As Cape Coral faces the impact of a nationwide struggle to fill vacant police officer positions, the City Council will vote on new $10,000 hiring bonuses.
“We must ensure that the City is competitive in attracting qualified law enforcement personnel,” wrote Cape Coral Chief of Police Anthony Sizemore in a memo to the city manager. “The Cape Coral Police Department has determined the need to implement a hiring bonus for newly hired Police Officers in keeping with other law enforcement agencies around the region.”
Sizemore said signing bonuses are necessary to keep the city competitive in hiring.
“Our regional competitors for Police Officer candidates have raised starting pay, surpassed ours, and implemented recruitment and/or housing bonuses to attract applicants,” Sizemore wrote in the memo.
An entry-level officer at Cape Coral Police earns $58,115. The city currently does not offer a sign-on bonus.
The Cape Coral Police Department is authorized to hire 307 officers and currently has 29 vacancies, according to Public Information Officer Mercedes Phillips.