WASHINGTON — D.C. Police have announced that they will be helping new hires pay their rent with hopes it will create an incentivize for new officers to live in the District. The starting salary for all new hires will be $60,199.
"The MPD Recruit Rental Assistance Program is designed to assist new police officers in their transition to working and living in the communities they serve," the Metropolitan Police Department describes on their website.
D.C. Police also specify that all recruits are eligible to sign up for the rental housing assistance benefits during their first three months of employment with MPD. In addition, all recruits must commit to staying with MPD for two years after they complete their six-month training program at MPD’s Metropolitan Police Academy.
Participation in the Recruit Rental Assistance Program requires recruits to commit to staying with MPD an extra six months (for a total of two and a half years) after they graduate from the academy.
Any interested and perspective officers must complete an application and present a signed lease agreement for a residence in the District. Those interested can get an application and more information by contacting the Professional Development Bureau (PDB) at (202) 727-9832 or by emailing pdb.adminbox@dc.gov.
Just last year, in July, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a plan to add 170 officers to the department, which was estimated to cost $11 million.
Based on last year's numbers, MPD typically hires 250 officers each year. After the department's budget was cut by $15 million in 2020, the department said it was left with a near-empty hiring pipeline. The department only hired 42 new officers at that time so far in 2021: 21 cadets who became recruits, 12 reinstatements, eight senior police officers and one leadership official.
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