New sworn police recruits may receive a $20,000 bonus, thanks to an agreement reached between Montgomery County and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35.
“This signing bonus is going to put us on a level playing field with competing jurisdictions for potential police officer candidates,” Chief Marcus Jones said, “Without these bonuses, we would be at a disadvantage.”
Payments of the bonus would be made in stages with the first payment amounting to 10% of the total. It would come after a new recruit’s first day as a county employee.
Full implementation of this incentive must be approved by the county council for the Fiscal Year 2024 and beyond budgets.
Money to cover these bonuses is expected to come through savings due to vacancies within the department. Currently, the department is down about 129 sworn officers out of a force of about 1,300 officers.
According to the MCPD website, the starting salary for police officer candidates is $60,265 a year. It rises to $62,377 for those with one year experience and $64,560 for those with two years of experience. New officers to the county with five years of experience receive $71,582.
According to website of the Prince George’s Police Department, starting salary there is $57,889. As of July 1, 2022, entry level positions receive a $10,000 hiring bonus. Those joining with experience may receive a $15,000 bonus.
According to its website, the Metropolitan Police Department, which covers Washington, D.C., offers an annual starting salary of $66,419, which rises to $72,668 after completion of an 18-month probationary period.
New hires receive $10,000 when they begin training at the academy. If successfully completed, the recruits receive another $10,000 bonus, but they must stay with the force for two years or they are required to return the bonus.
“By increasing the starting salaries for police officers, we have moved Montgomery County into a better recruiting position,” said County Executive Marc Elrich in a news release.
“Montgomery County, along with our region, has experienced many challenges over the years that has greatly impacted police recruitment,” said Councilmember Sidney Katz, chair of the County’s Public Safety Commission. “This is an important step to take to enhance our ability to effectively recruit the complement of officers needed in our County. “
“We thank the County Executive for working with Lodge 35 on providing a wage and benefit agreement that both helps recruits and retains police officers in Montgomery County, including the studying of a hiring bonus,” said Lee Holland, president of the local FOP. “We hope that the County Council approves these much-needed increases so we can again be a competitive agency when it comes to wages and benefits.”
