BRADENTON, FL - The Bradenton Police Department (BPD) is just one of many police departments in the state of Florida who have been taking full advantage of the law enforcement recruitment and retention bill, which the state Legislature passed back in 2022.
Part of the bill included $20 million specifically for the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program. At the end of October, BPD took the long trip up to Chicago in an effort to recruit officers at a law enforcement expo.
According to FOX13, BPD Officer Kevin Williams and Officer Jordan Poulos took a road trip to "crash" the Chicago Law Enforcement Hiring Expo.
Williams was one of the out-of-state recruits that moved to Florida and received a $5,000 law enforcement signing bonus as part of House Bill 3. Williams previously worked for the New York Police Department and volunteered as a firefighter.
In response to "crashing" the expo, Officer Poulos said, "More people were shocked than anything. They weren't expecting Florida to be there. But, I think we made a really good showing. It picked up a lot of buzz."
Poulos said that the trip sort of blossomed out of DeSantis' support of House Bill 3, which includes the recruitment signing bonus program. The officer added, "A couple weeks back, we had heard that the governor did a bit of recruiting in Chicago with a couple billboards that he had placed up there about House Bill 3 and recruitment."
While Florida offers a ton of sunshine for the majority of the year, Poulos said that another selling point for why officers should not stay in Chicago is that Florida is much more law enforcement friendly.
He said, "The new SAFE-T act that just started last month with cashless bail. The first cashless bail state in the country. Depending on the crime, most of them you get released. So, you don't go to jail for it."
He added, "So, coming from up there to coming down here it's just much more law enforcement friendly and pro-police climate down here." In the week or so since the trip, BPD has reportedly received at least four applications.
According to a press release from March 2023, 431 people from 45 states and U.S. Territories have relocated to the Sunshine state to become law enforcement officers. This includes "more than 155 from New York, California and Pennsylvania."
Since summer of 2022, the program has successfully issued more than 3,350 bonuses to out-of-state recruits. Each of the law enforcement officers received a $5,000 bonus after taxes.
DeSantis said, "In Florida, our number one priority is to protect Floridians and the best way to do that is by supporting the law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe. My administration will continue to deliver on our promises by prioritizing law-and-order policies and making Florida the best state to be a law enforcement officer."
In addition to the $5,000 recruitment bonus, other benefits include financial stability, upward mobility, excellent health and retirement benefits, student loan forgiveness programs and home loan programs.
Part of the bill included $20 million specifically for the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program. At the end of October, BPD took the long trip up to Chicago in an effort to recruit officers at a law enforcement expo.
According to FOX13, BPD Officer Kevin Williams and Officer Jordan Poulos took a road trip to "crash" the Chicago Law Enforcement Hiring Expo.
Williams was one of the out-of-state recruits that moved to Florida and received a $5,000 law enforcement signing bonus as part of House Bill 3. Williams previously worked for the New York Police Department and volunteered as a firefighter.
In response to "crashing" the expo, Officer Poulos said, "More people were shocked than anything. They weren't expecting Florida to be there. But, I think we made a really good showing. It picked up a lot of buzz."
Poulos said that the trip sort of blossomed out of DeSantis' support of House Bill 3, which includes the recruitment signing bonus program. The officer added, "A couple weeks back, we had heard that the governor did a bit of recruiting in Chicago with a couple billboards that he had placed up there about House Bill 3 and recruitment."
While Florida offers a ton of sunshine for the majority of the year, Poulos said that another selling point for why officers should not stay in Chicago is that Florida is much more law enforcement friendly.
He said, "The new SAFE-T act that just started last month with cashless bail. The first cashless bail state in the country. Depending on the crime, most of them you get released. So, you don't go to jail for it."
He added, "So, coming from up there to coming down here it's just much more law enforcement friendly and pro-police climate down here." In the week or so since the trip, BPD has reportedly received at least four applications.
According to a press release from March 2023, 431 people from 45 states and U.S. Territories have relocated to the Sunshine state to become law enforcement officers. This includes "more than 155 from New York, California and Pennsylvania."
Since summer of 2022, the program has successfully issued more than 3,350 bonuses to out-of-state recruits. Each of the law enforcement officers received a $5,000 bonus after taxes.
DeSantis said, "In Florida, our number one priority is to protect Floridians and the best way to do that is by supporting the law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe. My administration will continue to deliver on our promises by prioritizing law-and-order policies and making Florida the best state to be a law enforcement officer."
In addition to the $5,000 recruitment bonus, other benefits include financial stability, upward mobility, excellent health and retirement benefits, student loan forgiveness programs and home loan programs.
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