Police recruitment and retention for the new millennium: The state of knowledge

Wilson, Jeremy M.; Dalton, Erin; Scheer, Charles; Grammich, Clifford A.

doi:10.1037/e660172010-001

Cited by 46 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 128 publications

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“…The generalizability of our findings should be validated for other safetycritical public organizations (Wilson, Dalton, Scheer, & Grammich, 2010), across countries and populations (Anderson, Haar, & Gibb, 2010). We expect that similar evaluation processes occur among close friends and family in the context of decisions to apply for the police, firefighters, or other safety-critical public organizations with potential stressors.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 67%

Public Service Motivation as Driver of Social Support to Apply for Safety-Critical Organizations? An Empirical Study in the Context of German Military Service

Drevs

Müller²

2015

Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing

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This study analyses the role public service motivation and safety needs play when close friends and family are asked for advice by a potential applicant for the military, a typical public safety organization. Our survey data (N = 150) were collected among visitors to a German county fair where the German military had a recruitment stand. The results of a hierarchical regression show that, besides the organizational and employer-related image, the norm-based and affective dimensions of the public service motivation affect support intentions. Anxiety and work-family incompatibility as risk-related factors have a negative effect on support intentions. The study results indicate that recruitment advertising designed to promote social support should foster positive image perceptions among families and friends of potential applicants and should encourage their norm-based public service motivations. However, future campaigns should keep in mind that affective reactions such as anxiety may distract close friends and family from supporting an application.

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Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 67%

Public Service Motivation as Driver of Social Support to Apply for Safety-Critical Organizations? An Empirical Study in the Context of German Military Service

Drevs

Müller²

2015

Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing

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“…More specifically, the researchers found dissatisfactions and occupational frustrations precipitated officer burnout. Dissatisfactions and frustrations arose from community expectations, departmental politics, discipline, lack of appreciation, management styles, institutional policies, pay and fringe benefits, and relations with civic officials (Sparger and Giacopassi, 1983;Wilson, Dalton, Scheer, & Grammich, 2010). These findings suggest that officers do not resign for a single dissatisfaction or frustration but rather do so as a result of several dissatisfactions and/or frustrations.…”

Section: Influences Of the Work Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, existing research has found dissatisfactions with pay to be a key correlate of turnover intention (Sparger & Giacopassi, 1983;Wilson et al 2010). To test the effects of pay on actual turnover behavior, this research included the log transformation of sworn officers" median salaries.…”

Section: Paymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although previous research has not used institutional theory to explain variations in police turnover rates, research has analyzed how variations in police work and contextual environments impact officers" decisions to leave and their perceptions regarding work (James and Hendry, 1991;Lambert & Hogan, 2009;Sparger & Giacopassi, 1983;Wilson, Dalton, Scheer, & Grammich, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“A Closer Look at the Environment: Predicting Sworn Officers’ Turnover Rates in U.S. Law Enforcement Agencies”

Riles¹

2020

IJHSS

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Ensuring public safety rests on maintaining a qualified police workforce. However, in recent years, practitioners have argued that doing so has proved difficult. One contributing factor has been increased turnover rates among police officers. In an effort to mitigate the effects of turnover, this research analyzes the factors which lead officers to leave the force. This research analyzes the extent not only to which sworn officers leave the force but also to which institutional factors impact those decisions. More specifically, this research uses a complementary log-log regression model to assess the probability of officers' voluntary and involuntary turnover rates under various institutional determinants. The findings highlight the importance of institutional factors in explaining different types of voluntary and involuntary departures. Results are displayed by departure type. Implications of these findings are assessed with regard to the practice and study of policing.

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“…Recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers is one of the most significant challenges facing public safety divisions across the United States (Wilson et al ). The challenge stems, in part, from the retirement of baby boomers (McKay ), the growth of the economy (Wilson et al ), and agency budget cuts (Police Executive Research Forum ). Law enforcement agencies are responding with an equally varied set of tools, ranging from signing bonuses to social media marketing to tuition benefits.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thick Red Tape and the Thin Blue Line: A Field Study on Reducing Administrative Burden in Police Recruitment

Linos

Riesch

2019

Public Administration Review

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Police departments struggle to recruit officers, and voluntary drop-off of candidates exacerbates this challenge. Using four years of administrative data and a field experiment conducted in the Los Angeles Police Department, the authors analyze the impact of administrative burden on the likelihood that a candidate will remain in the recruitment process. Findings show that reducing friction costs to participation and simplifying processes improve compliance, as behavioral public administration would predict. Applicants who were offered simpler, standardized processes completed more tests and were more likely to be hired. Later reductions to perceived burden led to an 8 percent increase in compliance, with a 60 percent increase in compliance within two weeks. However, removing steps that would have allowed for better understanding of eligibility kept unqualified candidates in the process for longer, reducing organizational efficiency. These results extend the field's understanding of how administrative burden can impact the selection of talent into government. Evidence for Practice• Simplifying recruitment processes is associated with a reduction in voluntary drop-offs in police recruitment. • Removing stages in the process that allow for better self-evaluation may increase learning costs, shifting unqualified candidates to later stages in the selection process. • Participation in expedited testing, in which applicants can complete more than one assessment per day, is correlated with higher persistence through the recruitment process and higher applicant quality. Elizabeth Linos is a behavioral scientist and public management scholar. Her research focuses on how to recruit, retain, and motivate public servants. Specifically, her studies consider how we can improve diversity in recruitment and selection, how to reduce burnout at work, and how different work environments affect performance. In her research on behavioral public administration, she also studies how to use low-cost nudges to reduce administrative burdens and improve resident-state interactions.

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Police recruitment and retention for the new millennium: The state of knowledge

Cited by 46 publications

References 128 publications

Public Service Motivation as Driver of Social Support to Apply for Safety-Critical Organizations? An Empirical Study in the Context of German Military Service

Public Service Motivation as Driver of Social Support to Apply for Safety-Critical Organizations? An Empirical Study in the Context of German Military Service

“A Closer Look at the Environment: Predicting Sworn Officers’ Turnover Rates in U.S. Law Enforcement Agencies”

Thick Red Tape and the Thin Blue Line: A Field Study on Reducing Administrative Burden in Police Recruitment

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