BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The mayor and Birmingham Police Department’s recruitment and retention plan for police officers has many pieces to it.
On top of the $10,000 sign on and retention bonuses, the plan would ramp up the take home vehicle program BPD is working to start.
The mayor and his team estimate the effort will cost $4.5 million. The money would allow the department to purchase 75 new vehicles, with 50 of those used to start the new take home vehicle program.
Another 25 would be used to sustain the current fleet.
According to police leaders inside the Birmingham PD and from other departments, the take home car program would be massive for recruiting and retaining officers.
At the emergency committee of the whole meeting, BPD leaders said almost every police department in the county already has this program in place.
Within the last two years, Pleasant Grove Police added a take home car program.
Pleasant Grove Police Chief Danny Reid says the program has been a big boost to his department.
“Law enforcement is now in sort of a free agency. It is a buyers market for police officers. There are more openings than there are available candidates. All of us agencies are having to compare ourselves to others and say you should come here because of this. You should come here because we have take home cars, because we have good pay, because we have free health insurance, because we have all of this. You are having to showcase your benefits package as a whole because if you don’t, they are just going to shop to the next town,” said Chief Reid.
He says the officers take more pride in the vehicles as it basically serves as their office. It also saves them gas money.
He says the fact that they are driven and parked at various homes in the community shows that law enforcement has a presence near you.
“Take home cars are absolutely now just basically a benefits package if you’re hired by an agency. So many agencies have take home cars, so if your agency doesn’t have one, then you are kind of behind the power curve in recruitment and retention,” said Chief Reid.
He went on to add that BPD getting a take home car program would be a big step for the department in their effort to recruit and retain their officers.
Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.
Copyright 2024 WBRC. All rights reserved.
