Atlanta police officers will receive a retention bonus earlier in their career as an incentive to stay with the department.
The Atlanta City Council unanimously passed an ordinance late Monday night implementing a $2,500 bonus for officers who have been on the force for three years after graduating from the police academy. That bonus is $1,200 for officers on the city’s “hybrid” pension plan.
Under the current plan, which was adopted in 2007 but hadn’t been adjusted since then, officers get a $3,000 bonus on their fifth anniversary with the department. Officers must be in good standing to be eligible for the bonus.
Over the last year, as more officers left the Atlanta Police Department, city leaders have looked for ways to improve recruitment and retention. City leaders have long aspired to reach 2,000 officers on the force, but APD has been several hundred officers short of that goal for years.
Dozens of Atlanta officers either retired or resign last summer, amid a rise in violent crime and widespread protests against racism and police brutality. By September, there were roughly 1,600 officers on the streets (with 110 recruits in training), a total nearly as low as any seen in the past two decades, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms mentioned the new retention bonus initiative during her State of the City address last month and said she was working with the council to enact it.
“Thank you to the City Council for working with our administration to prioritize and pass these retention incentives,” Bottoms said in a statement Monday night. “As we work to bolster public trust and public safety in Atlanta, it is important that we are able to retain sworn officers who respect and protect our communities.”
The police department thanked the mayor and council for the bonus in a tweet Tuesday, saying that “in these challenging times, incentives like this remind our dedicated men and women how much they are appreciated and needed.”
Councilman Howard Shook, who introduced the legislation in January, thanked Bottoms’ administration for supporting the measure.
“We know there have been a lot of resignations over the last year, and morale among those who thankfully still report for roll call could use a boost,” Shook said. “Hopefully, this sends a meaningful message.”
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