competitive with other comparable agencies, then nontangible concerns become more important. For example, officers in a smaller agency may feel that they have a greater opportunity to make a difference in the organization. Smaller agencies have diversification of assignments, opportunity for training, and, often, a better quality of life. On the other hand, large
departments may offer a greater variety of career options, more opportunities for advancement, and an increasingly diverse work environment.

Along with the top five items, symposium participants also said that a healthy work environment is important. Adequate staffing levels; fairness; friendly, two-way communication up and down the chain of command; supportive supervisors and managers;
consistent work environment; adequate budget to provide resources; continual training and educational incentives; and career
development programs constitute a healthy work environment. Participants agreed that a place where people want to work fosters a sense of camaraderie and encourages growth, where everyone works for a common goal. Employees desire an environment where the upper echelon remains open to change and receptive to the ideas of subordinates, regardless of rank or status. Employees want to take ownership in the organization. Large numbers of agencies have shifted toward community-oriented policing (COP) or problem-oriented policing (POP). By its nature, this role modification from traditional law enforcement necessarily requires officers to become more interactive and communicative.

Finally, participants noted that people entering the law enforcement profession possess a diverse range of backgrounds. Some participants suggested that distinct differences exist between generations within the workforce. Generally, most agreed that
officers often perceive value differences between the generations. For example, veteran officers thought that Generation X individuals 2 question authority, want more benefits, and desire more variety in work assignments. They appear more interested in personal life than work. Some participants said, “They don’t want to pay their dues; they want things now.” Some
participants from smaller agencies indicated that those in Generation X appear less interested in promotion.

The international participants had fewer concerns with Generation X employees than did their U.S. counterparts. Some participants felt that the Generation X issues appear over generalized, instead of a basic human reaction of people discounting those that they do not understand. However, with the advent of COP and POP, many agencies have shifted their service style to meet the diverse needs of their communities, which often reflect a broad cross section of generational differences and require officers to understand the values of individuals from various age groups.

Agency Requirements

Symposium participants felt that the law enforcement profession needs intelligent, not just educated, officers who can solve problems and accept racial and cultural diversity. In short, agencies prefer smarter over tougher. Law enforcement is moving away from the “big tough cops” in favor of candidates, regardless of size, who possess qualities that mirror the tenets of the COP and POP philosophies. Also, more and more, communities want service-oriented people with interpersonal skills as their guardians of justice. While participants recognized that the profession still attracts adventure seekers, they compiled the following attributes, or core values, desired of a law enforcement officer: adaptable, analytical, communicative, compassionate, courageous (both physically and morally), culturally sensitive, decisive, disciplined, ethical, goal oriented, incorruptible, mature, responsible, and self-motivated. In general, participants felt that agencies expect officers to have good interpersonal and communication skills, as well as sales and marketing abilities. They thought that officers should be adaptable to change, desire continued learning, and posses the ability to become either a generalist or a specialist or, at times, both.