Evaluating Police Recruitment and Selection Tactics: Tailored Solutions for Agencies

• In Event: Examining the Impact of Policy for Police Agencies

Abstract

Police agencies around the world are currently facing staffing challenges from several different aspects. To address some of these challenges, with the support of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, our current project reviews 237 recruitment, selection, and retention tactics for police departments identified from news articles, publications and reports. These tactics are each individually rated based on performance dimensions such as their impact on staffing levels, agency workload management, ease of implementation, timing, cost, quality of police work, diversity and community policing. The assessment of the tactics was conducted by 30 police executives and subject matter experts through surveys. The holistic assessment of these tactics provides a broader understanding of how they perform and can enable agencies to prioritize their own circumstances or limitations. Tactics will vary in effectiveness depending on the situation. However, identifying the most effective ones in specific contexts can help agencies determine which strategies best suit their needs.

Authors

• Jeremy Wilson, Michigan State University

• Clifford Grammich, Birdhill Research and Communications LLC

• Ethan Michael Humphrey, Michigan State University Police Staffing Observatory