Assignment Prompt & Instructions
– ## InstructionsforPaper.docx
– ## IACP_Recruitment.pdf
– PreemploymentBackgroundInvestigations.docx
– WorkforceCrisis.pdf
– RecruitmentRetention.pdf
**## InstructionsforPaper.docx**
Instructions for Paper
Title: Recruitment, Selection, and Retention
Due Date: 12/18/28
Paper Length: 5-6 pages
\*\*\* If possible, reference Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reviewing federal employment governing recruitment and hiring
I will also attach some articles that may be helpful to you.
**Assignment Requirements:**
For this assignment, you will submit a paper no more than 5-6 pages in length. You will prepare a sequential employee recruitment and selection plan and process that focuses on some of the better practices that you would like to see used to attract and select an adequate number of qualified people for your agency. Your paper should also include your thoughts and ideas on what your agency could or should do to retain your existing agency staff.
· You may use resources from inside or outside the classroom, but if you use or cite extensively from other sources, proper notations or citations to credit those sources should be included in your submission. Please utilize proper citations to credit work from outside sources by using the
[FORMATTING PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS](https://nucps.instructure.com/courses/3008/files/1976682?wrap=1) [Download FORMATTING PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS](https://nucps.instructure.com/courses/3008/files/1976682/download?download_frd=1) as a guide.
·
**Do not submit your agency’s existing policy or procedure.** However, you may use it as a guide and reference point concerning current practices and how you would update, change or modify current efforts at recruitment, selection and retention. This is an opportunity to “think outside the box.” Try to create a process that you believe can best serve your agency and your community. Be candid and forthright in your analysis since your paper will not be shared with your agency or anyone else outside SPSC without your consent.
Use the following topic areas as the framework for your submittal:
· Posting for Recruiting/ Advertising
· Application Matters
· Physical Fitness Testing and Selection Criteria
· Written and Oral Testing/Boards/Interviews
· Background Investigations
· General/Overall Selection Elements
· Medical/Psychological Examinations
· Field Training and Probationary Issues
· Retention of Existing Staff
In your document address your understanding of the fundamental application of relevant laws such as:
· Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
· Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
· Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
Grading Scale:
| | | |
| — | — | — |
| Mechanics<br>This includes use of proper grammar, spelling, and/or sentence structure. We are police managers and our documents should reflect that. Points here are earned on mechanics alone, not ideas or comments. Proper formatting is based on the guidelines in FORMATTING PAPERS | | 36 pts |
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDepth<br>Points made link back to the topic to show relevance. Viewpoints are supported by facts, which are based on the lessons reading and videos. Assigned reading materials are used as resourced and are properly cited when done so. Content is clear and easy to grasp. | | 36 pts |
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRequested Information<br>The paper outlines a process that can best serve the students department and community. Paper uses a framework based on the topic areas listed in the instructions, as well as the listed legal topics discussed. The paper should give some "outside the box" ideas to improve recruitment and selection processes that could be used. | | 48 pts |
**## IACP_Recruitment.pdf**
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 1
A CRISIS FOR
LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE STATE OF
RECRUITMENT:
2 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE STATE OF
RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law enforcement agencies across the United States are struggling to recruit and hire
police officers. Though agency-specific needs exist depending on size or locale, the
difficulty with recruitment is a significant problem that is broadly affecting the field of law
enforcement—it is not simply a result of poor agency management or localized failures.
Law enforcement is not the only occupation
facing severe shortages of qualified job
seekers, particularly within the United States.
There is a worker shortage—not a shortage
of work.1 Other occupations such as nursing,
teaching, construction, and the military are all
experiencing a skilled labor shortage.
The U.S. unemployment rate as of September 2019
is at 3.5%, which is the lowest it has been since
December 1969. The number of job openings in
the United States has reached 7.1 million, which
exceeds the number of unemployed people by
1.3 million.
In September 2019, the
International Association
of Chiefs of Police
conducted a
membership
survey to better
understand
the extent of
the recruiting
crisis, the
factors that
underlie
current
difficulties,
and the impact
these challenges have had on agencies and the
communities they serve.
The IACP survey on recruitment demonstrates that
the difficulty in recruiting law enforcement officers
and employees is not due to one particular cause.
Rather, multiple social, political, and economic
forces are all simultaneously at play in shaping the
current state of recruitment and retention. They
are both systemic in nature and reflect individual-
level considerations, making solutions to the
problem particularly challenging.
The survey also makes it clear that, if agencies are
unable to recruit new officers to replace those who
have retired or otherwise left the law enforcement
profession, it will significantly increase the
strain on police organizations and officers. As
vacancy numbers increase due to the inability
to fill positions and as more officers continue to
become eligible for retirement, existing officers
are becoming overworked and burned out. At
a time when the importance of officer mental
wellness is more widely recognized, powerful
efforts to recruit, hire, and retain officers become
increasingly important. Law enforcement agencies
need to thoughtfully amend recruitment and
hiring practices without lowering the standards
for officers that their peers and communities have
come to expect.
CONTENTS
Recruitment
By The Numbers ……………. 3
What Is Driving The
Recruitment Crisis? ………. 4
Impact 0n The
Profession …………………….. 5
Innovations In
Recruitment ………………….. 6
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 3
RECRUITMENT BY THE NUMBERS
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Police and Detectives,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://
www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm (accessed June 12, 2019).
2 Shelley Hyland, Full-Time Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies, 1997-2016, Statistical Brief NCJ 251762 (Bureau of
Justice Statistics, August 2018), https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ftelea9716.pdf.
3 Jon Shane, “Organizational Stressors and Police Performance,” Journal of Criminal Justice 38, no. 4 (June 2010): 807–818.
Across the United States, there are
approximately 18,000 law enforcement
agencies spanning federal, state, local, and
tribal levels. These agencies have more than 1
million employees, of which approximately 70%
are sworn officers and 30% are non-sworn, civilian
employees.1
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
despite an increase in the raw number of law
enforcement jobs, a more considerable growth in
U.S. population has actually led to a slow decline
in the ratio of residents to police officers.2 As a
result, officers are responsible for serving more
people—often with fewer resources.
In order for police agencies to match an adequate
number of officers to the growing population,
many agencies are routinely looking to hire
additional individuals.
Though it is challenging for many agencies to
reach or maintain 100% of their staffing levels,
it should be a goal of the field to come as close
as possible to adequately staffing officer ranks.
Research shows that operating below authorized
staffing levels leads to low officer morale and job
satisfaction. This is also true if employees perceive
the agency to be understaffed.3
The IACP survey found that the challenge of
recruiting law enforcement is widespread and
affects agencies of all types, sizes, and locations
across the United States.
