In Dallas, Texas, the $10,000 recruiting bonuses for incoming police officers could be coming to an end as the city tries to find ways to make up a budget shortfall. Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle says the bonuses may no longer be necessary, saying that the applicant pool is the largest since the 1980s. "We don't think it will affect our ability to recruit additional police officers," Kunkle told the Dallas Morning News recently.

The bonus program, one of the largest of its kind, started back in 2006. Upon completion of an eight-month academy, recruits got $6,000. They get another $4,000 after about 20 months on the force.  Dropping the bonuses would save the city $2 million in the next fiscal year, at a time when city leaders face a behemoth budget gap like those facing countless other cities across the U.S.

A large part of the motivation to cut the bonuses has to do with larger numbers of applicants to law enforcement positions when there is high unemployment. In addition, Dallas has made the department's starting pay more competitive and made it easier for potential recruits with military experience to get hired.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Please note: comments must be approved by the moderator and may not appear immediately.

Add Comment