Recruiting the Next Generation: Factors that Shape Interest in Policing Careers

• In Event: Police Training: Recruitment and Retention

Abstract

Police organizations continue to experience unprecedented challenges with front-line staffing. Recruiting new officers is one key to addressing these challenges. Many questions remain, however, regarding the factors that shape interest in policing careers. As part of the present research, I test how various factors, including (1) personal motivators, (2) perceptions of police, (3) employability, and (4) on-the-job concerns, impact policing career interest. Drawing upon a sample of undergraduate students from British Columbia, Canada, the findings reveal that participants’ interest in policing careers are shaped by the aforementioned factors, though the direction of these relationships vary. For example, participants’ perceptions of police procedural justice are positively related to interest in policing careers. On the other hand, participants’ on-the-job safety concerns are inversely related to interest in policing careers. In light of the staffing challenges experienced across the policing nexus, I situate the findings in relation to policy and practice.

Author

• Ryan Sandrin, Simon Fraser University