PARADISE — The Paradise Police Department saw more than half of its staffing go after the Camp Fire in 2018 and has had difficulty recovering in the five years since.
The town of Paradise opted for hiring, referral and transfer bonuses to up staffing in 2022 — and on Tuesday, the Town Council extended the program for two more years.
Paradise Police Chief Eric Reinbold brought the item before the council during Tuesday’s meeting and requested the extension.
“It has proven to be successful in encouraging and enticing people to apply with the police department both for dispatchers and police officers,” Reinbold said.
The program is funded through Measure V, the town’s half-percent sales tax increase and received approval from the Measure V oversight committee.
As it stands, an officer making a lateral move to the Paradise Police Department can get $40,000 — $15,000 when hired, an additional $15,000 after a set probationary period and the final $10,000 after a year upon review. Entry-level academy graduates receive $5,000 upon hire.
Lateral transferring dispatchers get $10,000, with half at the time of the hiring and the other half after the probationary period. For entry-level dispatchers, $5,000 is offered.
For police officer referrals, the department offers $1,000 to the town employee who made the referral for lateral police officer transfers, $500 for academy graduates who sign on and $300 for police officer trainees. Town employees who successfully refer a dispatcher get $300 for the lateral move and $100 for the entry-level.
Reinbold noted that the extension further specifies language, specifically related to lateral transfers.
“We did a little bit of clean-up language just to define clarify some of the terms,” Reinbold said. “One example defines a lateral police officer as specifically having experience on the street as well as being co-certified.”
The vote to extend the program was unanimous.
Other business
Aside from extending bonuses, the council meeting contained the following:
• A Camp Fire recovery update was provided with multiple department heads providing information on recovery efforts since 2018.
• The council unanimously approved an agreement that would allow the Rebuild Paradise Foundation to build three tile walls at the Paradise Community Park.
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