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Chesterfield board approves $35,000 certified-officer sign-on bonus to bolster staffing
Summary
After a staffing update from Chief Rouse, the Board of Selectmen approved a $35,000 sign-on bonus for certified police officers, to be paid over five years; members also noted a state-funded $65,000 grant to outfit cruisers.
Chief Rouse told the Board of Selectmen that department staffing stood at two officers and that a part-time officer who had been helping would be leaving, creating an immediate need to improve recruitment incentives. “The sign on bonus for certified officers would be $35,000,” he said, proposing the amount be paid over five years: $10,000 in year one and $6,250 in years two through five.
Board members pressed only briefly on salary range and recruitment pool; Roscoe asked whether the town’s salary schedule was competitive and Chief Rouse described hiring certified officers as a “bidding war.” The board voted to back the proposal: Brad Roscoe moved to increase the certified officer bonus to $35,000, the motion was seconded by Mary Ewell, and it passed unanimously.
The chief also noted a separate equipment grant: a JI grant to outfit cruisers that he said will cost about $65,000 and that the state will pay. The board described Chesterfield as the first town to participate in that outfitting program during this rollout.
Next steps: the board approved the bonus structure and indicated staff will return with any required budget adjustments or updated step schedules to keep overall pay competitive.
