Recruitment & Retention

Question 1

Main draws to policing?

Answer 1

• Excitement & thrills
• Genuine desire to help people
• Catching criminals & bringing justice to victims
• Diversity in opportunities afforded by policing career
• Ability to problem-solve
• Interacting w/ community

Question 2

4 reasons why it is hard to hire ‘good’ police officers (Descending order, more and more applicants removed with each step)

Answer 2

1) Not everyone wants to become one (Differences in personal goals, aversion due to fear of the perceived dangers of the job, avoidance due to dislike of confrontation)

2) Not everyone who wants to be a cop can become one (Poor vision, hearing, physical health/fitness or lack of certain citizenship requirements can block individuals from entering profession)

3) Not everyone who can become a cop is eligible (May be denied entry due to past behavior; must pass many intense tests/examinations [written, physical agility, oral interview, background investigation, polygraph {not universally used}, psych evaluation, medical exam] in order to POTENTIALLY be offered a job)

4) Not everyone who is eligible is desirable (Applicant must be a good fit for the agency they are applying for [i.e. applicant will enjoy their career with them, must be committed, and must be prepared to perform type of policing associated w/ agency])

Question 3

Description of Todak (2017) article

Answer 3

Fewer eligible candidates for police careers due to problems associated w/ policing; article examines how individuals make the decision to become cops in the context of a police legitimacy crisis & how men and women’s decision-making processes may differ; sample = 42 uni students who planned to become cops after grad (28W + 14M); method = semi-structured interviews

Question 4

Findings of Todak (2017) article regarding motivation

Answer 4

• Many developed interest in policing during childhood (N = 16)
• Many also developed interest during teens (N = 15)
• Least amount developed interest in college (N = 11)
• 31 respondents wished to help people, while 18 wished to avoid desk jobs
• In terms of goals, 16 wished to have a full career in policing, 15 viewed it as a stepping stone into federal law enforcement, and 11 saw it as only one of many options

Question 5

Findings of Todak (2017) article regarding expectations

Answer 5

• Participants had done thorough research into career
• Concerns: Cynicism (Fear of becoming jaded), Protectiveness (Fear of becoming over-protective due to horrors faced on-the-job), Fear (Fear of danger), Coping (Difficulty with coping with intense trauma)

Question 6

Findings of Todak (2017) article regarding preparation

Answer 6

Many had taken steps to prepare themselves for careers in policing (i.e. learning to shoot a firearm, participated in ride-alongs, trained in martial arts, undertaken criminal justice college education, etc.)

Question 7

Todak (2017) conclusions

Answer 7

• Decision to become a cop has taken on new meaning due to legitimacy crisis, but has not stopped aspiring applicants
• Participants still exhibit positive motivations, realistic expectations, and good preparation
• Study largely speaks to numbers but not to the pool itself

Question 8

Issues with police recruitment videos

Answer 8

Certain videos display police as more militant, while some show them as social workers, therefore the applicant pool may be greatly affected by the type of recruitment video used (“warrior” philosophy vs. “guardian” philosophy)

Question 9

Description of Simpson (2022) article

Answer 9

• Descriptively assesses the content of 500+ different recruitment videos from agencies across the US
• Data collection = locating videos for agencies across the US (FB, YT, etc.)
• Once ID’d, each coder viewed each recruitment video multiple times and responded to a series of questions using a detailed codebook
• Methodology = Video characteristics (Music, shots, etc.); Officer representation (Gender diversity, testimonials, etc.); Informational content (Core values, compensation, etc.); Behavioral content (What police were doing in the videos)

Question 10

Results of Simpson (2022) article

Answer 10

• 2/3 of videos displayed more militancy & force (high-speed driving, SWAT, etc.); used fast-paced music and showed more male officers; more representative of the warrior mentality
• Not only was the warrior mentality more prevalent in those videos, but those same videos would rarely show more guardian-oriented policing
• Conclusions: Recruitment & retention = priority for agencies; one of primary means of attracting applicants is recruitment vids, from which applicants may infer conclusions about police agency’s philosophies + practices