The issues associated with recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers or police administrators in various departments across the U.S. is today well documented (Editorial Board, 2016). Several law enforcement agencies across states like California, Texas, Colorado, and many others are desperately in need of new officers to fill vacant police positions. Some of the problems associated with hiring and recruiting new officers are related to a lack of qualified personnel to handle these positions. Keeping them has also been a significant challenge. According to the Police Link (n.d.), Texas is presently planning to hire more than 80 police officers, while Colorado lacks the numbers and funds to patrol the city adequately. This paper primarily identifies the reasons contributing to this shortage and the potential strategies to improve recruitment and retention.
There are multiple reasons associated with the current problems with recruitment and retention of police workers. According to Smith (2016), budget cuts and low pay have contributed significantly to the decline of the number of police officers in California from 84,397 in 2008 to 79,812 in 2014. Another issue is related to minority recruitment, with several states refusing to hire female police officers as part of the plans to cut costs. Smith (2016) also argues that the changing police force profession and other dynamics are contributing to the recent difficulties in hiring new officers and keeping the old ones. For example, for the past three decades, the average age of a police officer in California has risen from 35.9 years to the current 40.8 years. The retirement age has also fallen from 60 to 55 over the same period. This implies that veteran officers retire younger than before, creating a shortage.
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Several strategies can assist in increasing the number of newly hired officers and maintaining the veterans in the forces. Firstly, the states of California, Colorado, and Texas need to hire more minority female workers and create a balance in gender. Secondly, these cities need to allocate more funds to the law enforcement department, which will significantly serve to increase the salaries of the police officers as a means of enticing them. They should also raise the retirement age to 65 to allow the veterans to serve for extended periods. I firmly believe that these strategies will improve recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers in these states.
References
Editorial Board. (2016). An introduction to law enforcement operations in the United States. Words of Wisdom, LLC.
Police Link. (n.d.). Police desperately needed in 10 U.S. locations. Retrieved from http://policelink.monster.com/benefits/articles/19531-police-desperately-needed-in-10-us-locations
Smith, S. (2016). A crisis facing law enforcement: Recruiting in the 21 st century. IACP Police Chief. Retrieved from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/a-crisis-facing-law-enforcement-recruiting-in-the-21st-century/
