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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A death report did reveal “concerning issues with the culture” of the training facility, including “hazing” and a “lack of helpful cooperation in the investigation”
The survey found 86% of NOPD cops are unhappy with the PD and 79% with the promotional process, citing cronyism and favoritism as reasons
List ranks occupations by level of stress, driving home the importance of hiring responders who can remain calm during high-stress situations
LVMPD’s reintroduction of their cadet program and recruitment of military members were factors in increasing their recruitment numbers
An ISP recruiter says lapses in coverage may become more apparent if staffing levels continue to fall
Explore 2022’s most compelling recruitment messages from police agencies across the nation – all vying for the best talent
However, as the post-pandemic hiring surge levels out, the rate of female officers being hired has begun to fall significantly
Council members nixed only one major request: a $12 million proposal to cover the cost of officers’ health insurance
‘We can’t just create officers': City council sounds alarm about Pittsburgh’s shrinking police force
“I’m just going to assume we’re going to lose the same number [of officers] next year, which will put us at 725,” a councilmember said
CPD’s chief of the recruitment and retention unit says CPD has been making progress to recruit new hires; its goal is to make 1,000 hires by the year’s end
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