The process of recruitment, selection, and retention of law enforcement officers is one of the most challenging and controversial issues in nearly all the police departments all over the world. Nearly all law enforcement departments have different versions of how the process of recruitment, selection, and retention should be conducted. The recruitment process is faced with several emerging issues which include, the period of training, cost of the recruitment process, policies that favor current generation and standards for hiring and screening of potential candidates.
Emerging Issues
The debate about the period for the training revolves around the realization that short training periods may not be enough to impart all the useful skills for proper law enforcement in the current highly dynamic environment (Christopher, 2000). Longer training, however, costs ineffective since the law enforcement department overstretch their annual financial allocation and this affects other plans that the department may have for the realization of a secure country. The real cost is often spent in covering for various shifts that must be attended to in the law enforcement department (Christopher, 2000). The cost even escalates when the available officers cannot for all the shifts thus the need to pay the available officers for overtime so as to have the work done even in extreme situations. Recruitment is therefore needed to cover for open positions that may contribute to overspending. The challenge is in the time span for effecting the recruitment since the recruits must first be trained they could be allowed to work. This means that an open position is often stressful to the departments and there is always an urgent need to feel all open positions within the shortest time to reduce cost.
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The baby boomers or the generations established the law enforcement departments of most countries before them (Christopher, 2000). This means that the policies and the principles of work are laid upon the abilities and needs of this generation. The society has however changed, and the current generation has features that are totally different to those of the people before them. This creates a stressful situation as the policies and training strategies do not favor the well-being and growth of the recruits who find it challenging to adapt to the conditions of work and training. The policies and strategies should be adjusted to become considerate of the characteristics of the current generation to achieve effective training and work relationship with the law enforcement sector (Christopher, 2000). The focus on characteristics of a generation is important in ensuring that the system gets the best from their abilities.
Guidelines for Prison Officers
The recruitment guidelines apply to all law enforcement departments including the prisons department. This should not always be the case, and there should be differences in the recruitment guidelines for the prison department (Oliver, 2014). These law enforcement officers are trained to deal with and keep in check all nature of criminals. Their recruitment programs should enforce thorough analysis of cognitive behaviors such response to terrific situations and a full profile of psychosocial abilities. This analysis helps in getting people with the capacity to control criminals only. Additionally, the guideline for recruitment should consider incorporating certain body size, and if possible they should be subjected to training that is equal to that of the navy for their own self-defense (Yearwood & Freeman, 2004).
Possible Changes
Changes that could have occurred since 2014 may include standards and screening procedures (Oliver, 2014). The increase in technological advancement contributes to the need for modern screening procedures so as to keep up with changes and trends in the world. Innovation contributes significantly to the changes in the screening procedure. However, one important factor that could contribute to the screening procedure is a need for change in the law enforcement for the purpose of realization of tremendous change in the policing sector (Yearwood & Freeman, 2004).
Motivation and Morale
The police captain plays a major role regarding the motivation and creation of moral spirit among the police officers (Oliver, 2014). The captain is often in charge of all the officers. The captain is always considered liable for the success or failures of the department. This means that the captain has to ensure optimal performance of all the police officers at all time within the law enforcement department. Realization of the optimal performance is in most cases done by motivating the other officers. Additionally, creating programs that would make the police officers have the moral to work effectively is essential in their designated areas. The captains are responsible for the realization of the best performance from all other police officers thus must spearhead the motivation programs to ensure the best flow of work among the troupes they lead (Oliver, 2014). Motivation is realized through salary increment, promotion and other incentives such as holidays and leaves.
In summary, the recruitment, selection, and maintenance of the law enforcement officers are quite challenging due to the difference in the various departments of law enforcement sectors. The need for change focus on addressing emerging issues to get the best outcome for the police departments, Motivation is a function of the captain and its duty in achieving the best performance cannot be underrated.
References
Christopher S. K. 2000. Hiring and Keeping Police Officers-Research for Practice. National Institute of Justice.
Oliver, P. (2014). Recruitment, Selection & Retention of Law Enforcement Officers. Looseleaf Law.
Yearwood, D. L., & Freeman, S. (2004). Recruitment and retention of police officers in North Carolina. Police Chief, 71(3), 43-45.
