The Metropolitan Police Department announced Thursday that it would be handing out more money as part of its ongoing effort to beef up the District’s police force.
Department employees who attract new officers can now receive a referral bonus, according to Pamela Smith, the city’s acting police chief.
“Members of the community want to see more officers in their communities,” Smith said. “They want to know their officers and work together with their neighborhood to solve problems.”
Under the new policy, if an employee refers a new police officer to the department, they can receive a $5,000 referral bonus.
It’ll be a $2,000 bonus for referring a new cadet.
“Our people are our best recruiters,” Smith said.
The policy change comes after the department unveiled a $20,000 hiring bonus for new police officers last year that was later bumped up to $25,000.
“Since the announcement of the hiring bonus, the police department has seen our candidate pool pipeline grow by 20 percent,” Smith said, adding that there are more than 200 people currently active in the application process.
Another initiative rolled out by Smith on Thursday was related to a new curfew enforcement policy, targeting people 17-years-old and under.
“Our focus is to ensure that our youth are safe,” Smith said. “Parents, we want you to know where your kids are overnight.”
The curfew starts at 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on the weekends, running through 6 a.m.
“This is a targeted approach to deal with very specific areas of concern,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
There are seven of those areas that police will focus on, including Chinatown and Navy Yard, the U Street area, Howard/Banneker, 14th Street between Otis and Spring Road NW, the 4000 block of Georgia Avenue in Northwest and portions of Benning Road and Congress Street in Southeast.
Young people found to be violating the curfew will not be taken to a police department.
“They will instead be brought to the city’s youth rehabilitation services department where they will be reunited with family members,” Smith said.
