‘Refer 13 people and get $13,000:’ Ferguson police to pay residents to recruit officers
By Melanie Johnson
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ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Missouri (KMOV) — The Ferguson Police Department has launched a new recruitment strategy where it will pay residents to help bring in new officers.
“Who best to recruit for the police departments are the people who live in this community,” says Chief Troy Doyle.
The program called “Enlist a Hero” was launched this month. Residents will get paid $1,000 for each candidate they recommend to the department that gets hired.
“You can refer 13 people and get $13,000,” says Doyle. “It doesn’t cost the city or community any additional money because the money is already allocated for the empty positions here.”
“It shows the community that we’re trying. We’re not just coming here every day to get a check. We actually want to help,” says officer Ryane Vanne.
The program looks to fill vacancies the agency is struggling to fill as the department is short 13 officers.
Referred candidates must pass a background check, graduate from the academy and make it past their probation period.
According to the chief, this program is the first of its kind in the region and the country.
“It allows us as the community to determine who is best to serve and protect our community,” says Alan Mueller of the Neighborhood Policing Committee.
“Seeing people who look like them in a community that has so much history will definitely show that we’re in it for a change. We’re making a total turnaround,” says veteran officer Brittany Richardson.
A turnaround they hope will heal open wounds after a former Ferguson officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in 2014.
“We want to get out of that light, a Ferguson that was from 2014,” says Richardson. “It’s 2023 so we want to be the Ferguson of 2023.”
“Within my God-given power we’re going to walk these streets, we’re going to talk to people, we’re going to get people to be a part of what we’re building in Ferguson,” says Doyle.
Anyone interested in the “Enlist a Hero” incentive program can call (314) 522-3100.
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