Perspective
A Symposium’s Findings By Gary Vest, M.P.A.

Chief Vest heads the Powell, Ohio, Police Department.

While other factors may play a role, a booming economy and a low unemployment rate often constitute initial responses to a law enforcement agency’s question of why it is receiving fewer applicants. Recruitment stands as a serious problem
for agencies of all sizes throughout the United States. Although many agencies recognize the problem, they do not seem able to find a simple solution.

To this end, the 205th session of the FBI National Academy1 held a symposium on recruitment. The participants selected the symposium format over the lecture-based structure because a symposium assumes that while the answers are not always clearly defined, the participants represent a valuable resource for exchanging ideas and sharing experiences on various aspects of a particular topic.

The 205th session was comprised of 264 command staff officers representing agencies from the United States and 24 other countries. Five separate breakout groups worked on different questions related to the issue of recruitment. The questions addressed many diverse issues, such as the amount of technology used by an agency, the traditional application process, and the size of the agency. With this last area in mind and because the participants came from agencies that differed widely in employee strength and jurisdiction coverage, each group separated, when appropriate, any response that might be different for a large agency versus a small agency. For the purpose of data collection, the two agency-size groups were those with fewer than 150 sworn officers and those with 150 or more sworn officers.

Overall, the participants felt that an effective recruitment initiative should seek to align a candidate’s personal profile with that of the organization, including the psychological profiling of candidates to assess their personal desires with agency opportunities and community needs. An applicant should know what to expect from the agency. The agency should consider its needs and determine what will attract qualified employees. Symposium participants discovered that, although responses are likely to
differ from one agency to another, every agency’s goal remains the same: to match the applicant’s skills and desires with the agency’s needs and culture.

Applicant Expectations
When asked to rank the top five items that new employees want, symposium participants responded with: 1) salary, 2) benefits (leave time, medical coverage, and retirement), 3) job security, 4) career development (specialization and promotion), and 5)
job satisfaction (pride, excitement, and community). However, participants from larger agencies indicated that job security; personal growth opportunities; and pay, benefits, and retirement coverage represented the most important factors. Whereas, smaller agencies listed job satisfaction, work hours, city location, family atmosphere, quality-of-life issues, and type of
work as important. Participants from the smaller agencies did not all agree that pay, benefits, and retirement options were the top motivating factors. Yet, not having a competitive salary can devastate an agency’s recruitment program. The agency should
attempt to compensate for low wages by accentuating training or other nonwage benefits. Many participants considered attractive work schedules and take-home cars as desirable benefits. Usually, when the salary is