Everett PD tries to lure officers from other departments with $15,000 bonus

EVERETT, Wash. — Police officers looking to make more money now have a new option.

The Everett Police Department is offering a big bonus for officers who join their ranks from another department.

The department is trying make up for an officer shortage. It currently has 18 vacancies and has been on a hiring spree.

The new strategy is to offer officers who come over from other agencies a $15,000 bonus.

The department has been actively trying to recruit officers with videos posted on its YouTube channel.

In the past three years, Everett PD has lost 48 officers, mostly to retirement.  Two more officers are reportedly retiring this month.

Police agencies around the Sound are having similar recruiting issues. They say it’s not only hard to find quality recruits, but it’s also extremely time consuming to train new officers.

So, Everett PD leadership is specifically targeting what they call lateral hires -- officers who are already trained and can hit the ground running.

According to the Herald, the new lateral officers would start with a salary of $89,000 and then receive an additional $5,000 when sworn in, $5,000 when they're cleared for solo patrols and another $5,000 at the end of their first year, for a total of $104,000.

The $15,000 bonus is a one-time payment, so their annual salary will go back down after the first year.

Cox Media Group