Milwaukee leaders are hopeful a new bonus for police officers will get more officers to transfer to the city amid a shortage in new police recruits.
A plan announced Monday would give police officers with at least one year of experience who transfer to the city from another department a $10,000 bonus if they agree to stay in Milwaukee for at least four years.
Milwaukee is under pressure to hire more police officers under a bipartisan law to overhaul local government funding that set first responder staffing requirements for the city.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
“I’m optimistic that there are talented and caring officers who hear this invitation and will say to themselves, ‘man, that’s a place I want to go — I want to serve in the Milwaukee Police Department,’” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
The move comes as interest in law enforcement careers is on the decline. A 2019 report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police found there is a “recruitment crisis” at departments nationwide. A survey of police departments from the Police Executive Research Forum also showed a decrease in police hiring and increase in resignations in 2020 and 2021.
“We need more police officers, and I want for there to be more police officers in Milwaukee,” Johnson said. “However, at the same time, there are fewer women and fewer men who are choosing police work as a career, and so that makes it more difficult for us as we seek to fill our recruit classes.”
If the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Fire Department do not maintain staffing levels year over year, the city risks losing 15 percent of its shared revenue allotment from the state under the law known as Act 12.
The law also requires the city to employ at least 1,725 police officers by the start of 2034, including 175 detectives. As of Nov. 15, there were 1,567 sworn police officers and 141 detectives in the Milwaukee Police Department, according to data from the department.
Other cities have offered similar incentives, including Seattle, where officers who join from other departments can now get a $50,000 bonus.
The Milwaukee Common Council still has to approve the program. Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Johnson, said he expects the council to vote on the measure sometime in December.
“With more police officers, we can better address public safety concerns from violent crime to quality of life issues that matter most to our residents,” Milwaukee Alder Peter Burgelis said Monday.
Police laterals must apply before Dec. 22
The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission is in charge of hiring police officers in the city.
Leon Todd, the executive director of the commission, said experienced police officers who leave one department to move to another are called laterals.
Although the Milwaukee bonus plan still needs council approval, Todd said the recruiting period for laterals with the possibility of the sign-on bonus started Nov. 22 and will end on Dec. 22.
Todd said applicants must have at least one year of law enforcement experience. They also have to have be certified through the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board.
Officers coming from other departments would still need to go through interviews, background checks and a physical exam.
The salary range for a Milwaukee police officer is $63,565 to $84,744 per year. The starting salary for a police lateral will depend on how many years the officer has served, Todd said.
Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, said hiring bonuses for police are becoming more common across the state and nation.
“Agencies are really competing with one another amidst a continuing shortage of officers that are currently working throughout the state and a shortage of individuals looking to enter the profession,” Palmer said.
Ari Brown, a senior research associate with Wisconsin Policy Forum, previously told WPR some officers might not want to work in Milwaukee because of the level of “activity” and “stress” that comes with the job.
Palmer echoed that sentiment, but he also said a larger police department could offer more opportunities for officers.
“There are more diverse assignments that officers can fulfill in a larger agency,” Palmer said.
City dealing with less recruits
The initiative comes as fewer officers are graduating from the Milwaukee Police Academy.
The city budgeted for three classes of 65 police recruits each in 2024. But during a public safety and health committee meeting earlier this month, Todd said only 37 recruits have graduated from the academy so far this year.
A recruit class started in August with 33 recruits, but that number is now down to around 30, Todd said. Another academy class will start in December with around 28 officers.
The city’s 2025 budget calls for another three recruit classes of 65 police officers.
“We are going to do everything we can to make that happen,” Todd said during the meeting.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
