Smarter police recruitment that strengthens retention

Editor’s note: This article is part of Police1’s Police Recruitment Week, which provides resources and strategies for police agencies to improve their hiring initiatives. Thanks to our Police Recruitment Week sponsor, eSOPH by Miller Mendel.

By Ethan M. Humphrey, M.S., and Narelle Hickmon, M.S.

Much attention has been paid to police recruitment difficulties in recent years. However, a recent national survey of agencies shows that retention issues are contributing more to staffing challenges than recruitment. [1] This finding should not discount the intensive efforts of police departments to improve recruitment. Rather, police agencies should emphasize recruitment strategies that simultaneously address larger goals and have a longer-lasting impact on staffing.

Temporary solutions alone are not enough

The wave of recruits that follows large, one-time sign-on bonuses and temporary recruiting tactics may be used as evidence to support their continued use. Indeed, they are oftentimes successful in generating an abundance of recruits, but they are not the ultimate or sole solution. There is much more to consider, such as who you’re attracting, whether these approaches will help retain them, the associated expenses, what these tactics solve, and the implications if they aren’t successful.

Financial incentives, particularly sign-on bonuses, entail a number of drawbacks, [2] including:

1. Recruits can take advantage of the incentive and then move on to the next bonus with another agency at the end of their contract.
2. Sign-on bonuses may entice those who are solely attracted to money and not a career in public service.
3. They do not fix core issues that lead to officer attrition.

Solely approaching recruitment this way is like trying to fill a bucket without acknowledging that it’s leaking. [3] Financial incentives also entail significant costs and competition among local agencies, further negatively impacting those most affected by the staffing crisis who cannot keep up. [4]

Finally, if an agency puts all its effort into one-time sign-on bonuses or events and does not attract a timely influx of recruits, what will it have to show for its efforts? If the focus is solely on these tactics, the answer, unfortunately, is lost staff, time and budget. Instead, agencies must seek strategies that achieve lasting impacts and address the core issues driving attrition.

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Long-lasting impacts

Recruitment through improving the agency’s reputation and staff experiences

Before trying to fill the staffing “bucket” with recruits, make sure to address the reason that it’s “leaking” in the first place. There are several ways to improve retention, [5] and, in turn, recruitment, [6] including:

• Increasing opportunities for career progression. Police personnel, even those who are highly aligned with and enjoy working for their agency, will switch to another agency if they feel their current agency will not provide them with career development opportunities. Personnel with obligations such as caring for children or paying off student debt may be even more motivated to seek another agency if they do not believe they can advance at their current agency.
• Improving the work environment. [6] This starts by ensuring that all agency personnel are treated respectfully. Broadly speaking, agencies should also aim to improve officer satisfaction, workplace culture and inclusion.
• Ensuring officers have a healthy work-life balance. Utilizing a different work schedule (e.g., 10-hour shifts rather than 12-hour shifts), [7] hiring ahead of vacancies or making overtime voluntary (where possible) may help achieve this.
• Ensuring the quality and dedication of leadership. [8] The first step toward accomplishing this is to give retention the same resources and attention as you give to recruitment. This will help balance cohorts and retain more senior-level personnel, allowing more experienced staff to be considered for supervisory roles.
• Providing realistic job expectations. [9] What the applicant or recruit expects in their day-to-day duties can vary widely based on what they have seen or heard. Moreover, what they think police work is and what that reality actually is may vary by agency, so it is beneficial to ensure the applicant aligns well with your specific agency and mission.

The primary reason for improving recruitment in this capacity is that the accompanying staffing benefits are two-fold. In other words, an agency that prioritizes opportunities, a healthy work environment, work-life balance, quality leadership and more will not only entice new candidates but also retain them, as well as mid-level and senior-level personnel. In turn, personnel at every level see and feel the effort the agency is putting forth.

Recruitment through community engagement

Recruitment and community engagement are related in many ways. Furthermore, many of the more successful ways in which police recruit are through outreach. [10] However, outreach should go beyond formal department-hosted events alone. To supplement these events and reach a broader audience, outreach and recruitment should be embedded in everyday police-community interactions. [11] Consider the following:

• Meet the community where they go and feel comfortable. Examples might include local churches, community centers or neighborhoods. [12]
• Increase sincere attempts at recruiting and engaging with groups and communities that have not been traditionally recruited from. [10] Events held in certain areas or at certain times of day may not reach those who would most benefit from positive interactions with the police. Expand your reach by connecting with people who may not be able to or choose not to attend an orchestrated event.
• Utilize the community as an advocate, develop partnerships and connect with key stakeholders. [10] This approach will help establish open, consistent lines of communication, and community stakeholders can also be utilized to recommend or vouch for potential recruits. Additionally, adopting a community-oriented philosophy has also been found to increase officers’ satisfaction, [13] again contributing to retention.