In addition, the survey results clearly demonstrated
that the challenges of recruitment are having
a direct impact on the way law enforcement
agencies are managed by law enforcement
executives. Half of the responding agencies
(50%) reported having to change agency policies
in order to increase the chances of gaining
qualified applicants.
Beyond highlighting the challenges of identifying
and hiring qualified recruits, the survey also shined
a light on how consistent understaffing of an
agency taxes existing resources and personnel.
Of even greater concern is the impact that the
recruitment crisis – and the related understaffing
of agencies – is having on the ability of agencies
to provide certain services. A quarter (25%) of the
responding agencies reported having to reduce
or eliminate certain agency services, units, or
positions because of staffing difficulties.
78%
of agencies
reported having
difficulty in
recruiting qualified
candidates
65%
of agencies
reported having
too few candidates
applying to be
law enforcement
officers
75%
of agencies
reported that
recruiting is more
difficult today
than it was five
years ago
of agencies reported
having to change
agency policies in
order to increase the
chances of gaining
qualified applicants
50%
of agencies reported
having to reduce or
eliminate certain
agency services,
units, or positions
because of staffing
difficulties
25%
4 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
WHAT IS DRIVING THE RECRUITMENT CRISIS?
4 Rich Morin et al., Behind the Badge: Amid Protests and Calls for Reform, How Police View Their Jobs, Key Issues and Recent
Fatal Encounters between Blacks and Police (Pew Research Center, 2017), https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/01/11/
behind-the-badge
Reports from surveyed agency executives tend
to fall into two categories: (1) factors that are
problematic within the current applicant pool
and (2) factors that may explain why certain types
of candidates are or are not applying to work in
law enforcement.
Issues most frequently cited by survey
respondents were that there is a low number of
individuals applying to agency vacancies and that,
among those who do apply, the quality of the
applicants is often poor. It is not uncommon for
applicants who appear to be strong candidates to
fail a background check or divulge disqualifying
information later in the hiring process.
Additionally, agencies in regions where multiple
law enforcement agencies are geographically
close often find themselves in fierce competition
to attract and secure the best candidates in
the area.
Other key findings from the survey include
the following issues.
Generational Differences
Millennials and Generation Z—loosely defined as
individuals who range from high school age to
their late 30s—are more apt to value work-life
balance than their Baby Boomer counterparts.
This translates into young people hoping for more
flexible hours and guaranteed time off. Mandated
overtime and missing holidays with family are
less appealing to Millennials and members of
Generation Z. Other shifts in U.S. culture, such
as student loan debt, child care challenges for
complex schedules, and the need for double
incomes makes police work a stressful occupation
for families today.
There has also been a shift away from people
being hired, staying, and retiring from a single
agency, or even in the same profession. For
younger people, leaving a job after a few years is
commonplace, and moving from job to job is often
how younger generation U.S. workers move up
the ladder in their careers.
Public Image of Law Enforcement
Agencies strongly believe that public perception
of law enforcement limits interest in the profession
and is a sizable barrier to effective recruitment.
Scrutiny of the police, cellphone recordings of
interactions between the police and public, media
coverage, and popular entertainment portrayals of
police have led many young people to view police
differently than their parents may have.
Overall, a majority of police officers feel their jobs
have gotten more difficult since high-profile use-
of-force incidents have dominated the national
conversation.4 Line-of-duty deaths have also
become more highly publicized, including the
killings of police due to community tension such
as the mass shooting of Dallas police officers
in 2016.
Each of these factors contribute to the negative
perception of policing as a career opportunity for
potential recruits.
Hiring Process Challenges
Among IACP survey respondents, issues of
applicant quality often coincided with challenges
to getting recruits through the entire hiring
process. Some agencies noted that passing a
background check is a huge barrier in hiring
individuals, as is meeting all the necessary criteria
to be a police officer.
Furthermore, while the multistage hiring process
is helpful for agencies to weed out recruits who
do not make the cut, the recruiting process can
be long and arduous. Of the respondents to the
IACP recruitment survey, 47.5% reported having
a hiring process that lasts anywhere from four
months to over a year. Depending on the needs of
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 5
the applicant, potential recruits may be unable or
unwilling to wait that long.
Some agencies have taken to evaluating current
policies that could be creating an initial barrier
to applicants, such as a no-tattoo policy. Other
policies, like strictly disqualifying anyone with
a past use of controlled substances, are also
starting to be reconsidered. As states begin to
decriminalize marijuana, some executives realize
that years-old drug use is less indicative of what
can make a good police officer than other factors.
Challenges to Civilian Recruitment
While much of the national discussion is centered
around police officers, agency operations depend
as much on civilian employees as they depend on
sworn employees. Given that the qualifications to
be a civilian employee will vary depending on the
position, recruiting civilians for certain roles may
be particularly challenging.
Approximately 30% of respondents experience
moderate to major challenges in recruiting for
non-sworn positions. Of all types of civilian
employees, agencies reported that dispatch
positions are among those most difficult to fill.
IMPACT ON THE PROFESSION
If law enforcement agencies continue to lose
officers without bringing in a number of
qualified recruits to replace them, communities
will soon begin to feel the effects. Longer wait
times for calls for service, fewer crimes solved and
cleared, and on-duty officers who are burned out
and overworked threaten the quality of life in our
communities.
If the loss of police officers and employees
continues, along with a lack of hiring, agencies
will continue to take on more strain at both the
organizational and individual levels. As vacancy
numbers increase, officers become overworked
and burned out. In an era when the epidemic of
police suicide and importance of officer mental
wellness are starting to be recognized, thoughtful
hiring and workforce retention become more and
more important. Law enforcement agencies need
to thoughtfully amend recruitment and hiring
practices without lowering the standards for
officers that communities have come to expect.
Clearly, the difficulty in recruiting law enforcement
officers and employees is not due to a single
reason or even a handful of reasons. Agencies
will have to tailor solutions to their communities
to ensure appropriate candidates are considered.
Additionally, in order to maintain a healthy,
satisfied workforce, agencies must be mindful of
the things their employees prioritize, both while on
and off duty. Amending or implementing policies
and incentives that reflect people’s priorities
may be a huge leap forward in improving overall
agency culture. Police leaders, working with
their governing bodies, have the opportunity to
improve recruitment outcomes.
This improvement occurs through innovative
policies, new approaches to recruiting, and
incentives for employees where they count.
