Police pay plan going to council

The Coeur d'Alene City Council on Tuesday will consider a financial incentive plan to help fill vacant posts in the Coeur d'Alene Police Department

Police Chief Lee White is scheduled to outline an $80,000 proposal for lateral officer hiring.

In August, the department had 14 openings, the most since White came on board in 2014.

"Not only have we had officers leave our agency for higher-paying law enforcement jobs, we have had several applicants self-remove from our hiring process and many more not apply for our agency due to financial reasons," according to a city report.

Those financial reasons include housing costs. In August, the median home price in Kootenai County was $555,500, up 18% from the same time a year ago.

Kootenai County renters are paying more than half of their income toward rent, according to a CDA2030 survey, and finding an affordable rental is proving difficult.

Entry-level police officers can start at $25.58, according to the city’s website, while a lateral police officer's starting pay could be $28.20.

“We need to make sure the officers are being paid a livable wage to work in North Idaho,” White told The Press in a previous interview.

The police department is seeking council approval to offer an incentive program that will be open to up to eight lateral officers who meet certain requirements.

Here's how it would work:

• A $5,000 payment would be made in the first regularly scheduled paycheck after being hired.

• $5,000 would be paid in the first regular paycheck after being employed for one year.

"It is our hope that this new program will help attract quality applicants and help with the cost of moving to our city," the report said.

The money would have to be repaid if the person quits within three years of the date of hire.

The police department budgeted $80,000 for the program in its 2022-23 budget, which is about $22 million.

The report notes that the cost to get a new recruit through the academy and field training is estimated to cost more than $20,000.

"It is requested that this be approved as a pilot project, and a report on the progress of this program be made to Council in the spring of 2023," the report said.

The City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Library Community Room.