New Bedford police announce $5K sign on bonuses to fill staffing shortage
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WJAR) — For years, the city of New Bedford has struggled with staffing on its police department, but a new incentive announced on Monday could change that.
"We are going to offer a $5,000 signing bonus to new officers," Mayor Jon Mitchell said at a press conference Monday.
Typically, the city of New Bedford employs about 260 police officers but right now staffing levels are at an all-time low with just 214 officers on the force.
"This is definitely a crisis throughout the law enforcement agencies throughout the country so It brings me great pleasure to see the city here in New Bedford come out with this bonus and incentive we definitely think this will put us at the forefront of this region," said New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira.
New Bedford is one of the only cities in the area offering this type of incentive.
After COVID-19, many officers opted for other careers or took an early retirement, some because of vaccine mandates, but New Bedford doesn't require its' officers to be vaccinated.
That’s why Oliveira believes the problem is deeper than that.
He noted the nature of policing has changed, and said many officers are leaving city departments to go to the suburbs.
"So obviously now people are choosing the smaller, quieter more quaint way of policing," Oliveira said.
Officers who receive the bonus must stay on the department for at least 5 years and they also must live in New Bedford full-time.
The goal is to keep officers on the force for a while so they can build relationships with the community.
"I encourage people to take advantage of this. New Bedford has high standards for police officers and that's what our residents deserve and we hope that this bonus will make it easier and more enticing for folks to join our ranks," said Mitchell.