6 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
INNOVATIONS IN RECRUITMENT
Agencies of all sizes across the United States have
implemented new strategies and approaches to
improving agency recruitment.
m Opportunities to gain experience. It is the case
for some applicants that law enforcement work
sounds enticing until they are hired, leaving the
possibility that an agency invests in training the
police recruit only to have him or her leave the
agency soon after. Some agencies have taken
to building bridges between the community
and the agency by offering opportunities for
members of the public to do physical training
with officers. Ride-alongs and outreach to
secondary schools and colleges are other ways
current officers can bond with potential recruits
and increase the likelihood of bringing in
quality candidates who want to stay on the job.
m Compensation incentives. Attractive
compensation packages have begun to set
some agencies apart. In some states, state
money has been allocated for officer student
loan payment. Other jurisdictions have
partnered directly with colleges and universities
to allow police recruits to trade their training
hours for college credits. These types of
programs give recruits a chance to build and
pay for their education without the stress of
adding additional student loan debt. These
types of programs aimed at developing young
people into professionals have the potential
to entice them to begin a career. Other types
of monetary incentives can include sign-on
bonuses or salary increases when a police
recruit moves from the academy to the field.
m Relaxing candidate disqualifiers. Due to
shifting culture among younger generations,
some agencies recognize that older policies
have been more of a hindrance to recruitment
efforts than a help in the past few years. For
instance, many agencies are now allowing
officers to have visible tattoos. Other agencies
no longer disqualify candidates for certain
instances of past drug use, with some even
choosing not to address it with the candidates
at all. Of course, changing policies to lower
certain standards does come with risks, so
agencies should assess their current policies
to determine where the largest barrier to
recruitment lies and how can it be revised in the
most risk-averse way.
m Programs to address heavy time commitment.
Though applicants’ reasons vary for preferring
work with more flexible schedules, shorter
academy training, and better life-work balance,
the call to agencies is the same: make it easier
for individuals to become law enforcement
officers and to stay in the job. Some agencies
have offered part-time officer positions,
including part-time academy training, in an
effort to entice female recruits who may be
balancing motherhood with work. An example
of this, is the Metropolitan Police Service in
London. The Metropolitan Police’s research
showed full-time working hours deterred some
women from considering a career in policing,
so, in 2019, they began to allow new constable
recruits to choose between full-time or part-
time working hours. Prior to this shift, all
new police constable recruits were expected
to complete their training and then their
probationary period on a full-time basis before
they were able to apply for part-time work.
Other programs for rural or state agencies have
begun to offer online versions of officer training
so that recruits will not have to worry about
the strain of traveling far from home for weeks
on end to attend the academy. Another simple
way agencies can address concerns about
time commitment is offering flexible schedules,
including using longer shifts to give employees
additional days off.
m Web-based outreach. A few agencies have
ramped up recruiting efforts online by building
out recruiting websites that are separate from
the agency’s main site. Here, agencies can
clearly list employment criteria, testing dates,
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 7
and let the community know when recruiting
events are taking place. The sites often
include a list of “frequently asked questions”
for potential applicants. Having a recruiting
website not only improves transparency and
communication within the hiring process, but
it may even take some of the daily burden off
human resources staff by readily providing
answers to common applicant questions.
m Material perks. Many agencies struggle to
increase salaries or offer monetary bonuses,
but that hasn’t stopped some agencies
from providing other perks to their officers.
Allowing officers to take their patrol cars home,
offering a clothing allowance, and providing
casual uniform options (e.g., polo shirts) for
appropriate activities are some approaches
agencies have taken.
m Innovative time leave programs. Beyond
offering flexible daily schedules for officers,
some agencies have also begun to experiment
with innovative leave policies. Agencies offering
unlimited sick leave not only support employees
when unavoidable illness befalls them or their
family members, but also set a standard for
agency culture that employee wellness comes
first. If unlimited sick leave isn’t an option,
having an official or unofficial policy of being
understanding and accommodating in granting
employee leave requests can be attractive to
potential recruits.
m Recruitment campaigns. Many agencies
have moved beyond traditional recruitment
campaigns that glorified policing by showing
officers rescuing civilians in intense standoffs,
SWAT-like images, etc. Agencies are trying to
highlight the real day-to-day aspects of the job,
which are often vastly different from how the
law enforcement profession is viewed. Efforts
of this nature are designed to both attract and
retain candidates who are able to respond
to daily service calls about persons affected
by mental illness, help those with substance
abuse disorders, aid people experiencing
homelessness, and help someone who has a
flat tire. By educating applicants that the day-
to-day policing work does not typically involve
hostage situations, a car chase, and stopping
an active shooter, agencies can better retain
applicants and avoid turnover.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Direct: 703-836-6767
Main Line: 800-THE-IACP
Fax: 703-836-4543
www.theIACP.org
**PreemploymentBackgroundInvestigations.docx**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/preemploymentbackgroundinvestigations-docx)
**WorkforceCrisis.pdf**
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**RecruitmentRetention.pdf**
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**RecruitmentRetention.pdf**
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**## InstructionsforPaper.docx**
Instructions for Paper
Title: Recruitment, Selection, and Retention
Due Date: 12/18/28
Paper Length: 5-6 pages
\*\*\* If possible, reference Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reviewing federal employment governing recruitment and hiring
I will also attach some articles that may be helpful to you.
**Assignment Requirements:**
For this assignment, you will submit a paper no more than 5-6 pages in length. You will prepare a sequential employee recruitment and selection plan and process that focuses on some of the better practices that you would like to see used to attract and select an adequate number of qualified people for your agency. Your paper should also include your thoughts and ideas on what your agency could or should do to retain your existing agency staff.
· You may use resources from inside or outside the classroom, but if you use or cite extensively from other sources, proper notations or citations to credit those sources should be included in your submission. Please utilize proper citations to credit work from outside sources by using the
[FORMATTING PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS](https://nucps.instructure.com/courses/3008/files/1976682?wrap=1) [Download FORMATTING PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS](https://nucps.instructure.com/courses/3008/files/1976682/download?download_frd=1) as a guide.
·
**Do not submit your agency’s existing policy or procedure.** However, you may use it as a guide and reference point concerning current practices and how you would update, change or modify current efforts at recruitment, selection and retention. This is an opportunity to “think outside the box.” Try to create a process that you believe can best serve your agency and your community. Be candid and forthright in your analysis since your paper will not be shared with your agency or anyone else outside SPSC without your consent.
