Public perception of law enforcement has worsened since the highly publicized incidents of 2020. Unfolding on television and social media nationwide, the events brought forth political pressure to change the way agencies operate.

Such challenges have created significant shortcomings for the profession.⁵ In business, understaffing might lead to less profit, decreased stock prices, or unfinished projects. For law enforcement, it means increased crime; a heightened risk to public safety; reduction in service; and overworked officers susceptible to fatigue and burnout, leading to poor decision-making and various mental health issues.⁶

With so many officers leaving and fewer people wanting to enter the law enforcement profession, how can leaders find qualified candidates to fill vacancies?

Short-Term Solutions

To increase the candidate pool, some agencies have reduced their hiring standards. They have eliminated or minimized college educational requirements, revised tattoo policies, become more lenient with prior drug use, relaxed standards on credit checks, and/or become more accepting of those with minor arrest records. Some departments have even dropped physical fitness requirements for recruits to be accepted to and/or graduate from their police academies.⁷

While these measures could increase the number of viable applicants, reducing the standards for potential officers also significantly increases community risk and agency liability.

Less educated officers are more likely to use force to resolve situations.⁸ The same holds true for those unable to meet physical fitness standards because they lack the strength and stamina to resolve situations in a tactically safe manner. Additionally, officers with subpar fitness levels have a heightened risk of injuries and health problems, leading to increased absenteeism and overtime and healthcare costs.⁹ Those with poor credit may have financial issues that could lead to corruption. Prior drug use may lead officers to continue using when job stressors emerge. Finally, those who have committed crimes may reoffend.¹⁰

These issues could lead to local or national headlines, putting an agency and the entire profession in the crosshairs of social reformers and prosecutors. Further, it may become more difficult to recruit new candidates.

Some agencies also attempt to fill vacancies by luring active police officers away from their current employers through signing bonuses, higher salaries, and/or other benefits.¹¹ This technique may help departments with large budgets fill an opening, but it only creates a vacancy in another agency. Offering incentives to officers from other departments may be a temporary solution; however, these transfers will likely only stay until another organization offers a bigger signing bonus or better benefits.

Other departments focus their efforts on recruiting applicants at college job fairs. However, a college student likely already has their career aspirations in mind and course of study set. Of course, students may change majors or career goals before graduation, but it is a hard sell to make during a short interaction at a career fair.

Long-Term Investments

Lowering applicant standards, poaching officers from other departments, and recruiting college students may temporarily help fill vacancies, but these techniques will not build a sustainable applicant pool.

Agencies must play the long game by developing a recruiting pipeline that consistently creates positive interactions with the community’s youths and exposes them to the organization’s work, traditions, culture, values, and benefits.¹² To that end, agencies can consider two external programs: Law Enforcement Exploring and Public Safety Cadets.

Learning for Life, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America, manages the Law Enforcement Exploring program. It partners with police departments to allow kids ages 10 to 20 to regularly interact with officers. Participants observe what the real world of law enforcement is like compared to what they see in the movies and on television. The program provides hands-on training and career preparation to give children a leg up on the competition in the hiring process. Explorers can engage in volunteer work and participate in ride alongs, community events, and competitions, all while developing leadership skills.¹³

The Public Safety Cadets program, managed by active and retired police professionals, also provides law enforcement career preparation through hands-on training and opportunities with local agencies. It is geared toward older children, ages 14 to 20, who are given volunteer opportunities to engage with their communities. Additionally, the program hosts local and national competitions and training conferences.¹⁴

Both programs foster positive interactions between law enforcement organizations and members of their communities. The positive results of these opportunities do not stop with the participants themselves. Benefits spread to their entire social network, both real and virtual, thereby improving law enforcement’s image. Further, when the kids age out of the programs, they pursue careers in the field they have been learning about, creating an applicant pool that already knows the culture, expectations, values, and traditions associated with law enforcement.

If an external program such as Law Enforcement Exploring or Public Safety Cadets is not the right fit for an organization, there is no reason not to start a department-specific training program. By using similar guidelines or developing new procedures, agencies can build their own cadet programs to reach community youths.

Successful in-house programs provide valuable insight into the world of law enforcement and train participants to become future officers. Other benefits typically include compensation, college credits, and/or academic tuition grants.¹⁵ Cadet programs help not only the sponsoring agency and the law enforcement profession but also the participants. By investing in and developing young people in their communities, departments build a positive reputation while creating the officers of tomorrow.

Conclusion

No matter what kind of youth outreach program an agency decides to use, law enforcement executives must recognize and invest in it long-term as the pipeline for future officers. The program needs adequate time, attention, and funding so the organization and profession can reap the benefits of having knowledgeable, skilled applicants who know what they are embarking on and are eager to serve their communities. Playing the long game with recruitment is the key to bringing positivity and a stronger, larger workforce back into law enforcement.