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
COMPLETE COVERAGE
Troopers have increased visits to local gyms, military bases and colleges with hopes of recruiting young officers to fill the ranks after experienced troopers retire
The new agreement means recruits can earn a starting salary of nearly $120,000 with escalations after six months, a nearly 13% bump from last year
We reviewed dozens of submissions and selected the 10 that stood out — find out which video the Police1 community voted as their favorite!
The HPD investigative report recommended housing stipends, as the cost of living in the area was one of the most frequently cited reasons applicants dropped out of the recruitment process
In 2024, one more officer joined the Seattle PD than left it, marking a net gain of officers for the first time since 2019; the recruitment boost follows pay increases and bonuses
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and Troy PD turned to podcasters and influencers to connect with younger applicants — a strategy that’s showing signs of success
NYPD
If passed, the Didarul Islam Police Recruitment Act will give a pension boost to cops who first served in other city agencies before going into the Police Academy
About 25% of LVMPD positions are paid for by the tax, which was set to expire in 2027; the Clark County Coummission and the Las Vegas City Council voted to extend it until 2057
California averages 2 officers per 1,000 residents — nearly half the national rate, according to the Peace Officers Research Association of California
The Vallejo Police Department has been critically understaffed for years, causing the city to declare the emergency in 2023
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