Managing the "Police Generation Gap" Through Personnel Recruitment: A Multi-Site Case Analysis

• In Event: Police Organizational Legitimacy, Fairness, and Recruitment

Abstract

Proactive police recruitment strategies have been indicated to support workforce diversification, a goal that is theoretically linked to police legitimacy and the furthering of positive community-police relations. But in an era of declining qualified applicants and accelerating retirement numbers, what can agencies do when public and political demands for workforce diversification are strong? This project evaluates unique personnel recruitment strategies in two police jurisdictions implemented to reduce the “police generation gap”, a phenomenon seen as hindering police workforce management by restricting numbers of younger, interested applicants. These two geographically and organizationally diverse agencies, both seeking to manage and eventually bridge this generational difference, suggest ways in which personnel management, budgeting, opportunity cost, and leadership contribute to new approaches to successful police recruitment. Findings of this case analysis can inform discussions of organizational change, management efficacy, and emerging police workforce dynamics.

Author

• Charles Scheer, The University of Southern Mississippi