To attract new police officers, the Flossmoor village board and the Fraternal Order of Police union representing Flossmoor police agreed to offer bonuses for new hires and officers making lateral moves.
The memo to the police contract was approved by both sides and then sent to Mayor Michelle Nelson and village trustees. Police Chief Carl Estelle gave an overview of the agreement at the March 3 board meeting giving information on how the bonus will help the police department be more competitive with neighboring communities.
The bonus ranges from $5,000 to $8,000 and will be based on a candidate’s experience, suitability and training. New officers receive half of the bonus after the probationary period. The remainder of the bonus is given after completing two years of service with the department.
Trustee Rosalind Mustafa asked if this bonus would compensate for the current lower salary, and bring Flossmoor in range with neighboring towns.
“We’re at about $64,450 roughly, and that’s much lower than the surrounding agencies around here,” Estelle said. “We’re just hoping it’ll make us a little bit more (competitive) as we’re trying to compete with those agencies.”
Estelle mentioned Homewood’s police salary, which he said is about $80,000.
Mustafa asked if there were any other benefits to help compensate the low salary. Estelle responded Flossmoor’s police benefits are comparable to others but do not go above what other police departments are doing.
Trustee Gary Daggett asked Estelle if there was a set criteria on experience to determine which new hires get a set amount of the $5,000 to $8,000.
Estelle gave a hypothetical of a new police officer out of the police academy getting the lowest bonus. An officer with several years experience with skills, such as detective work, would get the highest bonus.
Assistant Village Manager Jonathan Bogue noted that although the starting pay is lower than some departments, the village has a shorter step program, so the difference can be made up fairly quickly.