The I.U.P.A. Research Department is asked by local leaders to conduct research for our members such as wage and benefits surveys to use for negotiations; research reports on equipment, resources, and matters of LEO safety; SurveyMonkey surveys to collect information on topics of interest, and more!

Due to widespread staffing concerns, the I.U.P.A. Research Department was asked to complete a survey and a research report on successful strategies for hiring and recruiting law enforcement professionals. Below is an excerpt from the conclusions and recommendations section of the report.

With increased numbers of law enforcement departments facing serious staffing issues, alternative recruiting tools are necessary. Many departments are using hiring and retention bonuses, but that alone is not solving the problem.

While many techniques were explored in the production of this paper, those which stood out as potentially most effective are those which meet prospective officers where they are and match their needs. Programs offering funding for school in exchange for a promise to work a set number of years as well as programs that cover the cost of the academy are excellent methods to enable applicants who otherwise might not have had the means to qualify. Rather than lowering standards, providing incentives and benefits that enable applicants to become more qualified would greatly increase the applicant pool much more effectively.

Methods discussed to incentivize current staff who recruit new applicants effectively are also very effective, affording current staff who are overworked and understaffed to have a hand in providing for the solution and compensating them for that effort either monetarily or through benefits such as vacation time or floating holidays. Applicants are attracted to workplaces where they have received a recommendation and where the workplace has a healthy atmosphere. That is why incentivizing current staff to recruit can be very effective along with efforts to improve morale and workplace cohesion, ensuring that officers feel supported. Many of the more negative responses in the survey to recruiting strategies came from officers who reported not feeling supported.

Many strategies in the survey of department websites revealed another tool that would enable more applicants to apply, a moving incentive that covers the cost of moving. Pay for related and relevant experience is an effective way to attract applicants as well. Many searches of department websites revealed a strong tendency to use social media and other technological tools in recruitment efforts. The departments also emphasized their use of technology to make the job safer, more effective, and more cutting edge. Some departments have even hired marketing firms to help them with this.

Lastly, the research study discussed how the public will support funding for staffing when it is clearly communicated to them that there is a need, and staffing for police was not found to be a polarizing issue, but rather something that crossed the political divide with broad support. That means communicating with the public as well as prospective applicants will assist in the staffing crisis we currently find ourselves in.

The I.U.P.A. Research Department has this report and other previously completed research available to local presidents upon request listed at https://iupa.org/index.php/research-department/. Ask your local’s president to contact the I.U.P.A. Research Department today at alinaj@iupa.org to request a copy of this report as well as other previously completed research that is of interest to LEOs.