NCJ Number
132240
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 58 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1991) Pages: 24-27
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Recruitment, selection, and retention of qualified and committed police officers is one of the most pressing and important concerns of police organizations today. The creeping mediocrity of police officers can only impact negatively on concepts of community policing and organizational cohesiveness.
Abstract
Planning for the future requires attention to long-term as well as short-term recruitment goals. Despite some calls to civilianize more police functions, modern policing requires a broad range of abilities, experiences, and attributes that make narrowing a police officer's functions difficult, if not impossible. In the short-term, the hiring process for top-quality candidates must be streamlined to minimize the chances that those candidates are hired by more expedient agencies. Increasing the size of cadet and reserve programs can enhance the level of preparation and commitment to policing. Additional pre-academy training and aggressive advertising campaigns may also help cover immediate staffing needs. However, police managers also need to devote time and resources to developing a pool of future applicants who are interested in a complex and demanding law enforcement career. In order to appeal to today's secondary school students, police managers must develop standards and criteria to encourage the image of policing as a profession by implementing a mandatory higher education requirement and improving the frequency and quality of police interactions with target groups. 6 references