PARADISE, Calif. — The Paradise Police Department is hoping a cash bonus will draw officers and recruits to its force.
Although the department has continued operating 24/7 since the Camp Fire devastated the town of Paradise, it has fewer officers. Police Chief Eric Reinbold said the department had 22 sworn police officers at the time of the Camp Fire. Now, there are only 15.
"I have two officers who’ve given notice. One is moving on to another agency and the other is moving to Oregon. And I have potential for two more to move on to other agencies," Reinbold said.
Reinbold said he thinks the Camp Fire has a lot to do with the staff changes.
"Our purpose hasn’t changed, but the environment around us has," he said.
Reinbold said while some officers are moving out of the state to be closer to family, others are looking for a different environment. He said 18 people, including dispatchers, officers, animal control and records personnel, lost homes. That's about 50 percent of the staff, according to Reinbold.
"They don’t want to drive around and see the devastation," he said. "Unfortunately, the fire has affected everyone. They're dealing with different levels of trauma and dealing with trying to get their lives back on track."
Reinbold said housing in Paradise has become an issue since the Camp Fire.
"We were going to start a background on another recruit who was eager to work here, but he couldn’t find housing," he said. "We don’t have an issue hiring new officers, it just takes longer to recruit, hire, send them through the academy and field training. That takes about 15 months."
Reinbold said one replacement recruit is going through the police academy at Butte College and is expected to join the department in December.
By offering a $20,000 signing bonus, Reinbold hopes the department can save time and money. He said someone who completes the police academy still has to complete another 21 weeks of field training before they can go out on a shift on their own. He said field training is only six weeks for officers with a year or more of experience.
"It cost about $30,000 to put someone through the academy. When we’re looking at trying to balance out our experience level and turn around time, $20,000 is still cheaper and much quicker," Reinbold said.
He said he'd like to immediately hire two to three officers if they had the experience and an interest in working in a community-oriented town like Paradise.
"It’s an opportunity for people to be a part of something unique. We’re in the rebuilding process and it is exciting to be in uncharted waters," Reinbold said.
Reinbold said anyone interested in applying to the department should do so online.