Recruitment Still Suffering in Most Police Departments (Government and Service)

Recruitment for public services is important and it does have some impact on other institutions as well. Public service isn't always on the top of the list for many young people. However, public service is necessary for the safety of citizens and the full functioning of an economy (There are always central underlining safety, trust, etc. aspects that increase or decrease economic activity.). Attracting and drawing the highest caliber future officers we can makes a difference in not only the functioning of such institutions but also the ability to attract future top talent. 

According to a survey of 1,158 U.S. Agencies by the The International Association of Chief of Police they found , 

-70% of respondents reported recruitment tis more difficult than 5 years ago. They are at 91% of their staffing needs. 

-75% reported making policy and procedure changes to improve the pool. 

There is going to be some negative impact on crime if we don't get more people to join and of course the type of people we want to join is an important point of discussion. Sometimes widening the pool of candidates doesn't mean lowering standards but perhaps recruiting from new diverse pools, reviewing the profile of who we want to recruit, and ensuring the best officers rise to the top (..and the worst ones cycled out because all systems should have a little flow to keep upward movement.)

In the Characteristics of the Ideal Police Officer, you find important factors such as 1. Initiative, 2.) Sense of Ethics, 3.) Respect and Knowledge of Laws, 4.) Communication Skills, 5.) Common Sense, 6.) Civility, 7.) Service Mentality, 8.) Humility, 9.) Controlled Temper, 10.) Thirst for Knowledge (Capps, 2014)

As always, I'm 100% for Police and 110% for Civil Rights. Good officers protecting our community and doing things the right way should have 100% of our support. If you want a career path you might consider joining your local department and being one of those good officers. If you have issues and other problems, consider a different line of work because we need our best out there keeping us safe. Thanks for what you do. 

Capps, L. (2014). Characteristics of the Ideal Police Officer. https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/perspective/perspective-characteristics-of-an-ideal-police-officer

IACP (2024) The State of Recruitment & Retention: A Continuing Crisis for Policing. https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/IACP_Recruitment_Report_Survey.pdf