Many agencies are struggling to hire good candidates, let alone those who are under-represented in policing such as women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ communities. It is important that the officers on an agency are representative of members of the community it serves. This promotes better community relations and the handling of calls for service. 

TASK: You are in charge of recruitment within your police agency that is struggling to recruit a diverse set of applicants. 

1. What are some of the strategies you would use for your recruitment campaign? 

Make sure to think “outside the box” and develop a good response to address this real problem faced by LE agencies.

Additionally there are challenges faced by agencies once the actual hiring process starts. Applicants going through the process are found to have disqualifying behaviors (such as minor drugs, poor driving, alcohol related incidents, etc.) , lack physical fitness, lack educational requirements, and have a poor credit history. There is caution to an agency in regards to “lowering their standards” as this could lead to potential lawsuits down the road. 

2. What “proactive steps” would you take as a recruiter so future applicants would be ready to apply down the road?