Law enforcement agencies continually seek to attract applicants but have little systematic guidance in conducting recruitment. The need for such guidance has become even more acute in recent years as they struggle with legitimacy issues and other sources of decreasing interest in the field.
This work draws on research from multiple fields and interviews with 26 subject-matter experts from a variety of agencies to outline the elements of a successful recruitment program. At the organizational level, the analysis highlights the importance of leadership, culture, budget, and recruitment goals. At the unit level, it highlights the importance of strategies to achieve goals, metrics for measuring progress toward them, and the ability to continually learn from experiences. At the individual level, it discusses recruiter attributes, recruiter training, recruiter incentives, and recruiter types.
The importance of these components may vary by agency circumstance. But recruiting must be a systemic effort. By building the broader infrastructure necessary for recruitment programs, police organizations can effectively address the dynamic staffing challenges they face.
