From attracting qualified candidates and telling an authentic agency story to streamlining hiring processes and building long-term career pathways, departments are rethinking how they recruit and retain the next generation of officers. Police Recruitment Week explores how agencies are modernizing recruitment, with practical insights for leaders navigating staffing shortages, community expectations and the realities of building a sustainable workforce.
What the data and the field reveal about where agencies lose candidates and how to keep them
FEATURED CONTENT
A practical, agency-wide framework that turns every sworn and civilian employee into an active recruiting force
Agencies relying on bonuses and short-term tactics may see temporary gains but lasting staffing stability comes from strategies that improve retention, reputation and community trust
A customized childcare model built for law enforcement families aims to improve retention, boost morale and deliver measurable return on investment
Integrating civilians, structured internet sleuth programs, artificial intelligence and regional partnerships may be the key to sustaining clearance rates in the 21st century
Facing staffing shortages and rising complexity, departments like Atlanta are expanding civilian leadership and professional staff roles to stabilize operations, modernize capabilities and relieve pressure on sworn officers
From paperwork to people skills, seasoned cops offer hard-earned advice for the next generation
If you’re losing applicants, stretching hiring timelines or watching academy classes shrink, this guide outlines what agencies are doing to rebuild their staffing pipeline
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USBP says more than 34,000 people sought agent jobs from January through April, a 44% jump over the same period last year
The department hired more recruits in early 2025 than in any year since 2019, crediting social media outreach, Instagram Live Q&As and community partnerships for the rebound
Full tuition waivers to the state’s colleges would be available after six years of service; line of duty death benefits would increase from $25,000 to $100,000 under the bill
“I want people to see that behind the uniform is actually a person. We’re sons and daughters and mothers and fathers, and we have souls,” Lt. Courtney Murphy said
Under the deal, officers would receive 10% raises in July, and then 8% raises in 2026, 6% raises in both 2027 and 2028 and 6.5% raises in 2029
California ranked #1 for the second year in a row, followed by Connecticut and Illinois; among the lowest on the list are Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska
The resignation followed an incident where the Jacksboro city manager suspected police officers of attempting to ‘set him up’ for a DUI arrest and called for an investigation
Daily applications to the NYPD increased by nearly 45%, from 56 to 81 per day on average; since February, more than 9,700 people have applied to take the next police exam
In 2024, Seattle PD rolled out a package of incentives, including a $50,000 bonus for lateral recruits; the department has brought on 60 new officers in 2025
S.B. 641 will “repeal the statutory limit on the number of police,” allowing the Pennsylvania State Police to “hire the number of troopers that they see fit,” State Sen. Marty Flynn said
ABOUT THE SPONSOR: eSOPH by Miller Mendel
With a primary focus of turning past practices used by city, county, state and federal government agencies into modern, efficient, and cost-effective digital solutions, Miller Mendel (MMI) has been creating category-leading systems since 2011.
eSOPH by Miller Mendel is a secure, cloud-based, pre-employment background investigation software system designed specifically for public safety agencies. Used by hundreds of agencies nationwide, eSOPH has been credited with cutting the time it takes to process a pre-employment background investigation by up to 50%, saving agencies significant time, money, and resources without sacrificing investigation quality.
eSOPH by Miller Mendel is a secure, cloud-based, pre-employment background investigation software system designed specifically for public safety agencies. Used by hundreds of agencies nationwide, eSOPH has been credited with cutting the time it takes to process a pre-employment background investigation by up to 50%, saving agencies significant time, money, and resources without sacrificing investigation quality.
How to use recruitment messaging and leverage new technology to attract, hire, onboard and retain top talent