Berkeley police now offering signing bonuses!

More great news! After several delays, the Berkeley police department is now offering signing bonuses for new hires and transferring officers. This means the department will finally be on equal footing with other police agencies in the Bay Area as it attracts officers to fill its more than 30 vacancies.

Police agencies around the country have struggled to hire and retain officers during the national conversation about policing that began after the death of George Floyd in 2020. Many department have implemented signing bonuses to attract talent. The Alameda police department, for example, began offering $75,000 bonuses to officers in 2023— among the highest offered anywhere in the nation.

SafeBears has been urging the Berkeley City Council and City Manager to institute bonuses for the Berkeley police department. With over 30 officer vacancies, police in Berkeley are unable to respond to crime effectively and have been forced to reduce patrols.

Fewer cops on the streets means more opportunities for bad guys to get away with crime, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Crime in Berkeley is at a 10-year high, and violent crime is up by over 25%.

SafeBears met with the Berkeley police department in the spring of 2023 and learned of their proposed bonus plan. We then spoke and wrote letters urging the City Council to institute these bonuses as soon as possible, becoming a regular presence at City Council meetings.

We followed the progress of Berkeley PD’s request as it made its way to the city worker’s union in May, and received confirmation in July that the bonuses had been approved and are now in place.

SafeBears commends the Berkeley City Council and City Manager for acting with urgency to fill our police vacancies and making Berkeley safer for everyone— including our Bears!

And a special Bear Hug to all our members who spoke and wrote emails in favor of these signing bonuses!