“Defund the Police” DC Mayor Now Offering $20k Hiring Bonus to Recruit More Cops

Washington, D.C.,
Mayor Muriel Bowser
unveiled an expedited plan to offer
increased incentives
to officers who join the
city’s police department
, marking her latest efforts to address
rising crime
within the district.

New recruits who sign on with the Metropolitan Police Department will receive a $20,000 hiring bonus, beginning with the newest class of recruits joining Monday under the plan. Cadets will receive the bonus in two installments, earning $10,000 upon joining and receiving the second half after they graduate from the police academy, the mayor said.

“We know how critical it is to have a fully staffed and resourced MPD, and that requires us to hire strong talent and to retain experienced officers,” Bowser said. “These hiring bonuses will help MPD recruit and hire more officers to keep our city safe.”

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The expedited timeline will mean implementing the monetary incentives before the district budget takes effect on Oct. 1, Bowser said Friday.

“We sent the budget to the council in March, and that budget will be available on Oct. 1. But the chief came to me, and he said, ‘Mayor, it is my job to tell you what we need. And what we need is to be able to put those bonuses in place right now so that we are competitive,’” Bowser said. “We have a lot going for us, and I want everybody to understand that this government won’t stop until we drive down violent crime.”

The newly announced incentives aim to address a nationwide hiring shortage of police officers, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic and months of social unrest, MPD chief Robert Contee said. By hiring more cadets, the department hopes to increase the number of officers it has on the streets to prevent crimes and respond more quickly.

“It has been one of my visions for the department to retain members and take care of our own, who proudly show up to work each and every day,” Contee said. “Our goal is that these recruiting incentives will create a pipeline to success for residents and for our youth, who too often find themselves in harm’s way with illegal firearms and crime.”

The expedited timeline is meant to address
rising crime rates
in Washington, a focal point for the City Council as it worked to finalize its budget for the next fiscal year. Bowser initially requested $30 million in her budget proposal to retain and recruit more officers over the next year, aiming to
have 4,000 uniformed
police officers sworn in over the next 10 years.

The mayor’s proposal also sought an increase in city funds to go toward housing assistance and tuition benefits that the council ultimately trimmed down in its final budget. City lawmakers also rejected a suggested perk to allow officers to take their patrol cars home and rejected Bowser’s request to
restore police officers
to schools.

The council
shaved off about $6 million
from Bowser’s budget proposal for the MPD, prompting criticism from the mayor that city lawmakers were stifling her efforts to address safety concerns within the district. Councilman Charles Allen, who chairs the committee responsible for finalizing the budget, fired back that Bowser’s ambitions beyond the more modest proposal from legislators are politically motivated ahead of the primary election.

“It’s an obvious choice to try to gin up conflict where there is none. I prefer seeking common ground and keeping politics out of policy,” Allen
said
at the time. “The council is not the mayor’s rubber stamp, and to describe the committee’s support and dramatic expansion of these initiatives as a cut isn’t a serious response. The city needs leaders to stop pointing fingers and instead get to work.”

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Bowser, who is up for reelection in D.C.’s primary election on Tuesday, has dedicated much of her campaign to addressing rising crime, which has become a top priority for district voters. The two-term incumbent faces challenges from Councilmen Trayon White and Robert White, who have both offered alternative proposals to address crime that don’t involve bolstering the MPD force.

Washington has reported 1,768 incidents of violent crime in the district so far this year, a 12% increase compared to the same time period last year, according
to data
from the MPD. The city reported the highest increases in homicide, which saw a 13% increase compared to last year, and robbery, which saw a 33% jump, the data show. The city has reported a 3% increase in overall crime.