GASTONIA, N.C. — Gastonia City Council has approved new funding to recruit and retain police officers.
The Gastonia Police Department (GPD) will now offer $15,000 sign-on bonuses for police that come already trained from other departments.
The hope is that these so-called lateral transfers can get police on the streets of Gastonia sooner.
"You're looking at the better part of a year to get someone, you know, that's newly hired with no experience," Gastonia Police Chief Trent Conard said, "versus a lateral officer."
The decision comes amid a national shortage of police, with more officers retiring and fewer coming on board.
"It's like an arms race," Conard said. "When we do something and other people are going to do something and make a better incentive. Everybody wants to attract top talent.”
The new officers will be paid $7,500 once hired and another $7,500 after a year on the job.
This is the highest incentive offered by any police department in North Carolina, according to GPD.
"We're rewarding our employees too, you know? If they bring in a certified lateral officer, they can get $6,000," Conard said.
The chief hopes to get 30 new officers on board with the new incentive, a move that could challenge other agencies.
"It does hurt another agency, but it’s not done on purpose," Edenton Police Chief Henry King, who leads the N.C. Association of Police Chiefs, said. " It’s because everyone is hurting in North Carolina and around the country. ... We're all trying to find innovative ways of keeping your employees that are there as well as bringing in new employees."
Starting salaries for police at GPD are between $49,771 and $82,161 a year.