Borough of Irwin Police Department offers $5,000 sign-on bonus for new hires
IRWIN, Pa. (KDKA) — The Borough of Irwin Police Department is working to find new ways to recruit and retain police officers.
Irwin Borough Council recently passed an incentive that will be given to new officers who join the department. Chief Dan Wensel said the incentive is $5,000.
"It is a $5,000 sign-on bonus, meaning the first two years, you'd receive your $2,500," the chief said. "And then you would stay an additional two years, you would receive another $2,500. So, it's $5,000 over that four years you'd be committed to us. If by chance in between those four years that you would leave, there'd be a prorate that you would have to pay back the bonus that you got from us."
Wensel said a corporal at the station came up with the idea after hearing about it at another police department.
"It's something that I really liked to bring somebody in because of the climate with the police, you know right now, as far as getting candidates to come in and work," Wensel said. "When I started, you'd have 500 people taking a test for one job. And now it's pretty much picking and choosing where you know you want to work because everybody's looking for officers."
Wensel said since he started with Irwin police in 2020, 60 officers have left.
"They'll be here for a year or two, get their experience, and then move on to what they think are bigger and better departments," Wensel said. "We're putting a lot of money into time and training to these officers and then they're leaving us. And then we have to restart the process. So, we're hoping this is an incentive to make them stay here and grow some roots here."
Officers at the department make just over $30 per hour. Currently, Wensel said the department is fully staffed, but he said the department will be posting an ad to hire soon.
He said Irwin has a lot to offer to new officers.
"Irwin is a great community to be in. It's a safe community. Our residents really love the police department. They embrace us," Wensel said.
He said not only do officers benefit from staying and growing in the community, but the community benefits from seeing the same officers.
"We have a great staff here. And again, the safety of it all, we provide a service to the community, and they know that and they support us," Wensel said. "You're just not a number. You're just not an officer walking around ... This is your home, as well as the people that you're serving anything."