Rochester Police look to attract certified patrol officers with $10G signing bonus

Rochester Police Chief Gary Boudreau (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - In an ongoing effort to bring experienced officers onto the force and get them patrolling Rochester's streets more quickly the Rochester Police Department has instituted a $10,000 signing bones for certified officers.
Rochester Police Chief Gary Boudreau said on Wednesday that while a noncertified hire can typically take 34 weeks from the start of training to begin patrol duties, a certified officers can be out on the street in less than 16 weeks.
"By attracting and hiring certified officers it allows the department to get officers on the street quicker," Boudreau told The Voice.
He said the several law enforcement agencies in the state are already doing similar bonuses.
Boudreau noted that in the past they had taken a pass on the idea as they didn't want to discourage current officers who worked large amounts of overtime "to fill the vacancies left by our open positions."
"In a meeting I had with the union leadership they brought the idea forward to look at again, as they see the value in being able to attract certified officers to the agency," Boudreau said. "From that discussion I met with the Police Commission and we developed the proposal, which resulted in meetings with the City Manager, Mayor and ultimately bringing this before the council to gain their support for the program."

For instate full-time certified officers, the $10,000 will be paid in one lump sum upon successful completion of Field Training.
For Out of State full-time certified officers, the $10,000 will be paid in one lump sum upon successful completion of NH Police Standards & Training Council law package.
Officers must also sign a 3 year contract.