Patterns of Police Recruit Separations

• In Event: Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining the Police Workforce

Abstract

Police departments across the U.S. face the ongoing challenge of sustaining a qualified workforce, for which effective pre-service training is a critical and costly component. Nationally, 14-15% of recruits separated from a police training academy in 2022; prior research has found separation rates between 8% and 25%. We analyze patterns of recruit separation from the New York State Police (NYSP) academy. We conduct survival analyses of separations from 2002 to 2024 based on archival data, which frames a deeper analysis of five recent cohorts of recruits, with data on whom we conduct logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression. The implications of the findings for both police agencies and future research are discussed.

Authors

• Beau P. Holladay, John F. Finn Institute / University at Albany

• Robert E. Worden, John F. Finn Institute & University at Albany

• Sarah J. McLean, John F. Finn Institute

• Kenan M. Worden, John F. Finn Institute