stainbrook. The city received over 500 applications so far this year, compared to around 400 applications last year, Stainbrook said. Ten years ago, the department received around 2,000 applications.

"I think every little bit helps," Stainbrook said. "We have some great people in the pipeline right now... I certainly think this adds, along with the pay, and the good working conditions and the benefits. We're one of the top departments in the state for all those things."

Multiple council members expressed an interest in understanding how much the bonus incentivizes future recruits and ensures officer retention.