Council to vote on Seaside PD’s “lateral-move bonus” to address officer shortage

City Council members in Seaside are expected to vote on whether Seaside Police can offer a $30,000 bonus in an effort to attract trained officers from other agencies across the country.

Council members have it on the agenda for tonight’s city council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m.

The bonus would be paid over the course of two years.

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The Seaside Police Department is looking to offer a $30,000 sign-on bonus to attract experienced officers from other agencies in California and across the country.

There are currently 11 openings within the Seaside PD, most of which are within the patrol officer division.

“I think it’s a dangerous job, first and foremost. I think there’s a lot of stigma being a police officer right now,” said Jesse Hockersmith, a Monterey resident.

In Seaside, finding those who want to be police officers can be difficult as well. This offer is curiously timed after contentious contract negotiations between the City of Salinas and the police association.

But the Seaside police chief insists this offer is not an attempt to poach officers from Salinas and that they have been working on the offer for several months already.

“It’s really difficult to recruit and retain qualified applicants. At this point in time, where the unemployment rate is extremely low, below four percent, this is a very expensive area to live in,” said Abdul Pridgen, the Seaside police chief.

In order to attract qualified applicants, the Seaside Police Department wants to do something extra to be competitive in the marketplace, including the $30,000 sign-on bonus for those who qualify.

“Law enforcement is a unique profession and it attracts those who have an underlying desire to make the community safer,” said Pridgen.

Currently, Seaside police officers and staff have been working long shifts and overtime to provide coverage for the city. Part of the difficulty in hiring comes from competition from other job industries and the perceived stresses of police work.

“They don’t have to worry about putting on a bullet proof vest and going out there and protecting the community and being at the front lines of making
our community safe,” said Pridgen. “And some people would rather work in other industries, which is great. But it’s more difficult to recruit qualified people given how plentiful the jobs are.”

The chief says many police agencies across the country are also having a tough time filling positions. And some have been using similar sign-on bonuses to attract applicants.

Seaside Police wants to hire people who are already officers in California or elsewhere because it also takes less time to train them. Only people who are police officers already in other police departments can qualify for the lateral-move sign-on bonus.

“I mean I don’t envy that job. I think it’d be a pretty tough job and I have a lot of respect for anyone who’d be willing to do that,” said Hockersmith.

The sign-on bonus is still in the proposal stage; the Seaside City Council is set to consider it on Thursday. If approved, the city will decide where the money comes from.