D.C. Offers New Officers $20K Bonus To Combat Labor Shortage
Qualified applicants are also eligible for existing recruitment perks, including a $6,000 housing stipend.
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Washington, D.C. is offering a $20,000 hiring bonus to new officers, reports WTOP News. The bonus will be paid out in two installments to new potential officers: $10,000 as an initial hiring bonus, and the second installment upon successful completion of the police academy. The rollout is part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2023 budget funding for 347 new Metropolitan Police Department officers.
MPD Chief Robert Contee said that attracting new officers in a tight job market has been challenging to departments nationwide. The starting salary at the department is currently just over $60,000, but first year officers will now be eligible to earn more than $80,000. In addition, qualified applicants are still eligible for existing recruitment perks, including a $6,000 housing stipend.
