Form seeking function: An exploratory content analysis evaluation of the imagery contained in law enforcement agency police officer recruitment brochures

Abstract

The current exploratory study incorporates conceptual content analysis as a means of examining the imagery contained within a selected sample of police department recruitment brochures. The study examines the proportional representation of the different policing styles (watchman, legalistic and service) that were identified by Wilson (1968) in the recruitment brochure images ( n = 62) that were analysed. The results indicate that the watchman style was most commonly depicted in the recruitment material images that were included in the study. Additionally, the findings obtained indicate that the bulk of the remaining images contained in the recruitment brochures that were examined depicted a legalistic orientation towards policing, rather than one more aligned with a service orientation. The significance of these findings are examined, specifically as they relate to the officer hiring and retention issues currently facing the American law enforcement profession. Additional discussions evaluate how the results obtained relate to ongoing efforts in many departments to implement a more community-oriented approach to law enforcement. Limitations of the current study are identified and discussed and suggestions for future research are advanced.

Influential Women? Policing Styles in Online Recruitment Materials

“…While empirical investigation of online and printed recruitment materials is a growing subfield in policing research (Aiello, 2014; Jolicoeur & Grant, 2018), this was the first study to provide human- and computer-based content analysis methods to understand how departments with different levels of female representation entice applicants. This study sought to build on Jolicoeur and Grant’s (2018) content analysis of police recruitment pamphlet images using Wilson’s (1968) three organizational styles. As a result, direct comparison seems pertinent.…”

“…Universally emphasized characteristics included violence capabilities, intelligence, physical fitness, and respect for the law. More recently, Jolicoeur and Grant (2018) studied 62 police department recruitment pamphlets, examining the styles of police organization (Wilson, 1968) emphasized by different images. The authors found the watchman style dominated the presentation of policing in these images, followed by the legalistic style.…”

“…In an effort to expand the limited scope of prior research concerning police presentation of the occupation in recruitment materials, this study examines a large sample of 574 2013 LEMAS self-representing (hereafter SR) municipal and county police departments. Hypotheses emerge from a small group of prior research (Aiello, 2014; Jolicoeur & Grant, 2018), as well as broader work on gender in policing and the temporal sequencing of female representation and community policing or service-style emphasis (Schuck, 2014a, 2017). This study works to synthesize these literatures and investigate novel hypotheses concerning how female representation may change the kinds of officers departments seek, as well as the style of policing they claim to perform.…”

“…This study fills a gap in the literature on gender in policing, as well as police web presence, by examining how departments frame their ideal recruit in their online recruitment materials. This project builds on prior research on this topic involving limited sample sizes or a single methodological perspective (Aiello, 2014;Jolicoeur & Grant, 2018). This undertaking relies on a mixed methods design, involving open-source data collection, secondary data analysis, quantitative content analysis, and Leximancer automatic semantic analysis, providing a multiangle investigation of this crucial and growing area of policy and research.…”

Who Dreams of Badges? Gendered Self-Concept and Policing Career Aspirations

“…Despite popularity of the masculine crime fighter image in policing, a significant proportion of police work is spent in order maintenance and service activities, especially in departments focused on community policing (Parks et al, 1999;Rhodes, 2015;Smith et al, 2001). Yet, recruitment materials and presentations often highlight the physical, masculine, thrill-inducing aspects of the job (Aiello, 2014;Jolicoeur & Grant, 2018), all of which may be attractive, but not necessarily representative of daily life on the job. Further, departments are inconsistent in their use of targeted recruitment strategies (Cordner & Cordner, 2011).…”