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Police Department <br />www.santa-ana.org/pol ice <br />Item # 31 <br />or City of Santa Ana <br />20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br />Staff Report <br />July 18, 2023 <br />TOPIC: Police Officer Hiring Bonus Program <br />AGENDA TITLE <br />Police Officer Hiring Bonus Program <br />RECOMMENDED ACTION <br />Adopt a resolution approving the continuation of the Police Officer Hiring Bonus <br />program in a total amount not to exceed $600,000 offering $10,000 per officer, $15,000 <br />for an officer with a Bachelor's degree, or $15,000 for an officer who is a military <br />veteran, and up $20,000 for an officer who is a military veteran with a Bachelor's <br />degree. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Similar to most law enforcement agencies throughout the state and county, the Santa <br />Ana Police Department (SAPD) is attempting to fill vacancies for the position of sworn <br />police officer. Over the last six years, we have increased the standards for police officer <br />hiring, when other agencies have actually lowered standards to meet this industry wide <br />recruitment challenge. Serving as a Santa Ana police officer is an honor and a privilege <br />and our Department is highly sought after based on our strong reputation of teamwork, <br />comradery, high morale and industry leading professionalism. <br />We request the continuing of a hiring bonus in order to offer a reasonable incentive, as <br />we leverage our hiring strategy. Our Department prides itself in investing in our own <br />internal culture to support our dual policing framework of: Community Based and <br />Traditional Policing. Some local agencies have as high as 75% lateral police officers <br />that make up their workforce, importing a mix of cultures not centered within the <br />Department. Our Department is composed of approximately 35% laterals; meaning the <br />majority of our workforce learned the nuances of policing, specific to our Santa Ana <br />community and culture. This is a key difference in hiring strategies. <br />The biggest challenge facing law enforcement is the significant decline in applicants. In <br />2022, the City Council approved a $10,000 hiring bonus for each new officer, not to <br />exceed $100,000 in total, which has been fully encumbered. From June 1, 2021 to May <br />