Use the following topic areas as the framework for your submittal:
· Posting for Recruiting/ Advertising
· Application Matters
· Physical Fitness Testing and Selection Criteria
· Written and Oral Testing/Boards/Interviews
· Background Investigations
· General/Overall Selection Elements
· Medical/Psychological Examinations
· Field Training and Probationary Issues
· Retention of Existing Staff
In your document address your understanding of the fundamental application of relevant laws such as:
· Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
· Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
· Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
Grading Scale:
| | | |
| — | — | — |
| Mechanics<br>This includes use of proper grammar, spelling, and/or sentence structure. We are police managers and our documents should reflect that. Points here are earned on mechanics alone, not ideas or comments. Proper formatting is based on the guidelines in FORMATTING PAPERS | | 36 pts |
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDepth<br>Points made link back to the topic to show relevance. Viewpoints are supported by facts, which are based on the lessons reading and videos. Assigned reading materials are used as resourced and are properly cited when done so. Content is clear and easy to grasp. | | 36 pts |
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRequested Information<br>The paper outlines a process that can best serve the students department and community. Paper uses a framework based on the topic areas listed in the instructions, as well as the listed legal topics discussed. The paper should give some "outside the box" ideas to improve recruitment and selection processes that could be used. | | 48 pts |
**## IACP_Recruitment.pdf**
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 1
A CRISIS FOR
LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE STATE OF
RECRUITMENT:
2 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE STATE OF
RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law enforcement agencies across the United States are struggling to recruit and hire
police officers. Though agency-specific needs exist depending on size or locale, the
difficulty with recruitment is a significant problem that is broadly affecting the field of law
enforcement—it is not simply a result of poor agency management or localized failures.
Law enforcement is not the only occupation
facing severe shortages of qualified job
seekers, particularly within the United States.
There is a worker shortage—not a shortage
of work.1 Other occupations such as nursing,
teaching, construction, and the military are all
experiencing a skilled labor shortage.
The U.S. unemployment rate as of September 2019
is at 3.5%, which is the lowest it has been since
December 1969. The number of job openings in
the United States has reached 7.1 million, which
exceeds the number of unemployed people by
1.3 million.
In September 2019, the
International Association
of Chiefs of Police
conducted a
membership
survey to better
understand
the extent of
the recruiting
crisis, the
factors that
underlie
current
difficulties,
and the impact
these challenges have had on agencies and the
communities they serve.
The IACP survey on recruitment demonstrates that
the difficulty in recruiting law enforcement officers
and employees is not due to one particular cause.
Rather, multiple social, political, and economic
forces are all simultaneously at play in shaping the
current state of recruitment and retention. They
are both systemic in nature and reflect individual-
level considerations, making solutions to the
problem particularly challenging.
The survey also makes it clear that, if agencies are
unable to recruit new officers to replace those who
have retired or otherwise left the law enforcement
profession, it will significantly increase the
strain on police organizations and officers. As
vacancy numbers increase due to the inability
to fill positions and as more officers continue to
become eligible for retirement, existing officers
are becoming overworked and burned out. At
a time when the importance of officer mental
wellness is more widely recognized, powerful
efforts to recruit, hire, and retain officers become
increasingly important. Law enforcement agencies
need to thoughtfully amend recruitment and
hiring practices without lowering the standards
for officers that their peers and communities have
come to expect.
CONTENTS
Recruitment
By The Numbers ……………. 3
What Is Driving The
Recruitment Crisis? ………. 4
Impact 0n The
Profession …………………….. 5
Innovations In
Recruitment ………………….. 6
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 3
RECRUITMENT BY THE NUMBERS
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Police and Detectives,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://
www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm (accessed June 12, 2019).
2 Shelley Hyland, Full-Time Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies, 1997-2016, Statistical Brief NCJ 251762 (Bureau of
Justice Statistics, August 2018), https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ftelea9716.pdf.
3 Jon Shane, “Organizational Stressors and Police Performance,” Journal of Criminal Justice 38, no. 4 (June 2010): 807–818.
Across the United States, there are
approximately 18,000 law enforcement
agencies spanning federal, state, local, and
tribal levels. These agencies have more than 1
million employees, of which approximately 70%
are sworn officers and 30% are non-sworn, civilian
employees.1
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
despite an increase in the raw number of law
enforcement jobs, a more considerable growth in
U.S. population has actually led to a slow decline
in the ratio of residents to police officers.2 As a
result, officers are responsible for serving more
people—often with fewer resources.
In order for police agencies to match an adequate
number of officers to the growing population,
many agencies are routinely looking to hire
additional individuals.
Though it is challenging for many agencies to
reach or maintain 100% of their staffing levels,
it should be a goal of the field to come as close
as possible to adequately staffing officer ranks.
Research shows that operating below authorized
staffing levels leads to low officer morale and job
satisfaction. This is also true if employees perceive
the agency to be understaffed.3
The IACP survey found that the challenge of
recruiting law enforcement is widespread and
affects agencies of all types, sizes, and locations
across the United States.
In addition, the survey results clearly demonstrated
that the challenges of recruitment are having
a direct impact on the way law enforcement
agencies are managed by law enforcement
executives. Half of the responding agencies
(50%) reported having to change agency policies
in order to increase the chances of gaining
qualified applicants.
Beyond highlighting the challenges of identifying
and hiring qualified recruits, the survey also shined
a light on how consistent understaffing of an
agency taxes existing resources and personnel.
Of even greater concern is the impact that the
recruitment crisis – and the related understaffing
of agencies – is having on the ability of agencies
to provide certain services. A quarter (25%) of the
responding agencies reported having to reduce
or eliminate certain agency services, units, or
positions because of staffing difficulties.
78%
of agencies
reported having
difficulty in
recruiting qualified
candidates
65%
of agencies
reported having
too few candidates
applying to be
law enforcement
officers
75%
of agencies
reported that
recruiting is more
difficult today
than it was five
years ago
of agencies reported
having to change
agency policies in
order to increase the
chances of gaining
qualified applicants
50%
of agencies reported
having to reduce or
eliminate certain
agency services,
units, or positions
because of staffing
difficulties
25%
4 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
WHAT IS DRIVING THE RECRUITMENT CRISIS?
4 Rich Morin et al., Behind the Badge: Amid Protests and Calls for Reform, How Police View Their Jobs, Key Issues and Recent
Fatal Encounters between Blacks and Police (Pew Research Center, 2017), https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/01/11/
behind-the-badge
Reports from surveyed agency executives tend
to fall into two categories: (1) factors that are
problematic within the current applicant pool
and (2) factors that may explain why certain types
of candidates are or are not applying to work in
law enforcement.
Issues most frequently cited by survey
respondents were that there is a low number of
individuals applying to agency vacancies and that,
among those who do apply, the quality of the
applicants is often poor. It is not uncommon for
applicants who appear to be strong candidates to
fail a background check or divulge disqualifying
information later in the hiring process.
Additionally, agencies in regions where multiple
law enforcement agencies are geographically
close often find themselves in fierce competition
to attract and secure the best candidates in
the area.
Other key findings from the survey include
the following issues.
Generational Differences
Millennials and Generation Z—loosely defined as
individuals who range from high school age to
their late 30s—are more apt to value work-life
balance than their Baby Boomer counterparts.
