Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan made it official on Monday, signing legislation aimed at recruiting veteran officers to the city, for a price.
The City of Seattle will give $15,000 signing bonuses to veteran cops making lateral moves, and $7,500 for new recruits. It is part an effort meant to stem the tide of losses, brought on by retirements, and the higher cost of living.
Seattle grew by nearly 100,000 people since 2014, but police did not have a pay raise in that time, because of an impasse with a new labor contract.
Seattle now offers salaries starting at more than $100,000 to officers with more than 4.5 years experience. The bonuses are meant to keep the city competitive with cities like Bellevue, and others who also offer significant signing bonuses.
On Monday, Lake Forest Park put out an all call on social media for a new officer, and Auburn's mayor recently wrote that it was tough for the training academy to keep up with demand.