Milwaukee Offers Police Officers $10,000 To Switch to MPD

Milwaukee Police Department horses at Summerfest. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The City of Milwaukee is dangling $10,000 checks in front of police officers in other cities to transfer to the Milwaukee Police Department.

The offer comes as the city, like many others, has struggled to hire new officers, but also as Milwaukee has more funding and staffing level requirements as a result of Act 12, the 2023 state sales tax law.

“There are a lot of very, very talented police officers around the region, around the state and elsewhere who might be interested in a job that is challenging, a job that is active and appreciated by the people who live here in the city of Milwaukee,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson in announcing the initiative in a Monday morning press conference. “We’re looking to add to the ranks of those talented individuals here in our city.”

Act 12 imposed minimum staffing level requirements that Milwaukee must meet over a 10-year period, including the need to add up to 150 new officers. It also imposes a restriction that a portion of the city’s new 2% sales tax must be spent on public safety. But a key driver for Act 12’s adoption, soft-closing Milwaukee’s pension system, creates another opportunity and risk. Newly-hired employees, including officers, are part of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), instead of a stand-alone city system. As a result, police officers can now transfer with their pension to the city. The change eliminates a key hurdle to recruiting outside officers. But it also creates a new risk: officers hired since the city switched to WRS can more easily transfer to jobs with other local governments.

“For years and for decades, other municipalities, other law enforcement agencies have poached, have borrowed, have taken police officers from Milwaukee and now Milwaukee will have the opportunity to get officers back and increase our numbers,” said Alderman Peter Burgelis. A budget amendment he successfully introduced also added a $500 bonus to general city employees who refer a new police officer. Police officers will receive an extra day of pay or an extra day of vacation for referring a new officer.

“There is no one solution to the recruitment challenge. I think everyone knows it is a challenging problem nationwide to recruit police officers,” said Fire & Police Commission Executive Director Leon W. Todd, III to the Public Safety & Health Committee on Nov. 14.

MPD is funded for three classes of 65 recruits, but has fallen well short of that level. A class in March started with 46 recruits and resulted in 37 graduates, said Todd, and an August class started with 33 recruits and is currently at 30 members. A third class is expected to start in December, but only has between 26 and 28 recruits. The 2025 budget again funds three 65-member classes, the current maximum capacity of the city’s academy.

“It feels like we’re sinking. It feels like we’re getting further and further from our goal,” said Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs on Nov. 14. The city would lose tens of millions in funding if it fails to meet the sworn strength goals embedded in Act 12. “I don’t feel the urgency.”

The Fire & Police Commission, said Todd, has already made several adjustments to increase recruiting. That includes switching to a continuous recruiting process, hiring a second recruiter, switching testing vendors and spending more on advertising. It will also work to expand its social media recruiting.

Now it’s offering big cash payments.

“I do want that to emphasize that in addition to the bonus, there are many other reasons why current law enforcement officer should consider joining. The Milwaukee Police Department offers excellent pay and benefits including great pension benefits and opportunities for overtime,” said Todd on Monday. He noted that the city also offers merit-based promotional opportunities.

Officers that transfer to MPD, labeled “laterals,” would need to enter MPD at the rank of police officer, not a supervisory role. Their salary would be determined by their years of experience. The current salary range for a rank-and-file officer in Milwaukee is $63,565 to $84,734. MPD will only hire laterals with at least one year of experience.

In-state applicants already certified by Wisconsin’s Law Enforcement Standard Board will go through an approximately eight-week, paid training program. Out-of-state applicants would go through the full six-month academy process. Todd said the city would screen officers to avoid an issue with “wandering officers” who transfer to avoid disciplinary issues.

Officers would need to stay for a period of four years or face a clawback provision.

According to a Legislative Reference Bureau memo, Milwaukee’s offer is similar to those other large cities have offered. Starting in 2023, Cleveland offered a multi-step, $5,000 bonus. Seattle is currently offering a $50,000 lateral officer bonus and faces suburban competition. Minneapolis boosted its starting pay to $90,000. Baltimore is offering $11,000 in hiring bonuses, up to $7,500 per employee in referral bonuses, a property tax credit of $2,500 to city-resident officers and a $12,000 relocation incentive. Austin is offering a $15,000, multi-step bonus.

Burgelis is the sponsor of a pending file to formalize the hiring bonus, but the Milwaukee Police Association already signed a memorandum of understanding endorsing it. It would be funded with unspent MPD staffing funds.

City innovation director Jim Bohl, during the Nov. 14 meeting, said he is aware that there is a risk that suburban communities would copy Milwaukee but that if it becomes a cannibalization issue, it would allow the communities to go to the Wisconsin State Legislature to ask for resources to help. “They’re already doing it,” said Todd in response to a question from Ald. Scott Spiker. Wauwatosa currently has a $5,000 bonus. Waukesha and Madison have also offered bonuses, said Todd.

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