Amid recruiting struggles, Baton Rouge plans to offer up to $15K in incentives for new police officers
BATON ROUGE – Mayor Sharon Weston Broome announced Wednesday that the city plans to offer up to $15,000 in additional pay for new BRPD officers, the latest in a series of moves to fill vacancies at the department.
The mayor’s office and Police Chief Murphy Paul announced the new recruitment and retention incentives, paid for with federal money from the 2021 COVID stimulus package.
Non-post-certified new hires participating in the 2023 police academies can earn an additional $10,000. Post-certified officers can earn $15,000. The pay will be doled out incrementally, with officers earning the full amount after a year.
The proposal will be included in the 2023 pay plan, which is up for final approval by the metro council on Dec. 13.
Read the announcement below.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul announced today a recruitment and retention pay incentive for non-post and post-certified new hires participating in the 2023 police academies. Incremental payments totaling $10,000 will be offered to non-post certified new hires and $15,o00 to post-certified new hires who complete the 2023 police academy and maintain one-year employment. Funding for this pay incentive was approved by the Metropolitan Council utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“The purpose of this recruitment and retention incentive pay is to attract qualified new police officers and current post-certified officers to bolster our ranks at the Baton Rouge Police Department. This effort is in addition to the 13% across the board pay increase for all sworn officers, the pay increase for entry level officers, and the continuous investment of over $44 million in public safety equipment since 2017.” said Mayor Broome. “This proposal will add even more resources to our public safety efforts.”
The pay incentive proposal is included in the 2023 pay plan being considered for adoption by the Metropolitan Council on December 13, 2022. This announcement comes today so that we can begin strategizing our recruiting efforts for the upcoming 2023 police academies.