Chandler offers $10K in incentives to recruit police from outside Valley

PHOENIX — The city of Chandler announced last week it would be offering up to a $10,000 signing package to officers who come to the department from outside the Valley.

The incentive began Sunday and includes $5,000 for being hired and up to another $5,000 in relocation assistance, the city said in a press release.

Chandler last July began offering hiring incentives from $2,000 to $5,000, which the city said resulted in 44 positions being added to the department through the program. This included new lateral police officers, dispatchers and detention officers.

Other departments around the Valley have since followed and offered incentives of their own, including Phoenix, Glendale and Mesa.

The incentive comes as there are 31 officer vacancies in the full allotment of 360 sworn positions in Chandler Police Department, according to a presentation during last week’s City Council work session.

There are three recruits and six laterals in the final stages of the hiring process, according to the presentation, as well as another 21 recruits and 17 laterals in the early stages.

The department said 26% of sworn officers on staff are eligible to retire having served more than 20 years of service.

After adding 10 new officer positions and 15 overfill positions last year, Chandler police are asking for an additional two sworn positions in next year’s budget. That would be the most sworn positions ever for the department, the city said.

The department is also looking to create a five-person behavioral health unit that would respond to and investigate related calls, serve mental health petition orders and establish relationships with behavioral providers and partners. The team would free up patrol officers to focus on crime-related issues, the department said.

In addition to the incentive, the department to bring on more officers have also waived written and physical conditioning tests for lateral candidates and upgraded its recruitment website.

The city said it also plans to include the recruitment of lateral officers as part of its nationwide talent recruitment campaign launching this summer.

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