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Perhaps one of the most intriguing titles ever given to an article about law enforcement recruitment appeared in the October issue of American Police Beat magazine – “Long hours, crap pay and high risk? Sign me up!” Despite the sarcasm, the article highlighted a basic fact. The salary range for some patrol officer positions is not attractive enough to lure new recruits or transfers. Some agencies, however, aren’t doing too badly. In December 2006, The Navigator shared some of the objectives of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) new HIRE (Household Inclusion Recruitment and Employment) program. Last month LVMPD Lieutenant Charles Hank provided some current statistics on the program. “As of Oct. 3, we’ve hired 343 individuals,” he said. “That translates to roughly 200 new officers out on the street. Plus, LVMPD set recruitment records in March and July (2007).” In addition, the percentages have been reduced for both the number of online applicants who fail to show for the first orientation and the number of recruits leaving the department after 90 days. LVMPD serves roughly a million people, not including the estimated 40 million tourists who visit Las Vegas yearly. In contrast, the Jerome (Idaho) Police Department serves roughly 8,800 residents. Chief Dan Hall closed the application period for an open patrol officer position in early November. He received more than double the amount of applicants than in recent recruitments – thirteen. “Ideally, I would have liked 20 to 25 applications to review,” he said, “but overall, I’m pleased with these results.” Hall believes that the new increase in pay range and improved health care package are a large part of the reason for the upswing in the number of candidates. Ron Clare, director of human resources for Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, which covers detention, law enforcement, sheriff, fire rescue, child & youth protection and probation, gave a short answer when asked whether he’s having trouble recruiting for positions: no. However, he’s not satisfied and said he would like “to see a richer candidate pool.” Because they subcontract with thirteen local communities, as well as provide the services listed above, Clare points out a couple of advantages that Broward County Sheriff’s Office has over other nearby agencies. “We can take advantage of economies of scale since our command and support staffs are centralized,” he said. “In addition, we have more promotional opportunities with a wide range of public safety options from positions dealing with large urban public safety issues to positions running a smaller, more suburban agency.” Clare is honest about other perks of the agency. “We have all the toys and special assignments,” he said, including such items as four helicopters, canine units, marine patrol, a dive team, a SWAT team and a variety of “cool” vehicles. Despite their geographic diversity and other differences, all three agency leaders had some interesting similarities and innovative thoughts on recruitment in the future. For instance, Hank, while crediting LVMPD’s HIRE program, notes that the agency is also trying unique recruitment methods such as a special Web site, www.protectthecity.com, where the “Video Theatre” is one of the most popular sections. To ease recruits into a training regime, LVMPD now holds a “pre-academy,” which Hank describes as “less rigid.” Also, it includes at least one session for candidates’ families without the recruits present. Clare believes there needs to be some flexibility in law enforcement hiring criteria. While he readily admits that public safety officials, due to the nature of their work, should be held to a higher standard, he thinks hiring criteria should ask, “What makes sense?” He continues, “This isn’t an ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ world. There aren’t many ‘Ricky Nelsons’ out there. Besides, I’m not sure Ricky Nelson would have made a good cop. There is a definite need for cultural sensitivity.” All three agree that law enforcement and public safety officials are inclined to show a higher degree of professionalism and “tend to live the job” more than some other positions. All three agree on the value of a personal connection with a potential recruit. Hank notes the increased number of phone calls from the recruiters and the popularity of the Web site’s Message Board page. Clare raves about his recruitment staff. “These are people who are passionate about coming to work and can get other people just as excited,” Clare said. Finally, all three agree on the need to get better at recruiting. LVMPD is exploring ways to increase the time spent surfing their Web site by making it more interactive, while Clare is toying with a type of recruitment CD and video game. Hall aptly describes a bigger challenge facing law enforcement leaders looking to increase their staff. “There’s a PR crisis going on,” he said. “Law enforcement is suffering from a poor image, both in the media and sometimes within its own community.” Neither Clare nor Hall are seeing a high level of interest in young people to embark on a law enforcement career. “No one is playing prison guard as a kid,” Clare said. However, Hall is taking steps to increase that level of interest through outreach to local high schools and formulating plans for an Explorer club. LVMPD, Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the Jerome Police Department illustrate an important point: no matter what the size of the public safety agency is, there are recruitment success stories.
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| © 2007 CPS Human Resource Services |