OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – The Oakland city council president laid out a new hiring incentive program to fill officer vacancies in the Oakland Police Department.
With 60 vacant police officer positions, a significant cash incentive will be provided to experienced officers and residents to join the department.
This program would help improve:
- The department’s 911 response time
- Provide the ability to increase the numbers of visible patrol officers
- Allow for the expansion of Ceasefire program
Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao is working with an outside agency for a nationwide search of “strongly qualified and experienced lateral police officers.” They are looking for officers who have gone through police training and are in a respective police department currently.
“I am introducing a plan to help the City Administration speed up recruitment as well as help save the city dollars and time when filling key vacancies,” Sheng Thao said. “My plan will make Oakland more competitive in its work to hire seasoned, quality officers from across the nation.”
In September, Thao worked to secure more training academies and give overtime to the department for patroling businesses during the holidays.
This new effort will not take away from other investments that have been approved to prevent violence.
“Being a city leader means breaking through the discourse and finding solutions that are effective and holistic. While important violence prevention programs like Ceasefire and Town Nights continue to focus on the community-building that is necessary, it is essential that the city improve its 911 response times and ensure nobody is waiting hours for help. Equally, it is important that OPD is supported and staffed at the levels that the Council has already authorized and funded,” Thao said.