Recruiting and Retention Strategies for Small Police Agencies

Law enforcement agencies in the United States each experience specific circumstances that affect staffing and operations for their individual communities. This issue is especially compounded for small police agencies attempting to address the recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers. Staffing issues are generally determined by budgetary constraints, qualified candidates and the attrition of existing personnel. The information obtained in this area will draw primarily on data obtained through professional reports and articles focused on retention issues. The topics identified as being specifically overarching factors that directly impact these findings were identified as lack of budgetary funding to compete with larger agencies and social shifts that have narrowed suitability of applicants. These factors are also further impacted by the current existing negative views of law enforcement in certain segments of society further causing a decline in potential law enforcement candidates. The methods being sought to alleviate the lack of qualified applicants and to retain existing employees involves the study of emerging demographic trends to attract underrepresented groups such as women and minorities, providing realistic employment overviews, and allowing rank and file officer level input to address department activities.