SAINT PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – A newly proposed bill, with backing from Republicans and DFLers in the Minnesota House and Senate, aims to increase retention rates for Minnesota-based police officers by offering a scholarship program.
The program would allow current police officers or their dependents to obtain scholarships for degrees in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. All Minnesota State and University of Minnesota schools would fall under the program.
Authors say the bill would help retain more officers and provide additional opportunities.
Since the program is only available to current officers, it would provide an incentive for them to stay in the workforce.
Put simply, if you want the benefits of the scholarship, you need to stick around.
“You need to either be a police officer or the dependent of a police officer to qualify for the scholarship,” said Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud), one of the authors of the bill, “That’s the retention aspect of this.”
According to experts, current officers might want access to those scholarships to improve career mobility.
“It can help with promotional opportunities. There are certain departments that offer further financial incentives depending on how much education you have,” said Mark Ross, President of the St. Paul Police Federation, “And again, it’s just further education for our workforce. It just gives us a more professional workforce.”
The bill has votes from both sides, and authors believe it’ll have the support to pass both chambers.
There’s currently no cost tied to the bill, as lawmakers are waiting for finalized state budget targets to determine how much funding is available to them.
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