Description
Law enforcement agencies dedicate a significant amount of resources to attract, train, and retain an officer. With current personnel challenges facing most departments nationwide, administrators should look for ways to promote a working environment that encourages job training and skill development for their officers. These types of opportunities can help demonstrate to officers that they are valued and appreciated within their organization. One strategy an agency should consider is to create a temporary rotation program for patrol officers to an investigative unit. This type of program could provide officers with professional skill development, provide opportunities to expand their perspective of the investigative process, and help with officer retention by improving job satisfaction.
Millennials, those born in the 1980s and 1990s, will make up 50% of the labor force by 2020 and possibly as high as 75% by 2025 (Miller, Hodge, Brandt & Schnieder, 2013). Millennials have a desire to better themselves and want to learn new skills to stay motivated (Delung, 2015). Creating a temporary rotation program for patrol officers to enhance their skill set could help millennial officers meet their professional goals and improve their overall job satisfaction. The mission of any law enforcement agency should be to provide the best possible service to their community and establishing a temporary rotation program for patrol officers could help meet that objective.
