Posted on Sun, Nov. 12, 2006
MIAMI GARDENS
Miami Gardens using attractive incentives to recruit officers
THE CITY UNVEILED AN ATTRACTIVE SALARY PACKAGE DESIGNED TO LURE APPLICANTS FOR ITS COMING POLICE DEPARTMENT
BY ROBERT SAMUELS
rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com
Devoting big bucks for benefits and bonuses, the city of Miami Gardens unveiled an incentive package that is intended to create one of the highest-paid, most educated police forces in Florida.
A Miami Gardens officer with a high school education and no experience in police work will make about $45,000 a year to start. That salary, effective December 2007, will most likely place the city's police department in the top 10 percent in the state.
Salary raises will be based on education and experience. For example, a college-educated officer with five years' experience will earn $61,000. That's higher than what some sergeants are paid in Fort Lauderdale, according to 2005 statistics.
Law enforcement agents around South Florida are talking about the incentives package, as it shows a new approach in an increasingly competitive world of police recruiting.
Many of the nation's largest, most established departments -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami-Dade -- can't fill all their spots. And as these forces scrounge to find qualified officers, this 3-year-old city of 105,000 must devise a way to fill 150.
''Miami Gardens is definitely causing a buzz around here,'' said Dick Brickman, president of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association. ``What they're doing is innovative and different and it will bring in certified officers.''
It's not just the pay that's attractive. There's also a $12,000 signing bonus. And possible free college education. And an extra $2,000 annually that Miami Gardens pledges to pay if the officer lives within city limits.
Currently, the county provides police services for Miami Gardens under the terms of incorporation. The city plans to take over after the contract ends in December 2007.
Curbing crime remains one of the city's top priorities. Maj. Matthew Boyd of the Miami-Dade police department, who is commander of the Carol City station, reported that auto thefts and commercial burglaries dropped more than 20 percent this year but homicides have increased 27 percent.
Residents were hit with a 41 percent property tax increase for the new fiscal year to help finance the $4.4 million cost of creating the new department.
Lucy Stanley, who lives in Cloverleaf, said she is hesitantly hopeful having a local presence will stop violence and improve citizens' relationships with the police.
Under the current arrangement, she said, cops don't respond to calls quickly enough. They don't have as personal relationships with the children as she would like.
''I'd like to see them get to know people,'' Stanley said of the upcoming department. ``I hope with our help they'd get to know people.''
The city's goal is to court quality, local potential recruits with a passion for the community, said City Manager Danny Crew. He looks to Boyd, who has been tapped to head the force, as an example. The city has also hired a deputy chief and three commanders. Crew said he hopes other officers nearby follow.
Given the crunch for police officers, hostility toward Miami Gardens from other departments might occur.
''Are we going to have some enemies? Oh, yes,'' Boyd said at a recent City Council meeting. He said Miami Gardens was going to upset people ``and that's saying it lightly.''
Boyd later added that Miami Gardens is giving the embryonic police department much-deserved importance.
People are OK with paying athletes millions to move from one city to another. They should be willing to do the same for those who are trained to protect and serve them, Boyd said. And as civic employees become more flexible about where they live, Mayor Shirley Gibson said, all municipalities will compete for top talent.
''This is business,'' said Gibson. ``Finding employees to work in municipalities, in the public sector, is looking more and more like finding employees in the private sector.''
This seems to be true for new cities nationwide. In drafting the incentives package, Crew did research to determine how they started successful police departments. The strongest comparison was with Elk Grove, Calif., a city of 135,000 that started its own police force in June. Its starting salary is around $58,000. After a year of recruiting, Elk Grove started a 112-member force at capacity, said Officer Christopher Trim, the department's spokesman.
''In our particular case, we wanted the best of the best and we feel like offering something to them to make sure we were getting the best of the best,'' Trim said. ``And I feel that it's paid off.''
Miami Gardens' plan has been successful so far, said Crew, who drafted the package. Days after he posted the plan on the city's website, it received almost 1,000 hits. About 50 people have filed applications so far. The response was so overwhelming, Crew said, he took salary information off the site to curb inquiries until the city could better manage such great interest.
''So far, things are looking good,'' Crew said, ``but, still, our biggest challenge is to find 150 good people.''
