NCJ Number
126831
Date Published
1990
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Although available data on support staff problems are limited, Federal law enforcement managers and personnel specialists believe that attracting and retaining qualified support staff have become increasingly difficult as the pay disparity between Federal and private sector employment has grown.
Abstract
Government-wide turnover data for a judgmental sample of 14 occupational series was obtained and analyzed to determine the extent of support staff turnover in Federal law enforcement and non-law enforcement agencies during fiscal years 1986, 1987, and 1988. The analysis of available government-wide statistics for 1988 indicates that quit rates for law enforcement agencies -- excluding the FBI -- are about comparable to non-law enforcement agencies. When statistics include the FBI, the turnover is much higher. Within the law enforcement community, support staff turnover varies by occupation and location, with the greatest turnover occurring in clerical occupations in high-cost cities. The most frequently cited consequence of the disparity between Federal and private sector compensation was that Federal law enforcement agencies find attracting and retaining qualified support staff increasingly difficult. Another consequence is a conspicuous decline in the quality of candidates who apply for law enforcement support positions. Appendix