190910

Emergency Ordinance

*Authorize Portland Police Bureau to offer hiring bonuses to Public Safety Support Specialists and Lateral Police Officers in amount not to exceed $500,000

Passed

The City of Portland ordains:

Section 1. The Council finds:

  1. The Police Bureau (PPB)’s labor agreement with the Portland Police Association provides, through Article 65 "Recruitment and Retention Incentives," for incentives to hire and retain new police officers, but does not provide incentives to hire and retain Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s) or lateral officers;
  2. PS3s are responsible for providing support to sworn police officers in non-emergency, non-priority situations and assisting sworn personnel in community outreach with the public. Their ability to respond to lower priority calls is a crucial asset in the bureau for maintaining community safety and helping address livability concerns with limited officer resources;
  3. PPB will provide qualified PS3 candidates a bonus of between $3,000 and $5,000 for hiring on with PPB. The PS3 hiring bonus will be offered for only qualifying applicants who apply and successfully pass the hiring process, including background checks, and receive an offer of employment;
  4. A lateral police officer, for PPB’s purposes, is a certified police officer with a minimum of three (3) years of continuous service, exercising police powers at a city, county or state police agency responsible for 911 calls. Lateral officers also must have a state certification recognized by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST);
  5. Lateral police officers offer the Bureau more experience and need less training than newly-sworn police officers. PPB is proposing a lateral police officer hiring bonus to attract certified police officers to apply for employment as a police officer with the Portland Police Bureau;
  6. PPB will provide qualified lateral police officer candidates a bonus of up to $25,000 for transferring to PPB. The lateral police officer hiring bonus will be offered for only qualifying applicants who apply and successfully pass the hiring process, including background checks, and receive an offer of employment. The applicants must receive the money no later than September 27, 2022;
  7. The PPB has sufficient funding in its on-going budget appropriations to accommodate the lateral police officer hiring bonus program; and
  8. It is beneficial to the City and community that this incentive program may be authorized as quickly as possible to enhance hiring efforts on behalf the Police Bureau.

NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:

  1. The Director of the Bureau of Human Resources is authorized to enter into a Letter of Agreement in a form similar to Exhibit A  between the City and PPA to provide for retention bonuses for newly hired employees as stated in this ordinance.
  2. The Portland Police Bureau is authorized to pay hiring incentive bonuses up to a total amount of $500,000 to qualified Public Safety Support Specialist and lateral police officer candidates who receive offers of employment, provided that a procedure is put in place that allows for a structured, time-bound payout and the ability for the City to recover funds if the candidate does not meet the criteria set out for qualification and further provided that Portland Police Bureau reaches a Letter of Agreement with Portland Police Association regarding the lateral hiring incentive bonuses.
  3. Hiring incentive bonuses for certain classes must be paid no later than September 27, 2022.

Section 2. The Council declares an emergency exists because delay would jeopardize the grantee’s ability to perform the activities supported by the city’s grant funds; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council.

An ordinance when passed by the Council shall be signed by the Auditor. It shall be carefully filed and preserved in the custody of the Auditor (City Charter Chapter 2 Article 1 Section 2-122)

Passed by Council

Auditor of the City of Portland
Mary Hull Caballero

Impact Statement

Purpose of Proposed Legislation and Background Information

The Police Bureau (PPB) has been facing a major police officer staffing shortage for over half a decade.  In an attempt to entice qualified talent to join our agency, the police bureau has, with Council support, coordinated an effort to recruit Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s) and new lateral police officers to the City of Portland’s Police Bureau.

PPB’s most recent labor agreement with the Portland Police Association provides, through Article 65 "Recruitment and Retention Incentives," for incentives to hire and retain new police officers, but does not provide incentives to hire and retain PS3s or lateral officers.

PS3s provide support to sworn police officers in non-emergency, non-priority situations and assist sworn personnel in community outreach with the public. The PS3s are distinguished from Police Officers in that they serve in a non-sworn and non-certified police support function. The main goals of the PS3 program are to enhance community engagement opportunities and reduce the number of armed police officers responding to lower priority calls for service. They are a crucial asset for the bureau in maintaining community safety and helping address livability concerns with limited officer resources

A lateral police officer, for PPB’s purposes, is a certified police officer with a minimum of three (3) years of continuous service, exercising police powers at a city, county or state police agency responsible for 911 calls. Lateral officers must have a state certification recognized by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). The three years of service must be current, full time, unbroken and continuous with no more than a two-year break in service before their PPB hire date.

Laterally hired sworn members offer the Bureau more experience and need less training than newly-sworn police officers. This means less time and expense are needed to ready the officer for full-time patrol duties, and provides more flexibility to the Bureau for assignment purposes.

PPB is proposing a PS3 and lateral police officer hiring bonus to attract qualified applicants to apply for and accept employment with the Portland Police Bureau. PPB will provide the qualified PS3s with bonuses between $3,000 and $5,000, and lateral police officer candidates a bonus of up to $25,000 for transferring to PPB.

These qualifying applicants must successfully pass through the hiring process, including background checks, and receive an offer of employment. The lateral police officer applicants must receive their money no later than September 27, 2022.  The Bureau will require a signed agreement with the applicant covering the disbursement of the signing bonus that must be executed prior to disbursement to ensure that any applicant receiving the disbursement who leaves prematurely will compensate the City based on a repayment schedule.

PPB will also be entering into negotiations for a Letter of Agreement with the Portland Police Association (PPA) to amend their Collective Bargaining Agreement to reflect the PS3 and lateral hiring incentive bonuses and award structures.

Financial and Budgetary Impacts

The PPB has sufficient funding in its on-going budget appropriations to accommodate the PS3 and lateral police officer hiring bonus program.

Community Impacts and Community Involvement

Having more robust staffing allows PPB options and flexibility to complete its mission of reducing crime and the fear of crime by working with all citizens to preserve life, maintain human rights, protect property, and promote individual responsibility and community commitment.

100% Renewable Goal

Not applicable. 

Budget Office Financial Impact Analysis

This legislation authorizes the Portland Police Bureau to provide bonuses to incentivize hiring for Public Safety Support Specialists (PS3s) with bonuses between $3,000 and $5,000, and to lateral police officer candidates with up to $25,000 for transferring to the Portland Police Bureau. The FY 2022-23 Approved Budget includes $1.6 million for the bureau to expand the bureau’s investigation capacity which includes $500,000 for PS3 and lateral police officer hiring incentives. The ordinance stipulates that hiring incentive bonuses must be paid no later than September 27, 2022. Additionally, the ordinance states that the Police Bureau reach a Letter of Agreement with the Portland Police Association on lateral hiring incentive bonuses that identifies a time-bound payout and the ability for the City to recover funds if the candidate does not meet the criteria set out for qualification.  

Agenda Items

592 Regular Agenda in June 29-30, 2022 Council Agenda

Passed

  • Commissioner Dan Ryan Yea
  • Former Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty Absent
  • Commissioner Mingus Mapps Yea
  • Commissioner Carmen Rubio Yea
  • Mayor Ted Wheeler Yea

Introduced by

Contact

Kathryn Linzey

PPB Procurement Analyst

Requested Agenda Type

Regular

Date and Time Information

Requested Council Date
Time Requested
15 minutes