This translates into young people hoping for more
flexible hours and guaranteed time off. Mandated
overtime and missing holidays with family are
less appealing to Millennials and members of
Generation Z. Other shifts in U.S. culture, such
as student loan debt, child care challenges for
complex schedules, and the need for double
incomes makes police work a stressful occupation
for families today.
There has also been a shift away from people
being hired, staying, and retiring from a single
agency, or even in the same profession. For
younger people, leaving a job after a few years is
commonplace, and moving from job to job is often
how younger generation U.S. workers move up
the ladder in their careers.
Public Image of Law Enforcement
Agencies strongly believe that public perception
of law enforcement limits interest in the profession
and is a sizable barrier to effective recruitment.
Scrutiny of the police, cellphone recordings of
interactions between the police and public, media
coverage, and popular entertainment portrayals of
police have led many young people to view police
differently than their parents may have.
Overall, a majority of police officers feel their jobs
have gotten more difficult since high-profile use-
of-force incidents have dominated the national
conversation.4 Line-of-duty deaths have also
become more highly publicized, including the
killings of police due to community tension such
as the mass shooting of Dallas police officers
in 2016.
Each of these factors contribute to the negative
perception of policing as a career opportunity for
potential recruits.
Hiring Process Challenges
Among IACP survey respondents, issues of
applicant quality often coincided with challenges
to getting recruits through the entire hiring
process. Some agencies noted that passing a
background check is a huge barrier in hiring
individuals, as is meeting all the necessary criteria
to be a police officer.
Furthermore, while the multistage hiring process
is helpful for agencies to weed out recruits who
do not make the cut, the recruiting process can
be long and arduous. Of the respondents to the
IACP recruitment survey, 47.5% reported having
a hiring process that lasts anywhere from four
months to over a year. Depending on the needs of
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 5
the applicant, potential recruits may be unable or
unwilling to wait that long.
Some agencies have taken to evaluating current
policies that could be creating an initial barrier
to applicants, such as a no-tattoo policy. Other
policies, like strictly disqualifying anyone with
a past use of controlled substances, are also
starting to be reconsidered. As states begin to
decriminalize marijuana, some executives realize
that years-old drug use is less indicative of what
can make a good police officer than other factors.
Challenges to Civilian Recruitment
While much of the national discussion is centered
around police officers, agency operations depend
as much on civilian employees as they depend on
sworn employees. Given that the qualifications to
be a civilian employee will vary depending on the
position, recruiting civilians for certain roles may
be particularly challenging.
Approximately 30% of respondents experience
moderate to major challenges in recruiting for
non-sworn positions. Of all types of civilian
employees, agencies reported that dispatch
positions are among those most difficult to fill.
IMPACT ON THE PROFESSION
If law enforcement agencies continue to lose
officers without bringing in a number of
qualified recruits to replace them, communities
will soon begin to feel the effects. Longer wait
times for calls for service, fewer crimes solved and
cleared, and on-duty officers who are burned out
and overworked threaten the quality of life in our
communities.
If the loss of police officers and employees
continues, along with a lack of hiring, agencies
will continue to take on more strain at both the
organizational and individual levels. As vacancy
numbers increase, officers become overworked
and burned out. In an era when the epidemic of
police suicide and importance of officer mental
wellness are starting to be recognized, thoughtful
hiring and workforce retention become more and
more important. Law enforcement agencies need
to thoughtfully amend recruitment and hiring
practices without lowering the standards for
officers that communities have come to expect.
Clearly, the difficulty in recruiting law enforcement
officers and employees is not due to a single
reason or even a handful of reasons. Agencies
will have to tailor solutions to their communities
to ensure appropriate candidates are considered.
Additionally, in order to maintain a healthy,
satisfied workforce, agencies must be mindful of
the things their employees prioritize, both while on
and off duty. Amending or implementing policies
and incentives that reflect people’s priorities
may be a huge leap forward in improving overall
agency culture. Police leaders, working with
their governing bodies, have the opportunity to
improve recruitment outcomes.
This improvement occurs through innovative
policies, new approaches to recruiting, and
incentives for employees where they count.
6 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
INNOVATIONS IN RECRUITMENT
Agencies of all sizes across the United States have
implemented new strategies and approaches to
improving agency recruitment.
m Opportunities to gain experience. It is the case
for some applicants that law enforcement work
sounds enticing until they are hired, leaving the
possibility that an agency invests in training the
police recruit only to have him or her leave the
agency soon after. Some agencies have taken
to building bridges between the community
and the agency by offering opportunities for
members of the public to do physical training
with officers. Ride-alongs and outreach to
secondary schools and colleges are other ways
current officers can bond with potential recruits
and increase the likelihood of bringing in
quality candidates who want to stay on the job.
m Compensation incentives. Attractive
compensation packages have begun to set
some agencies apart. In some states, state
money has been allocated for officer student
loan payment. Other jurisdictions have
partnered directly with colleges and universities
to allow police recruits to trade their training
hours for college credits. These types of
programs give recruits a chance to build and
pay for their education without the stress of
adding additional student loan debt. These
types of programs aimed at developing young
people into professionals have the potential
to entice them to begin a career. Other types
of monetary incentives can include sign-on
bonuses or salary increases when a police
recruit moves from the academy to the field.
m Relaxing candidate disqualifiers. Due to
shifting culture among younger generations,
some agencies recognize that older policies
have been more of a hindrance to recruitment
efforts than a help in the past few years. For
instance, many agencies are now allowing
officers to have visible tattoos. Other agencies
no longer disqualify candidates for certain
instances of past drug use, with some even
choosing not to address it with the candidates
at all. Of course, changing policies to lower
certain standards does come with risks, so
agencies should assess their current policies
to determine where the largest barrier to
recruitment lies and how can it be revised in the
most risk-averse way.
m Programs to address heavy time commitment.
Though applicants’ reasons vary for preferring
work with more flexible schedules, shorter
academy training, and better life-work balance,
the call to agencies is the same: make it easier
for individuals to become law enforcement
officers and to stay in the job. Some agencies
have offered part-time officer positions,
including part-time academy training, in an
effort to entice female recruits who may be
balancing motherhood with work. An example
of this, is the Metropolitan Police Service in
London. The Metropolitan Police’s research
showed full-time working hours deterred some
women from considering a career in policing,
so, in 2019, they began to allow new constable
recruits to choose between full-time or part-
time working hours. Prior to this shift, all
new police constable recruits were expected
to complete their training and then their
probationary period on a full-time basis before
they were able to apply for part-time work.
