Needed Reform to Improve Officer Recruitment & Retention

Actions that could help recruitment and expand the applicant pool:

• Eliminate barriers to employment that disproportionately impact minority and impoverished applicants — negative credit history, traffic citations, college education requirement to name a few.
• Establish a police academy preparatory course in order to strengthen interested candidates academic and physical fitness foundations to improve graduation rates.
• Leverage technology to broaden the department’s ability to reach beyond the state for potential applicants.
• Create an employment app to streamline the application process. Allow for document submission, increased communication between applicants and hiring authorities as well as real-time tracking of their progression through the hiring process, etc.

Actions that could help improve retention:

• Increased adherence to meritocratic principles by establishing objective criteria for career progression.
• Leverage technology in a way that makes administrative tasks less time-consuming and reduces errors.
• Reduce the number of pay scale steps required to reach the top annual salary.
• Find ways to demonstrate that the organization equally values every work element and its contribution to the overall mission and goals of the department.