(KRON) -- While a frustrated job market is leading some workers to feel detached and others to find innovative ways to avoid the office, one Bay Area city is putting its money where its mouth is in effort to recruit new officers. The City of Fremont on Friday announced that it is offering a $100,000 hiring bonus for lateral police officers.

The city is offering the bonus for up to 10 newly hired lateral officers -- meaning existing police officers who work for other departments. The bonus represents an increase of five times the city's current $20,000 lateral police officer signing bonus.

According to the City of Fremont, it's one of the largest law enforcement signing incentives in the nation.

Along with the hiring incentive, Fremont has launched additional hiring incentives to improve retention and benefits for existing officers.

"In recent years the law enforcement profession has experienced a dramatic decrease in applicants and despite the many challenges contributing to the current vacancy rate within our Police Department, the City has been actively implementing measures to overcome this obstacle," the city said in a news alert.

Fremont has hired 17 officers since the beginning of the year. But despite ramping up marketing and recruitment efforts, the city still has a vacancy rate that has fluctuated between 30 to 35 officers at any given time.

According to the city, the vacancy rate is attributed to a number of factors, including less applicants who are interested in a law enforcement career.

"Across the City of Fremont, we are committed to offering competitive compensation for our employees. This new police lateral hiring incentive reflects our dedication to attracting experienced, high-caliber officers. By investing in strategic solutions to address staffing challenges, we aim to contend with the current Police Officer shortage in this highly competitive hiring market," stated Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan. "The safety of our community remains our top priority, and we believe these proactive steps will help maintain the exceptional level of service our residents expect and deserve."

Fremont said it has historically offered "exceptional pay and benefits to its public safety employees. The Fremont Police Officer's Association has received a 30.5% salary increase over the past five years, according to the city.