Other programs for rural or state agencies have
begun to offer online versions of officer training
so that recruits will not have to worry about
the strain of traveling far from home for weeks
on end to attend the academy. Another simple
way agencies can address concerns about
time commitment is offering flexible schedules,
including using longer shifts to give employees
additional days off.
m Web-based outreach. A few agencies have
ramped up recruiting efforts online by building
out recruiting websites that are separate from
the agency’s main site. Here, agencies can
clearly list employment criteria, testing dates,
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 7
and let the community know when recruiting
events are taking place. The sites often
include a list of “frequently asked questions”
for potential applicants. Having a recruiting
website not only improves transparency and
communication within the hiring process, but
it may even take some of the daily burden off
human resources staff by readily providing
answers to common applicant questions.
m Material perks. Many agencies struggle to
increase salaries or offer monetary bonuses,
but that hasn’t stopped some agencies
from providing other perks to their officers.
Allowing officers to take their patrol cars home,
offering a clothing allowance, and providing
casual uniform options (e.g., polo shirts) for
appropriate activities are some approaches
agencies have taken.
m Innovative time leave programs. Beyond
offering flexible daily schedules for officers,
some agencies have also begun to experiment
with innovative leave policies. Agencies offering
unlimited sick leave not only support employees
when unavoidable illness befalls them or their
family members, but also set a standard for
agency culture that employee wellness comes
first. If unlimited sick leave isn’t an option,
having an official or unofficial policy of being
understanding and accommodating in granting
employee leave requests can be attractive to
potential recruits.
m Recruitment campaigns. Many agencies
have moved beyond traditional recruitment
campaigns that glorified policing by showing
officers rescuing civilians in intense standoffs,
SWAT-like images, etc. Agencies are trying to
highlight the real day-to-day aspects of the job,
which are often vastly different from how the
law enforcement profession is viewed. Efforts
of this nature are designed to both attract and
retain candidates who are able to respond
to daily service calls about persons affected
by mental illness, help those with substance
abuse disorders, aid people experiencing
homelessness, and help someone who has a
flat tire. By educating applicants that the day-
to-day policing work does not typically involve
hostage situations, a car chase, and stopping
an active shooter, agencies can better retain
applicants and avoid turnover.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Direct: 703-836-6767
Main Line: 800-THE-IACP
Fax: 703-836-4543
www.theIACP.org
**PreemploymentBackgroundInvestigations.docx**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/preemploymentbackgroundinvestigations-docx)
**WorkforceCrisis.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/workforcecrisis-pdf)
**RecruitmentRetention.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/recruitmentretention-pdf)
**## InstructionsforPaper.docx**
Instructions for Paper
Title: Recruitment, Selection, and Retention
Due Date: 12/18/28
Paper Length: 5-6 pages
\*\*\* If possible, reference Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reviewing federal employment governing recruitment and hiring
I will also attach some articles that may be helpful to you.
**Assignment Requirements:**
For this assignment, you will submit a paper no more than 5-6 pages in length. You will prepare a sequential employee recruitment and selection plan and process that focuses on some of the better practices that you would like to see used to attract and select an adequate number of qualified people for your agency. Your paper should also include your thoughts and ideas on what your agency could or should do to retain your existing agency staff.
· You may use resources from inside or outside the classroom, but if you use or cite extensively from other sources, proper notations or citations to credit those sources should be included in your submission. Please utilize proper citations to credit work from outside sources by using the
[FORMATTING PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS](https://nucps.instructure.com/courses/3008/files/1976682?wrap=1) [Download FORMATTING PAPERS ASSIGNMENTS](https://nucps.instructure.com/courses/3008/files/1976682/download?download_frd=1) as a guide.
·
**Do not submit your agency’s existing policy or procedure.** However, you may use it as a guide and reference point concerning current practices and how you would update, change or modify current efforts at recruitment, selection and retention. This is an opportunity to “think outside the box.” Try to create a process that you believe can best serve your agency and your community. Be candid and forthright in your analysis since your paper will not be shared with your agency or anyone else outside SPSC without your consent.
Use the following topic areas as the framework for your submittal:
· Posting for Recruiting/ Advertising
· Application Matters
· Physical Fitness Testing and Selection Criteria
· Written and Oral Testing/Boards/Interviews
· Background Investigations
· General/Overall Selection Elements
· Medical/Psychological Examinations
· Field Training and Probationary Issues
· Retention of Existing Staff
In your document address your understanding of the fundamental application of relevant laws such as:
· Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
· Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
· Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
Grading Scale:
| | | |
| — | — | — |
| Mechanics<br>This includes use of proper grammar, spelling, and/or sentence structure. We are police managers and our documents should reflect that. Points here are earned on mechanics alone, not ideas or comments. Proper formatting is based on the guidelines in FORMATTING PAPERS | | 36 pts |
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDepth<br>Points made link back to the topic to show relevance. Viewpoints are supported by facts, which are based on the lessons reading and videos. Assigned reading materials are used as resourced and are properly cited when done so. Content is clear and easy to grasp. | | 36 pts |
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRequested Information<br>The paper outlines a process that can best serve the students department and community. Paper uses a framework based on the topic areas listed in the instructions, as well as the listed legal topics discussed. The paper should give some "outside the box" ideas to improve recruitment and selection processes that could be used. | | 48 pts |
**## IACP_Recruitment.pdf**
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 1
A CRISIS FOR
LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE STATE OF
RECRUITMENT:
2 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE STATE OF
RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Law enforcement agencies across the United States are struggling to recruit and hire
police officers. Though agency-specific needs exist depending on size or locale, the
difficulty with recruitment is a significant problem that is broadly affecting the field of law
enforcement—it is not simply a result of poor agency management or localized failures.
Law enforcement is not the only occupation
facing severe shortages of qualified job
seekers, particularly within the United States.
There is a worker shortage—not a shortage
of work.1 Other occupations such as nursing,
teaching, construction, and the military are all
experiencing a skilled labor shortage.
The U.S. unemployment rate as of September 2019
is at 3.5%, which is the lowest it has been since
December 1969. The number of job openings in
the United States has reached 7.1 million, which
exceeds the number of unemployed people by
1.3 million.
In September 2019, the
International Association
of Chiefs of Police
conducted a
membership
survey to better
understand
the extent of
the recruiting
crisis, the
factors that
underlie
current
difficulties,
and the impact
these challenges have had on agencies and the
communities they serve.
The IACP survey on recruitment demonstrates that
the difficulty in recruiting law enforcement officers
and employees is not due to one particular cause.
Rather, multiple social, political, and economic
forces are all simultaneously at play in shaping the
current state of recruitment and retention. They
are both systemic in nature and reflect individual-
level considerations, making solutions to the
problem particularly challenging.
