By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
LOS ANGELES — In an effort to recruit and retain more officers for the Los Angeles Police Department, a tentative contract agreement between the mayor’s office and the police union is moving forward, KCBS reports.
Mayor Karen Bass shared details of the plan, stating there would be a higher starting pay for officers, retention pay incentives and better healthcare benefits.
The mayor’s office said a significant number of officers who leave the agency before 10 years go on to other agencies. The new LAPD four-year contract agreement is meant to address the retention issue.
LAPD has declined by more than 1,000 officers since 2020, KCBS reports. That number is expected to grow in the coming years due to retirements and resignations.
The tentative agreement increases the base salary of LAPD recruits by 11%, with a 3% increase in base salary wages annually each year of the contract.
That means the annual starting pay for LAPD recruits would increase from around $74,000 to around $86,000. The $86,000 takes in not just the 13% hike in starting pay, but the first 3% raise, city administrative officer Matt Szabo told the Los Angeles Times.
For officers already with the LAPD, the new agreement includes retention pay incentives, along with a 5% boost in insurance subsidies for health, life and dental insurance.
The tentative agreement comes after Bass promised to increase LAPD staffing by proposing a budget aimed at restoring the department to 9,500 officers by the middle of next year, the Los Angeles Times reports.