Recruitment through social media and building an online presence

Ever heard the saying “Once it’s online, it never really goes away”? Although this typically carries a negative connotation, it can also be used for good. Posting positive interactions between the police and the community or depicting officers in a light other than enforcement can pay dividends for the agency. [4] Furthermore, unlike temporary tactics, positive social media and website posts are permanent.

While face-to-face interactions are typically preferable, social media can inform and connect with the community on a wider level. Additionally, those who were unable to attend events or would not have known about them can see their success online. It is important to consider that social media and website posts build awareness that the police are attempting to connect with the community and care about their concerns. Furthermore, those unfamiliar with local police-community relations (e.g., someone who just relocated to the area) and who are considering working with their local police departments may ground their decision on the only source available: social media. Therefore, it is vital to demonstrate to the community what the agency prioritizes through online platforms.

Why these types of police recruitment strategies in particular?

As mentioned earlier, when agencies rely on “band-aid” approaches, they avoid addressing the issue at its root. Additionally, if, for whatever reason, these temporary tactics do not generate a large number of applicants, the department has little to show for its efforts other than losses. Instead, we propose using these strategic, multi-goal-oriented approaches because even if the strategy does not generate the desired number of recruits, it will still be successful in preventing attrition among already-acquired staff, connecting with the community or improving the agency’s reputation. These benefits will not only allow the agency to improve overall but also will likely help with future recruitment.

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References

1. Police Executive Research Forum. PERF survey shows police staffing increased slightly in 2024 but still lower than 2019.
2. Wilson W. Stop bribing cops to stay – fix what’s broken instead. Police1. P
3. Wilson JM. Articulating the dynamic police staffing challenge: An examination of supply and demand. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management. 2012;35(2):327-355.
4. Police Executive Research Forum. Responding to the staffing crisis: Innovations in recruitment and retention.
5. Davies AJ, Stephenson A, Briggs B, Allan D. What do we know about key influences on police attrition and retention rates? A literature review 2019–2023. Policing: An International Journal. 2024;47(5):725-769.
6. Humphrey EM, Meisenholder T. The interplay of recruitment and retention. Police Staffing Observatory, Michigan State University.
7. Amendola KL, Weisburd D, Hamilton EE, Jones G, Slipka M. An experimental study of compressed work schedules in policing: Advantages and disadvantages of various shift lengths. J Exp Criminol. 2011;7(4):407-442.
8. Paoline EA, Gau JM. An empirical assessment of the sources of police job satisfaction. Police Q. 2019;23(1):55-81.
9. Wilson JM, Dalton E, Scheer D, Grammich CA. Police recruitment and retention for the new millennium. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; 2010.
10. US Department of Justice. Law enforcement best practices: Lessons learned from the field. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; 2019.
11. Ridderbusch K. Humanizing the police: A powerful community engagement strategy. Police1.
12. Sloan M. Strengthening relationships between police and immigrant communities in a complex political environment: Multicultural outreach and engagement programs for police agencies. Police Executive Research Forum; 2018.
13. Brody DC, DeMarco C, Lovrich NP. Community policing and job satisfaction: Suggestive evidence of positive workforce effects from a multijurisdictional comparison in Washington State. Police Q. 2002;5(2):181-205.

About the authors

Ethan M. Humphrey, M.S., is a Michigan State University doctoral student in criminal justice, where he also serves as a Research Assistant II and partner of the Police Staffing Observatory (PSO). Since joining Michigan State University, Ethan has developed multiple PSO Perspective research briefs and Office of Community Oriented Policing reports. His research interests include police staffing, community policing, crime reduction, and crime analysis. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Radford University. During Ethan’s tenure at Radford University, he served as a graduate research fellow in the Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research (CP3R) where he assisted with funded projects relating to community policing and evidence-based responses to shooting incidents.

Narelle Hickmon, M.S., is a doctoral student in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, also serving as a Research Assistant II and partner of the Police Staffing Observatory. Prior to attending MSU, Narelle received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Aquinas College and her Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Grand Valley State University (GVSU). While attending GVSU, Narelle served as a graduate assistant, working alongside faculty and Michigan State Police in cold case investigation. Narelle’s research focuses on police allocation, investigations, workload management, and women in policing. In addition, she examines law enforcement’s responses to sexual violence/offending and human trafficking.