Spokane County Commission chooses to continue offering signing bonuses to help fill vacant deputy positions

New recruits to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will continue to be offered signing bonuses of up to $25,000 as the agency seeks to fill approximately 35 vacant positions.

The Spokane County Commission voted unanimously last week to extend hiring incentives for another year. The program will not impact the county budget, since the cost of bonuses is offset by money dedicated to salaries and benefits for vacant positions, according to the county.

The program began in 2021 under the leadership of former Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich with the goal of attracting applicants from other law enforcement agencies, as well as those new to the profession. Like many law enforcement agencies across the country, the sheriff’s office was understaffed and had difficulty finding enough deputies.

Bonuses started at $15,000 for lateral hires — experienced officers coming from other agencies in Spokane County. In March 2022, the county commission approved Knezovich’s request to increase that amount to $25,000 for fullbacks and $10,000 for inexperienced deputies.

Last week, the county commission agreed to expand the $25,000 and $10,000 incentives under updated parameters intended to improve retention and prevent applicants from getting their bonus and then leaving.

The sheriff’s office had initially given new recruits half of their bonus at the start and the other half at the end of their first year, but the program has since been changed to provide new recruits with half of their bonus at the start, the rest being paid gradually once they are finished. the agency’s probationary period, which typically lasts about a year, said sheriff’s office spokesman Cpl. Marc Gregory.

Lateral transfers and new assistants who have completed their probationary period will receive the balance of their remaining bonus in 24 installments, paycheck by paycheck, to be paid over a two-year period.

Gregory said the program has been helpful in attracting candidates and ensuring those who are hired end up staying with the sheriff’s office.

“This signing bonus helps a lot with moving and bringing families to the area,” Gregory said.

The office doesn’t have retention data since the policy was changed, but Undersheriff Kevin Richey told The Spokesman-Review last year that about 20 percent of new recruits ended up leaving the office. agency before the disbursement schedule is changed.

Anecdotally, Gregory said the new progressive model appears to be working. He said this motivates new hires to do their due diligence before applying, so they don’t end up coming back after arriving in Spokane County and finding the job or area might not be a good fit for them .

“It gets people to make more informed decisions instead of being rash from the start,” Gregory said.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office isn’t the only law enforcement agency offering signing bonuses to make recruiting easier; Gregory said they need to do this to stay competitive in the job market.

Some cities and counties offer much larger amounts, such as the city of Renton in King County, which offers lateral recruits a $40,000 signing bonus to join the Renton Police Department. The Alameda, California Police Department offers bonuses of $75,000 – the highest for law enforcement in the country.

Gregory said all agencies, including the sheriff’s office, are looking to hire from the same limited pool of applicants. This likely led to the competing bonuses now evident in law enforcement job postings nationwide.

The Sheriff’s Office hired 17 new deputies last year, its lowest level in 10 years, compared to 38 hires in 2022. The agency has consistently had between 20 and 40 vacancies in recent years due to a wave of retirements and transfers.

These vacancy numbers are somewhat misleading out of context, however, as the Sheriff’s Office went from 227 authorized deputy positions in 2021 to approximately 250 today.

The agency has invested significantly in recruiting efforts to improve hiring numbers and fill vacant positions. It created a new website dedicated solely to attracting candidates, launched a signing bonus program for new recruits and a vast advertising campaign.

The sheriff’s office spends $80,000 a year on targeted social media advertising and another $30,000 a year on billboards in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.

He also dedicated a $100,000 travel budget and a caravan to the recruiting team of 30 MPs who participate in career fairs, hiring events for veterans transitioning back to life civilian and public safety testing sites.

Although there is no financial compensation for either party, Sheriff John Nowels told county commissioners last week that his agreement to allow the reality TV show “Cops” to film alongside assistants this summer is another recruiting tool.

“It’s a lot harder than it was 30 years ago when I started,” Gregory said.