The survey also makes it clear that, if agencies are
unable to recruit new officers to replace those who
have retired or otherwise left the law enforcement
profession, it will significantly increase the
strain on police organizations and officers. As
vacancy numbers increase due to the inability
to fill positions and as more officers continue to
become eligible for retirement, existing officers
are becoming overworked and burned out. At
a time when the importance of officer mental
wellness is more widely recognized, powerful
efforts to recruit, hire, and retain officers become
increasingly important. Law enforcement agencies
need to thoughtfully amend recruitment and
hiring practices without lowering the standards
for officers that their peers and communities have
come to expect.
CONTENTS
Recruitment
By The Numbers ……………. 3
What Is Driving The
Recruitment Crisis? ………. 4
Impact 0n The
Profession …………………….. 5
Innovations In
Recruitment ………………….. 6
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 3
RECRUITMENT BY THE NUMBERS
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Police and Detectives,” Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://
www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm (accessed June 12, 2019).
2 Shelley Hyland, Full-Time Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies, 1997-2016, Statistical Brief NCJ 251762 (Bureau of
Justice Statistics, August 2018), https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ftelea9716.pdf.
3 Jon Shane, “Organizational Stressors and Police Performance,” Journal of Criminal Justice 38, no. 4 (June 2010): 807–818.
Across the United States, there are
approximately 18,000 law enforcement
agencies spanning federal, state, local, and
tribal levels. These agencies have more than 1
million employees, of which approximately 70%
are sworn officers and 30% are non-sworn, civilian
employees.1
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
despite an increase in the raw number of law
enforcement jobs, a more considerable growth in
U.S. population has actually led to a slow decline
in the ratio of residents to police officers.2 As a
result, officers are responsible for serving more
people—often with fewer resources.
In order for police agencies to match an adequate
number of officers to the growing population,
many agencies are routinely looking to hire
additional individuals.
Though it is challenging for many agencies to
reach or maintain 100% of their staffing levels,
it should be a goal of the field to come as close
as possible to adequately staffing officer ranks.
Research shows that operating below authorized
staffing levels leads to low officer morale and job
satisfaction. This is also true if employees perceive
the agency to be understaffed.3
The IACP survey found that the challenge of
recruiting law enforcement is widespread and
affects agencies of all types, sizes, and locations
across the United States.
In addition, the survey results clearly demonstrated
that the challenges of recruitment are having
a direct impact on the way law enforcement
agencies are managed by law enforcement
executives. Half of the responding agencies
(50%) reported having to change agency policies
in order to increase the chances of gaining
qualified applicants.
Beyond highlighting the challenges of identifying
and hiring qualified recruits, the survey also shined
a light on how consistent understaffing of an
agency taxes existing resources and personnel.
Of even greater concern is the impact that the
recruitment crisis – and the related understaffing
of agencies – is having on the ability of agencies
to provide certain services. A quarter (25%) of the
responding agencies reported having to reduce
or eliminate certain agency services, units, or
positions because of staffing difficulties.
78%
of agencies
reported having
difficulty in
recruiting qualified
candidates
65%
of agencies
reported having
too few candidates
applying to be
law enforcement
officers
75%
of agencies
reported that
recruiting is more
difficult today
than it was five
years ago
of agencies reported
having to change
agency policies in
order to increase the
chances of gaining
qualified applicants
50%
of agencies reported
having to reduce or
eliminate certain
agency services,
units, or positions
because of staffing
difficulties
25%
4 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
WHAT IS DRIVING THE RECRUITMENT CRISIS?
4 Rich Morin et al., Behind the Badge: Amid Protests and Calls for Reform, How Police View Their Jobs, Key Issues and Recent
Fatal Encounters between Blacks and Police (Pew Research Center, 2017), https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/01/11/
behind-the-badge
Reports from surveyed agency executives tend
to fall into two categories: (1) factors that are
problematic within the current applicant pool
and (2) factors that may explain why certain types
of candidates are or are not applying to work in
law enforcement.
Issues most frequently cited by survey
respondents were that there is a low number of
individuals applying to agency vacancies and that,
among those who do apply, the quality of the
applicants is often poor. It is not uncommon for
applicants who appear to be strong candidates to
fail a background check or divulge disqualifying
information later in the hiring process.
Additionally, agencies in regions where multiple
law enforcement agencies are geographically
close often find themselves in fierce competition
to attract and secure the best candidates in
the area.
Other key findings from the survey include
the following issues.
Generational Differences
Millennials and Generation Z—loosely defined as
individuals who range from high school age to
their late 30s—are more apt to value work-life
balance than their Baby Boomer counterparts.
This translates into young people hoping for more
flexible hours and guaranteed time off. Mandated
overtime and missing holidays with family are
less appealing to Millennials and members of
Generation Z. Other shifts in U.S. culture, such
as student loan debt, child care challenges for
complex schedules, and the need for double
incomes makes police work a stressful occupation
for families today.
There has also been a shift away from people
being hired, staying, and retiring from a single
agency, or even in the same profession. For
younger people, leaving a job after a few years is
commonplace, and moving from job to job is often
how younger generation U.S. workers move up
the ladder in their careers.
Public Image of Law Enforcement
Agencies strongly believe that public perception
of law enforcement limits interest in the profession
and is a sizable barrier to effective recruitment.
Scrutiny of the police, cellphone recordings of
interactions between the police and public, media
coverage, and popular entertainment portrayals of
police have led many young people to view police
differently than their parents may have.
Overall, a majority of police officers feel their jobs
have gotten more difficult since high-profile use-
of-force incidents have dominated the national
conversation.4 Line-of-duty deaths have also
become more highly publicized, including the
killings of police due to community tension such
as the mass shooting of Dallas police officers
in 2016.
Each of these factors contribute to the negative
perception of policing as a career opportunity for
potential recruits.
Hiring Process Challenges
Among IACP survey respondents, issues of
applicant quality often coincided with challenges
to getting recruits through the entire hiring
process. Some agencies noted that passing a
background check is a huge barrier in hiring
individuals, as is meeting all the necessary criteria
to be a police officer.
Furthermore, while the multistage hiring process
is helpful for agencies to weed out recruits who
do not make the cut, the recruiting process can
be long and arduous. Of the respondents to the
IACP recruitment survey, 47.5% reported having
a hiring process that lasts anywhere from four
months to over a year. Depending on the needs of
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 5
the applicant, potential recruits may be unable or
unwilling to wait that long.
Some agencies have taken to evaluating current
policies that could be creating an initial barrier
to applicants, such as a no-tattoo policy. Other
policies, like strictly disqualifying anyone with
a past use of controlled substances, are also
starting to be reconsidered. As states begin to
decriminalize marijuana, some executives realize
that years-old drug use is less indicative of what
can make a good police officer than other factors.
