ANTIOCH — Facing stiff competition from other cities in its efforts to hire more officers, Antioch Police Department now has a $10,000 bargaining chip.

The City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to reintroduce signing bonuses for lateral officers — candidates the department hires away from other law enforcement agencies — in a push to reach its longstanding but elusive goal of a 104-person police force in 2018-19.

Although a recruitment just this week bumped the headcount to 97, constant turnover erodes the gains: Since voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase four years ago, Antioch Police Department has used the revenue to hire 50 officers — but during the same period 35 also have left, resulting in a net gain of just 15 sworn personnel. What’s more, at least a handful more police are expected to retire or leave for other reasons within the next year.

The city will pay lateral officers $10,000 over three years — $2,500 when they’re hired, another $2,500 upon completing probation successfully, and $5,000 after they’ve been with Antioch Police Department three years.

The actual cost per officer could be as much as $23,253, an estimate that includes not only the bonus but assumes the new hires will use all the accrued sick leave they will be allowed to transfer over from their previous job — up to 200 hours — as well as the 40 hours of vacation they’ll receive up front.

Hiring a lateral officer can save the city as much as $60,000 because a seasoned employee hits the ground running in two to three months, said Police Chief Tammany Brooks, adding that nearly all those the city has brought on board since the sales tax measure passed are still with the department.

By contrast, rookie recruits first must spend six months at the police academy followed by an additional four to six months of training in the field before going solo, all of it — tuition, uniforms, salary and benefits — on the city’s dime.

“I think this is a good deal,” Councilman Tony Tiscareno said of the incentives, a sentiment echoed by his colleague, Lamar Thorpe, who called the bonuses “very reasonable numbers.”

Antioch Realtor Mark Jordan had another suggestion, however.

Instead of putting money directly into officers’ pockets, why not encourage them to live where they work by offering a financial incentive to buy a house in Antioch? he said.

Police who have a personal stake in the welfare of a community are more likely to do the best possible job, Jordan explained after the meeting, noting that one way the city could encourage that sense of commitment is to provide money toward the closing costs in a home sale.

The city originally adopted hiring bonuses in 2002, but eliminated them seven years later. Reinstating the practice will enable Antioch to compete more successfully with other agencies around the Bay Area that also offer monetary incentives to attract experienced police officers, including Palo Alto, Fairfield and Bay Area Rapid Transit.