Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration is arguing for benefits that it feels will help retain New Orleans police officers. Those benefits include $30,000 in hiring bonuses, but a former NOPD superintendent is skeptical that those bonuses will help keep officers on the force.
"The structured sign-on bonuses with additional time payout has limited impact on retention," Ronal Serpas told WWL's Tommy Tucker. "It's a one-time quick fix. It's not meant to compensate for uncompetitive wages or unsupported work conditions or lack of career development."
According to Serpas, other police departments in major cities, including the Seattle Police Department, have tried--and failed--to keep officers through signing bonuses. One reason why, Serpas says, is because those bonuses hurt the morale of existing officers.
"We see sign-on bonuses for police officers all around the country that don't go away," Serpas said. "There's a reason, and when employees themselves undervalued or underpaid to the new people that are coming in, it really does drive a wedge."
Serpas suggests that signing bonuses also send a sign to recruits that something else within the department isn't right.
"Recruiting bonuses tell you there's something going wrong with retention," Serpas said. "The existing work force is going to recruit people more effectively when they feel like they've been paid well, compensated well, (and) when they feel like they're being supported."
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