NCJ Number
214453
Journal
International Journal of Police Science and Management Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2006 Pages: 52-66
Date Published
2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed the recruiting practices of State police agencies in the United States.
Abstract
In order to boost recruitment, the authors recommend that administrators develop multifaceted and innovative strategies that target younger students and different ethnic minorities and females. Advice is offered for instilling the importance of recruiting into all police personnel and for recruiting certain demographics, such as Generation X. Results revealed that 35 of the 44 responding police agencies believed that recruiting qualified applicants was difficult. Over half of the agencies (68.2 percent) that considered recruiting difficult believed the cause was the economy and/or job market. A full 77.3 percent of agencies did not believe that non-traditional shift work posed a problem for recruitment. Over three-quarters (84.6 percent) of responding agencies had full- or part-time recruiters. In terms of recruitment practices involving the use of advertisements, 84.6 percent advertised on the Internet, 82.1 percent advertised in newspapers, and 56.4 percent advertised on the radio. None of these advertisement methods was accompanied by a significant increase in female recruitment. Other recruiting strategies employed by agencies included attending career fairs (92.3 percent), visiting colleges (79.5 percent), utilization of agency Web site (76.9 percent), and community visits (71.8 percent). Specific minority recruitment strategies were utilized by 64.1 percent of agencies. According to police agencies, the top three most successful recruiting strategies were: (1) agency Web site and online applications; (2) visiting career fairs; and (3) visiting college campuses. Participants were 44 State police agencies or highway patrols from across the United States that completed a mailed survey measuring agency demographics and recruitment practices. Descriptive statistics were generated for the resulting data. Tables, note, references