Law Enforcement Agencies Should Focus on Retention of Officers

Throughout the country, there is a consistent dilemma that many small to medium sized law enforcement agencies are facing. That dilemma is the revolving door of officer turnover. Over the last decade, agencies have found ways to actively recruit new officers by thinking outside of the box in their techniques and tactics. Some of these recruiting campaigns over social media and the internet have reached to seasoned, experienced police officers in the smaller agencies. Law enforcement agencies should make strives to retain their experienced officers to prevent turnover costs and loss of agency investment in their personnel. Another way agencies can prevent turnover is by introducing incentive based programs that provide incentive pay for employees that hold higher education certifications, law enforcement certifications, and master certain job related skills. Retention is important to the future of law enforcement. In retaining experienced officers, agencies will be able to reduce the amount of costs associated with turnover. The costs of turnover should be redirected into incentive-based pay to retain experienced, qualified officers.