Challenges to Civilian Recruitment
While much of the national discussion is centered
around police officers, agency operations depend
as much on civilian employees as they depend on
sworn employees. Given that the qualifications to
be a civilian employee will vary depending on the
position, recruiting civilians for certain roles may
be particularly challenging.
Approximately 30% of respondents experience
moderate to major challenges in recruiting for
non-sworn positions. Of all types of civilian
employees, agencies reported that dispatch
positions are among those most difficult to fill.
IMPACT ON THE PROFESSION
If law enforcement agencies continue to lose
officers without bringing in a number of
qualified recruits to replace them, communities
will soon begin to feel the effects. Longer wait
times for calls for service, fewer crimes solved and
cleared, and on-duty officers who are burned out
and overworked threaten the quality of life in our
communities.
If the loss of police officers and employees
continues, along with a lack of hiring, agencies
will continue to take on more strain at both the
organizational and individual levels. As vacancy
numbers increase, officers become overworked
and burned out. In an era when the epidemic of
police suicide and importance of officer mental
wellness are starting to be recognized, thoughtful
hiring and workforce retention become more and
more important. Law enforcement agencies need
to thoughtfully amend recruitment and hiring
practices without lowering the standards for
officers that communities have come to expect.
Clearly, the difficulty in recruiting law enforcement
officers and employees is not due to a single
reason or even a handful of reasons. Agencies
will have to tailor solutions to their communities
to ensure appropriate candidates are considered.
Additionally, in order to maintain a healthy,
satisfied workforce, agencies must be mindful of
the things their employees prioritize, both while on
and off duty. Amending or implementing policies
and incentives that reflect people’s priorities
may be a huge leap forward in improving overall
agency culture. Police leaders, working with
their governing bodies, have the opportunity to
improve recruitment outcomes.
This improvement occurs through innovative
policies, new approaches to recruiting, and
incentives for employees where they count.
6 THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
INNOVATIONS IN RECRUITMENT
Agencies of all sizes across the United States have
implemented new strategies and approaches to
improving agency recruitment.
m Opportunities to gain experience. It is the case
for some applicants that law enforcement work
sounds enticing until they are hired, leaving the
possibility that an agency invests in training the
police recruit only to have him or her leave the
agency soon after. Some agencies have taken
to building bridges between the community
and the agency by offering opportunities for
members of the public to do physical training
with officers. Ride-alongs and outreach to
secondary schools and colleges are other ways
current officers can bond with potential recruits
and increase the likelihood of bringing in
quality candidates who want to stay on the job.
m Compensation incentives. Attractive
compensation packages have begun to set
some agencies apart. In some states, state
money has been allocated for officer student
loan payment. Other jurisdictions have
partnered directly with colleges and universities
to allow police recruits to trade their training
hours for college credits. These types of
programs give recruits a chance to build and
pay for their education without the stress of
adding additional student loan debt. These
types of programs aimed at developing young
people into professionals have the potential
to entice them to begin a career. Other types
of monetary incentives can include sign-on
bonuses or salary increases when a police
recruit moves from the academy to the field.
m Relaxing candidate disqualifiers. Due to
shifting culture among younger generations,
some agencies recognize that older policies
have been more of a hindrance to recruitment
efforts than a help in the past few years. For
instance, many agencies are now allowing
officers to have visible tattoos. Other agencies
no longer disqualify candidates for certain
instances of past drug use, with some even
choosing not to address it with the candidates
at all. Of course, changing policies to lower
certain standards does come with risks, so
agencies should assess their current policies
to determine where the largest barrier to
recruitment lies and how can it be revised in the
most risk-averse way.
m Programs to address heavy time commitment.
Though applicants’ reasons vary for preferring
work with more flexible schedules, shorter
academy training, and better life-work balance,
the call to agencies is the same: make it easier
for individuals to become law enforcement
officers and to stay in the job. Some agencies
have offered part-time officer positions,
including part-time academy training, in an
effort to entice female recruits who may be
balancing motherhood with work. An example
of this, is the Metropolitan Police Service in
London. The Metropolitan Police’s research
showed full-time working hours deterred some
women from considering a career in policing,
so, in 2019, they began to allow new constable
recruits to choose between full-time or part-
time working hours. Prior to this shift, all
new police constable recruits were expected
to complete their training and then their
probationary period on a full-time basis before
they were able to apply for part-time work.
Other programs for rural or state agencies have
begun to offer online versions of officer training
so that recruits will not have to worry about
the strain of traveling far from home for weeks
on end to attend the academy. Another simple
way agencies can address concerns about
time commitment is offering flexible schedules,
including using longer shifts to give employees
additional days off.
m Web-based outreach. A few agencies have
ramped up recruiting efforts online by building
out recruiting websites that are separate from
the agency’s main site. Here, agencies can
clearly list employment criteria, testing dates,
THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 7
and let the community know when recruiting
events are taking place. The sites often
include a list of “frequently asked questions”
for potential applicants. Having a recruiting
website not only improves transparency and
communication within the hiring process, but
it may even take some of the daily burden off
human resources staff by readily providing
answers to common applicant questions.
m Material perks. Many agencies struggle to
increase salaries or offer monetary bonuses,
but that hasn’t stopped some agencies
from providing other perks to their officers.
Allowing officers to take their patrol cars home,
offering a clothing allowance, and providing
casual uniform options (e.g., polo shirts) for
appropriate activities are some approaches
agencies have taken.
m Innovative time leave programs. Beyond
offering flexible daily schedules for officers,
some agencies have also begun to experiment
with innovative leave policies. Agencies offering
unlimited sick leave not only support employees
when unavoidable illness befalls them or their
family members, but also set a standard for
agency culture that employee wellness comes
first. If unlimited sick leave isn’t an option,
having an official or unofficial policy of being
understanding and accommodating in granting
employee leave requests can be attractive to
potential recruits.
m Recruitment campaigns. Many agencies
have moved beyond traditional recruitment
campaigns that glorified policing by showing
officers rescuing civilians in intense standoffs,
SWAT-like images, etc. Agencies are trying to
highlight the real day-to-day aspects of the job,
which are often vastly different from how the
law enforcement profession is viewed. Efforts
of this nature are designed to both attract and
retain candidates who are able to respond
to daily service calls about persons affected
by mental illness, help those with substance
abuse disorders, aid people experiencing
homelessness, and help someone who has a
flat tire. By educating applicants that the day-
to-day policing work does not typically involve
hostage situations, a car chase, and stopping
an active shooter, agencies can better retain
applicants and avoid turnover.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Direct: 703-836-6767
Main Line: 800-THE-IACP
Fax: 703-836-4543
www.theIACP.org
**PreemploymentBackgroundInvestigations.docx**
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**WorkforceCrisis.pdf**
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