Needed Reform to Improve Officer Recruitment & Retention

We must do better! Below are the very specific steps we are confident would make a difference in the recruitment and retention of officers.

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.