MIAMI GARDENS
Miami Gardens using attractive incentives to recruit officers
THE CITY UNVEILED AN ATTRACTIVE SALARY PACKAGE DESIGNED TO LURE APPLICANTS FOR ITS COMING POLICE DEPARTMENT
BY ROBERT SAMUELS
rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com
Devoting big bucks for benefits and bonuses, the city of Miami Gardens unveiled an incentive package that is intended to create one of the highest-paid, most educated police forces in Florida.
A Miami Gardens officer with a high school education and no experience in police work will make about $45,000 a year to start. That salary, effective December 2007, will most likely place the city's police department in the top 10 percent in the state.
Salary raises will be based on education and experience. For example, a college-educated officer with five years' experience will earn $61,000. That's higher than what some sergeants are paid in Fort Lauderdale, according to 2005 statistics.
Law enforcement agents around South Florida are talking about the incentives package, as it shows a new approach in an increasingly competitive world of police recruiting.
Many of the nation's largest, most established departments -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami-Dade -- can't fill all their spots. And as these forces scrounge to find qualified officers, this 3-year-old city of 105,000 must devise a way to fill 150.
''Miami Gardens is definitely causing a buzz around here,'' said Dick Brickman, president of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association. ``What they're doing is innovative and different and it will bring in certified officers.''
It's not just the pay that's attractive. There's also a $12,000 signing bonus. And possible free college education. And an extra $2,000 annually that Miami Gardens pledges to pay if the officer lives within city limits.
Currently, the county provides police services for Miami Gardens under the terms of incorporation. The city plans to take over after the contract ends in December 2007.
Curbing crime remains one of the city's top priorities. Maj. Matthew Boyd of the Miami-Dade police department, who is commander of the Carol City station, reported that auto thefts and commercial burglaries dropped more than 20 percent this year but homicides have increased 27 percent.
Residents were hit with a 41 percent property tax increase for the new fiscal year to help finance the $4.4 million cost of creating the new department.
Lucy Stanley, who lives in Cloverleaf, said she is hesitantly hopeful having a local presence will stop violence and improve citizens' relationships with the police.
Under the current arrangement, she said, cops don't respond to calls quickly enough. They don't have as personal relationships with the children as she would like.
''I'd like to see them get to know people,'' Stanley said of the upcoming department. ``I hope with our help they'd get to know people.''
The city's goal is to court quality, local potential recruits with a passion for the community, said City Manager Danny Crew. He looks to Boyd, who has been tapped to head the force, as an example. The city has also hired a deputy chief and three commanders. Crew said he hopes other officers nearby follow.
Given the crunch for police officers, hostility toward Miami Gardens from other departments might occur.
''Are we going to have some enemies? Oh, yes,'' Boyd said at a recent City Council meeting. He said Miami Gardens was going to upset people ``and that's saying it lightly.''
Boyd later added that Miami Gardens is giving the embryonic police department much-deserved importance.
People are OK with paying athletes millions to move from one city to another. They should be willing to do the same for those who are trained to protect and serve them, Boyd said. And as civic employees become more flexible about where they live, Mayor Shirley Gibson said, all municipalities will compete for top talent.
''This is business,'' said Gibson. ``Finding employees to work in municipalities, in the public sector, is looking more and more like finding employees in the private sector.''
This seems to be true for new cities nationwide. In drafting the incentives package, Crew did research to determine how they started successful police departments. The strongest comparison was with Elk Grove, Calif., a city of 135,000 that started its own police force in June. Its starting salary is around $58,000. After a year of recruiting, Elk Grove started a 112-member force at capacity, said Officer Christopher Trim, the department's spokesman.
''In our particular case, we wanted the best of the best and we feel like offering something to them to make sure we were getting the best of the best,'' Trim said. ``And I feel that it's paid off.''
Miami Gardens' plan has been successful so far, said Crew, who drafted the package. Days after he posted the plan on the city's website, it received almost 1,000 hits. About 50 people have filed applications so far. The response was so overwhelming, Crew said, he took salary information off the site to curb inquiries until the city could better manage such great interest.
''So far, things are looking good,'' Crew said, ``but, still, our biggest challenge is to find 150 good people.''
