Florida Senate Backs Bolstering Police Recruiting
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – A proposal by Gov. Ron DeSantis to help recruit law enforcement officers from other states was picked up Monday by the Senate.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a House measure (HB 3) that would establish a program to provide one-time payments of up to $5,000 to newly employed law-enforcement officers, set up a Florida Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program to cover basic-training tuition and fees for new officers and reward officers who adopt children.
"As you know, law enforcement agencies across the United States have reported difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified law enforcement officers," Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, said. "This bill addresses that problem and assists our Florida agencies by creating new programs or expanding existing ones that will help attract and keep our officers in the community."
The proposal is ready to go to the full Senate, with less than two weeks left in the regular legislative session.
DeSantis, who is running for re-election this year, has made beefing up law enforcement a hallmark of his policies through such things as the proposed bonuses.
The House approved the measure in a 108-4 vote on Feb. 16.
Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, said she supports recruiting law enforcement officers but has concerns about background checks that will be conducted on people drawn by the proposed bonuses and the level of training that will be provided.
House Democrats had unsuccessfully sought to amend the proposal to require agencies to review complete employment records of new hires, including disciplinary actions, complaints or investigations into conduct and for recruits with military backgrounds to pass psychological examinations.
Hooper said the new officers would have to undergo the same background checks already in use.
The House has included about $40 million in its proposed budget (HB 3) to cover different aspects of the bill, with half going to the recruitment effort.
Hooper said officers must remain employed in Florida for two years with law-enforcement agencies to qualify for the money.
A Senate staff analysis of the bill said the $5,000 bonus program would cost the state about $13.6 million a year, based on historical data.
Under the proposal, the state Department of Economic Opportunity would develop minimum eligibility requirements for newly employed officers to get bonuses.
The bill would make available $1,000 awards to cover training costs for people who are recruited.
Also, officers could receive $10,000 for adopting through the state child-welfare system, with the benefit growing to $25,000 for adopting children with special needs.
The House budget includes $5 million for the academy scholarship program and $3 million for the adoption provisions. The bill also would increase the base salary for each county sheriff by $5,000.
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