Clicking to Serve? An Analysis of Police Recruitment Webpages

• In Event: Area XII. Diversity and Inclusion - Policing

Abstract

The police continue to face a recruitment crisis. In response, police departments have used a variety of platforms to try and spark public interest in policing careers. One platform used by the police are online recruitment pages. This study empirically examined the characteristics of Canadian police departments’ recruitment pages, with a focus on their messaging and the information contained therein. Our results reveal that while police recruitment pages vary in their characteristics, many lack information that could potentially help to attract a larger pool of applicants. Our findings suggest the need for police departments to improve the clarity, inclusivity, and depth of their recruitment content.

Authors

• Janine Namoro, Simon Fraser University

• Rylan Simpson, Simon Fraser University