CITY OF DIXON, CA (MPG) - The national narrative on policing keeps recruitment low.

Dixon Police Chief Robert Thompson sent that message to city officials, who approved a Staffing Impacts Incentive Program at the July 16 meeting.

The national narrative exacerbates Bay Area police department competition, offering increasingly high salaries.  

“This has led to something of a salary ‘arms race’ where police departments are forced to compete against each other for experienced lateral candidates,” Thompson said. “In Southern California, one police department offers a $100,000 hiring incentive.”

While there have been cycles of staffing challenges over the years, Thompson said the department entered a new labor market with diminishing entry-level recruits and highly sought-after experienced officers.

“The disparity in pay between the Dixon Police Department and surrounding agencies can be significant,” Thompson said, noting Southern California police departments offer a $100,000 bonus for lateral candidates and Bay Area departments offer $75,000. “Coupled with pay and benefit increases throughout the region, we are forced to compete in this market.”

This is why the Staffing Impacts Incentive Program exists. According to the chief, it was developed internally within the Dixon Police Department as a proactive measure to address ongoing staffing challenges.

“It is a tailored solution based on our department’s unique needs and circumstances, influenced by best practices in human resources and crisis management observed in other law enforcement agencies and sectors facing similar issues,” Thompson said.

Those issues are a matter of life and death. Service shortages affect emergency response time and community policing numbers.

“Due to fewer officers on patrol, response times to emergency calls have increased, potentially delaying critical assistance in life-threatening situations,” said Thompson, adding, “Fewer officers mean less proactive community engagement and crime prevention activities, which can lead to higher crime rates and reduced public trust.”

In addition, the increased workload on remaining officers, leading to burnout and decreased job performance, further comprises public safety and officer well-being, according to the chief.

City of Dixon Police Department officers must train a year before being able to join the force. Photo courtesy of the City of Dixon

“This plan is meant as a stabilizer to demonstrate the city’s commitment to staff to work through negative staffing impacts to prevent these things from happening,” Thompson said. “Ancillary services like dedicated traffic enforcement or specially directed patrols are reduced before we see impacts on the core function of the police department, which is the patrol function.”

Three trigger points within the program determine needed action, including staffing levels, service delivery metrics and operational strain.

“This program is meant to trigger when we might reasonably anticipate separations may cause significant disruption to staffing levels,” Thompson said, adding time of day and year affect staffing. “We are frequently adjusting staffing to align staff with demand for service, which is necessary when working in a smaller city with limited resources.”

According to the chief, the program continues as long as needed.

“This is a very fluid situation with several layers of complexity,” Thompson said. “For example, if departures coincided with impending academy graduation, the duration would be shorter than if those departures happened with no recruits in the academy.”

Additionally, recruits and experienced police officers must apply to specific mandates. A police recruit goes to a six-month police academy before graduating to field training for at least another four months.

“They have to go through multiple interviews, a polygraph examination, a thorough background check, a psychological exam and a full physical examination,” Thompson said. “This can take months to complete, so filling vacancies and predicting when applicants become employees can be challenging to determine.”

The chief said the Dixon Police Department has continued to innovate new programs and ideas to meet the constant challenges of recruitment and retention.

“The labor market for law enforcement is as challenging now as any time in my 30-year career,” he said. “There are simply fewer people who want to be police officers, which makes them a commodity that departments are pilfering from each other.”

The chief said the staffing program attempts to make Dixon more attractive as a place to stay and does not increase the burden on taxpayers, primarily funded with salary savings.

“This is another example of our efforts to work smarter in addressing these challenges and live within our means,” Thompson said.