On Monday, a Dallas City Council committee reviewed the details of a pilot program that would pay current Dallas police officers up to a $5,000 bonus for recruiting new officers to the department.
The pilot program, which starts on Oct. 1 as part of the fiscal year 2025 budget, is intended to help with officer retention and recruitment as the Dallas Police Department works to increase the number of sworn officers.
Jaime Castro, president of the Dallas Police Association, said the program's creation and funding sends a strong signal from City Hall to rank-and-file officers.
“When you incentivize it in that way, it shows that, 'Hey, the city is committed to doing whatever it takes to bring those qualified candidates to the city,'" Castro said.
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The Public Safety Committee discussed the details of the program on Monday. The program will start with a $1,000 payment to the first 100 Dallas police officers who refer a candidate who graduates from the police academy.
The bonus would increase by $1,000 when the recruit completes a probationary period after graduation. Then, an additional $3,000 payment will be made when the new officer reaches a specified time with the Dallas Police Department.
Public Safety Committee chair Cara Mendelsohn said an officer would likely receive the final payment when a new officer reaches two or three years of employment with the department.
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Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia told the committee Monday that the department has 3,073 total officers and hopes to grow to 3,600 by 2033.
"We are not properly staffed," Garcia reiterated Monday.
