HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 POLICE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER HIRING INCENTIVE PILOT PROGRAMAgenda Item _______
Reviewed:
City Manager _______
Finance Director _______
MEETING DATE: MARCH 7, 2023
TO: MATTHEW S. WEST, CITY MANAGER
FROM: DERICK YASUDA, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
SUBJECT: POLICE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER HIRING INCENTIVE PILOT PROGRAM
SUMMARY
Staff is seeking City Council approval to implement a proposed Police Communications
Officer Hiring Incentive Pilot Program to improve the City’s success in recruiting, hiring,
and retaining lateral Police Communications Officers.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to implement a Police Communications
Officer Hiring Incentive Pilot Program.
FISCAL IMPACT
No additional budget appropriation is requested. Direct costs for this program would be
up to $17,000 spread over two years for any lateral Police Communications Officer hired
by the City. For Fiscal Year 2022-23, funding for this program can be absorbed within the
Police Department’s existing budget. Beginning with Fiscal Year 2023-24, the Police
Department will track this program as a separate line item in their budget.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Police Communications Officers receive incoming calls for police and emergency
assistance, dispatch necessary sworn police personnel and equipment, and monitor
ongoing police activity to determine the need for additional resources. Depending on a
candidate’s prior experience, the City may hire a new employee at the Police
Communications Officer I or Police Communications Officer II level, though nearly all new
employees are hired at the I level. Newly hired employees serve a probationary period of
either 18 months (Police Communications Officer I) or 12 months (Police
Communications Officer II), which includes intensive training programs that typically last
four to eight months.
The Police Communications unit consists of the following authorized positions: one Police
Support Services Supervisor, two Police Communications Leads, and ten Police
Communications Officer I/IIs. Despite continuous recruitment efforts, the City currently
AGENDA REPORT
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City Council Agenda Report
March 7, 2023
Police Communications Officer Hiring Incentive Pilot Program
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has three vacant Police Communications Officer I/II positions and routinely has at least
one vacancy in this classification at any given time.
As is the case throughout the industry, it is especially challenging for the City to
successfully fill our Police Communications Officer positions. In particular, t he City
historically has not attracted many qualified lateral Police Communications Officers, hiring
a total of two laterals (one full-time and one part-time) over the past decade. While we
have hired only two laterals during this time period, both candidates successfully passed
probation and remain employed with the City today. In contrast, the City’s success rate in
hiring and successfully retaining Police Communications Officers with no prior dispatcher
experience is much lower, with only about four out of every ten of these employees
passing probation (this is also an issue throughout the law enforcement community, due
to the unique nature of the job). For the six out of ten inexperienced Police
Communications Officers who fail probation, the City ends up spending approximately
$30,000 per unsuccessful employee.
Based on our track record, the Police Chief would like to encourage more quality lateral
Police Communications Officers (i.e. individuals with prior experience with a California
law enforcement agency in a position equivalent to our Police Communications Officer
I/II) to seek employment with the City of Tustin. If our recent experience continues, hiring
a lateral Police Communications Officer versus an inexperienced Police Communications
Officer could actually save the City money in the long run, even after accounting for the
direct cost of the hiring incentive program.
The proposed Police Communications Officer Hiring Incentive Program would include the
following incentives:
1) Lateral Hiring Incentive
• Up to $15,000 per newly hired lateral Police Communications Officer I/II,
paid in three installments:
o $5,000 at time of hire (on the employee’s first regular paycheck)
o $5,000 after successful completion of the Police Department’s
training program
o $5,000 after successful completion of two years of employment as a
Police Communications Officer I/II
2) Employee Referral Bonus
• Up to $2,000 for a current City employee who refers a lateral Police
Communications Officer I/II who is hired by the City, paid in three
installments:
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City Council Agenda Report
March 7, 2023
Police Communications Officer Hiring Incentive Pilot Program
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o $1,000 at time of hire of the lateral Police Communications Officer
I/II
o $500 after the lateral Police Communications Officer I/II’s successful
completion of the Police Department’s training program
o $500 after the lateral Police Communications Officer I/II’s successful
completion of two years of employment as a Police Communications
Officer I/II
If approved by the City Council, the hiring incentive program will be advertised on the
City’s Police Communications Officer I/II job announcements as soon as possible,
including details on specific eligibility requirements. Only individuals who apply for Police
Communications Officer I/II after City Council authorization of this program, and through
recruitments that include verbiage on the Police Communications Officer Hiring Incentive
Program, will be eligible for this incentive.
This hiring incentive program is a pilot program that is intended to be temporary in nature.
The program may be terminated by the City Manager at any time and will automatically
sunset on June 30, 2025, unless extended by the City Manager.
The City has discussed this proposed hiring incentive program with the Tustin Police
Support Services Association (TPSSA), the association representing Police
Communications Officers, and they are supportive of this program.
___________________________
Derick Yasuda
Director of Human Resources
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