By Michael Hixon | The Beach Reporter
The City Council has OK’d a $4.6 million a year pilot program to recruit and retain officers for the Torrance Police Department — with lateral hires able to earn signing bonuses as high as $100,000 over the course of their first year of employment.
Torrance, like many cities, has faced challenges recruiting and retaining a high-quality workforce in recent years, according to a staff for this week’s council meeting. Its Police Department currently has 219 full-time sworn positions, with 35 positions vacant. That’s a vacancy rate of 16%, according to the report.
In the case of lateral recruits — which are the most desired, according to the report, as they save the department training costs — a new hire would receive a $50,000 signing bonus, with an additional $20,000 bonus for military veterans and then additional incentives for experiences such as investigative or SWAT. Additional incentives cap out at $15,000 per specialized detail. Half of that total will be paid upon hiring, with 25% paid when the new employee completes probation. Another 25% will be paid one year following probation completion.
For new hires from the police academy, incentives begin with a $20,000 signing bonus, plus an additional $20,000 for military veterans. The incentives are paid out in a similar 505, 25%, 25% structure.
Read more at: Daily Breeze
