Pierce County Sheriff’s Department offering $10,000 bonus for officers from other cities

Police departments across the Puget Sound region have encountered staffing issues in recent years, a trend that’s also made its way to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

‘Historically large number’ of cops leaving Seattle PD, outpaces hiring

“We’re not immune from it,” PCSD’s Ed Troyer told KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show.

In order to address that shortage, the department is hoping to entice new deputies, with a sizable $10,000 bonus for any officer laterally transferring from a department in another city or county.

This comes in the midst of criticism from many officers in Seattle about not feeling empowered by the city to tackle crime head-on.

“We are losing good people, and we know that it’s because they feel like they are not supported by public officials,” said Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best in early-2019.

Troyer claims that’s different down in Pierce County.

DOJ lawyers side with Seattle Police over new contract

“We are not de-policing, and we still use handcuffs when needed,” he described. “We do have a lot of alternative programs and our guys have big hearts. But at a certain point and certain time, our department and our county believes it’s time to be held accountable.”

This isn’t the first time a local police department has tried to woo officers over from other cities. In 2019, the Seattle Police Department offered a $15,000 bonus for new hires. Bellevue has also offered hires with two years experience a $16,000 bonus, while Renton recently had a $10,000 bonus with 40 hours of vacation on the table.

Pierce County’s bonus for lateral hires is available for new deputies now.

Listen to the Gee and Ursula Show weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.