Law enforcement agencies across the United States are struggling to recruit and hire police officers. Though agency-specific needs exist depending on size
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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 o˜cers. Though agency-speci˚c needs exist depending on size or locale, the di˜culty with recruitment is a signi˚cant problem that is broadly a˛ecting the ˚eld of law enforcementŠit is not simply a result of poor agency management or localized failures. Law enforcement is not the only occupation facing severe shortages of quali˜ed job seekers, particularly within the United States. There is a worker shortageŠnot 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 di˛culties, and the impact these challenges have had on agencies and the communities they serve. The IACP survey on recruitment demonstrates that the di˛culty in recruiting law enforcement o˛cers 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 re˝ect individual- level considerations, making solutions to the problem particularly challenging. The survey also makes it clear that, if agencies are unable to recruit new o˛cers to replace those who have retired or otherwise left the law enforcement profession, it will signi˜cantly increase the strain on police organizations and o˛cers. As vacancy numbers increase due to the inability to ˜ll positions and as more o˛cers continue to become eligible for retirement, existing o˛cers are becoming overworked and burned out. At a time when the importance of o˛cer mental wellness is more widely recognized, powerful e˙orts to recruit, hire, and retain o˛cers become increasingly important. Law enforcement agencies need to thoughtfully amend recruitment and hiring practices without lowering the standards for o˛cers that their peers and communities have come to expect. CONTENTSRecruitment By The Numbers .3What Is Driving The Recruitment Crisis? .4Impact 0n The Profession ..5Innovations In Recruitment ..6
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THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 3RECRUITMENT BY THE NUMBERS 1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,˚fiPolice and Detectives,fl 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, fiOrganizational Stressors and Police Performance,fl Journal of Criminal Justice 38 , no. 4 (June 2010): 807Œ818. 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 o˛cers and 30% are non-sworn, civilian employees. 1According 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 o˛cers. 2 As a result, o˛cers are responsible for serving more peopleŠoften with fewer resources. In order for police agencies to match an adequate number of o˛cers 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 sta˛ng levels, it should be a goal of the ˜eld to come as close as possible to adequately sta˛ng o˛cer ranks. Research shows that operating below authorized sta˛ng levels leads to low o˛cer morale and job satisfaction. This is also true if employees perceive the agency to be understa˙ed. 3 The IACP survey found that the challenge of recruiting law enforcement is widespread and a˙ects 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 quali˜ed applicants. Beyond highlighting the challenges of identifying and hiring quali˜ed recruits, the survey also shined a light on how consistent understa˛ng of an agency taxes existing resources and personnel. Of even greater concern is the impact that the recruitment crisis Œ and the related understa˛ng of agencies Œ 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 sta˛ng di˛culties. 78%of agencies reported having di˜culty in recruiting quali˚ed candidates 65%of agencies reported having too few candidates applying to be law enforcement o˜cers 75%of agencies reported that recruiting is more di˜cult today than it was ˚ve years ago of agencies reported having to change agency policies in order to increase the chances of gaining quali˚ed applicants50%of agencies reported having to reduce or eliminate certain agency services, units, or positions because of sta˜ng di˜culties 25%
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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 ˜nd themselves in ˜erce competition to attract and secure the best candidates in the area. Other key ˜ndings from the survey include the following issues. Generational Di˛erences Millennials and Generation ZŠloosely de˜ned as individuals who range from high school age to their late 30sŠare more apt to value work-life balance than their Baby Boomer counterparts. This translates into young people hoping for more ˝exible hours and guaranteed time o˙. 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 e˙ective 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 di˙erently than their parents may have. Overall, a majority of police o˛cers feel their jobs have gotten more di˛cult since high-pro˜le 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 o˛cers 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 o˛cer. 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
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THE STATE OF RECRUITMENT: A CRISIS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT 5the 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 o˛cer than other factors. Challenges to Civilian Recruitment While much of the national discussion is centered around police o˛cers, agency operations depend as much on civilian employees as they depend on sworn employees. Given that the quali˜cations 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 di˛cult to ˜ll. IMPACT ON THE PROFESSION If law enforcement agencies continue to lose o˛cers without bringing in a number of quali˜ed recruits to replace them, communities will soon begin to feel the e˙ects. Longer wait times for calls for service, fewer crimes solved and cleared, and on-duty o˛cers who are burned out and overworked threaten the quality of life in our communities. If the loss of police o˛cers 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, o˛cers become overworked and burned out. In an era when the epidemic of police suicide and importance of o˛cer 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 o˛cers that communities have come to expect. Clearly, the di˛culty in recruiting law enforcement o˛cers 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, satis˜ed workforce, agencies must be mindful of the things their employees prioritize, both while on and o˙ duty. Amending or implementing policies and incentives that re˝ect 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.
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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. ˜ 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 o˙ering opportunities for members of the public to do physical training with o˛cers. Ride-alongs and outreach to secondary schools and colleges are other ways current o˛cers can bond with potential recruits and increase the likelihood of bringing in quality candidates who want to stay on the job. ˜ Compensation incentives. Attractive compensation packages have begun to set some agencies apart. In some states, state money has been allocated for o˛cer 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 ˜eld. ˜ Relaxing candidate disquali˚ers. Due to shifting culture among younger generations, some agencies recognize that older policies have been more of a hindrance to recruitment e˙orts than a help in the past few years. For instance, many agencies are now allowing o˛cers 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. ˜ Programs to address heavy time commitment. Though applicants™ reasons vary for preferring work with more ˝exible 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 o˛cers and to stay in the job. Some agencies have o˙ered part-time o˛cer positions, including part-time academy training, in an e˙ort 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 o˙er online versions of o˛cer 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 o˙ering ˝exible schedules, including using longer shifts to give employees additional days o˙. ˜ Web-based outreach. A few agencies have ramped up recruiting e˙orts online by building out recruiting websites that are separate from the agency™s main site. Here, agencies can clearly list employment criteria, testing dates,
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