The Lathrop Police Department will soon be getting five additional officers to bolster the number of sworn personnel serving the city to 40.

That means Lathrop — with 31,000 residents — will have 1.29 officers per 1,000 residents. Manteca has 75 officers serving a population of 89,000 for 0.84 officers per 1,000 residents.

While there is no official benchmark by any federal or state crime agency for police staffing, the 1 per 1,000 ranking provides an idea of how the two adjoining cities stand in comparing law enforcement resources.

On Monday, the Lathrop City Council voted to approve a request to hire five new patrol officers – one per shift – in a move that expand the agency’s resources while at the same time providing flexibility in scheduling that doesn’t currently exist.

The City of Lathrop has already put out an announcement seeking five police officers – either laterals from other agencies or fresh academy graduates – that will be allocated across the city’s five workday shifts. By adding an additional officer to each shift, the city would be able to cut back on the amount of mandatory overtime it has doling out to cover shifts in the event of illness or scheduled vacations.

The annual salary of the five positions – which would bring the sworn officer total of the Lathrop Police Department up to 40 – would cost taxpayers $845,000. Additional one-time costs for hiring the additional officers would be $25,000 to be divided into $5,000 signing bonuses for lateral officer hires, $37,500 for equipment to outfit the officers, and $215,500 to purchase and outfit three additional patrol vehicles to bolster the city’s fleet.

By approving the staff’s proposal the council agreed to a general fund budget amendment in the amount of $700,500 – which covers $422,500 worth of salaries (half of the year), $25,000 that can be used for five separate signing bonuses, $37,500 for equipment, and $215,000 to purchase three new vehicles.

The full-time positions that are currently available come with a salary range between $95,937.00 annually to $116,612 annually. An annual cost of living adjustment of 4 percent has been approved effective the first full pay period in July from 2023 through 2025. Sworn officers also have the opportunity to contribute unused health insurance balances to a 457 tax-advantaged retirement plan or received the taxable balance back in cash – up to $670 monthly.

Those interested in applying for the position or learning more about the job description can visit the job posting at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Lathrop.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.