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
Participants in the program serve as paid interns as they rotate through multiple specialized teams until they are old enough to join the police academy
‘It’s been my life dream’: 50-year-old recruit joins Pa. PD after career in military, public service
“I look at your badge as it isn’t yours to keep,” said Army veteran Chris Feder, Temple University’s newest police recruit. “It’s on loan from the community you serve.”
NYPD
“Just in the last four and a half years, we’ve lost over 15,000. That’s a staggering number,” said Patrick Hendry, president of the NYC Police Benevolent Association
“I’ve been shot at in the city. I still have a bullet hole in my car. We respond alone to calls that no officer should respond to alone,” one of the departing Moss Point officers said
The officers — all retired and receiving pensions — were let go after the audit identified “several compliance issues” with the retirees working in the Police Department
“Attention Chicago [LE],” the commercial said. “You took an oath to [keep] your city safe. But in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down. Join ICE, and help us catch the worst of the worst”
Nearly 600 female officers share the factors that helped and hindered their path into law enforcement, offering actionable recommendations to improve recruitment and inclusion
Discussion to focus on workforce pipelines, community trust and organizational culture
LEOs who are already credentialed in the state will get a $25,000 bonus upon hiring, $12,500 after one year of service and another $12,500 after two years of service
Gov. Josh Stein pushed for more police recruitment following the stabbing death of a Ukrainian refugee while using public transit in Charlotte
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