The Elkhart Police Department today announced they will offer sign-on bonuses for qualified lateral transfers, as a way to recruit new and experienced officers.
Sgt. Chris Snyder is the Elkhart Police Department Spokesperson. He said lateral transfers help department cut costs in various ways as well as training time for new officers.
To compensate officers who do transfer to Elkhart Police, and offer an incentive to those considering it, the Department now offers sign-on bonuses ranging from $3,000 to $7,500 dollars depending on the officer’s experience.
“We understand that officers, when they lateral over here are going to give something up and we want to kind of help offset that,” Snyder said.
Although the city has hired 131 of the 136 officers budgeted, Snyder said officers still need to be trained before working in the community. He said having more officers who are ready to work and go out in the field will help the department launch programs they haven’t had the manpower to fill.