In order for a police department to employ competent and proper police officers, the recruitment process must be formatted correctly to the city operating the hiring. By working in compliance with established procedures, departments ensure that highly experienced and appropriately skilled officers and staff are recruited and retained. Hiring incompetent and troubled officers may cost the city a financial burden. When a city reaches financial stability and has funds to hire new police officers, the process needs to be relevant and appropriate for the role of the police department. The police role is often ambiguous and not easily understood by the public or by the police (Grant and Terry, 2012).
The recruitment process includes three separate elements: (1) the minimum qualifications, (2) the recruitment effort, and (3) the applicant’s decision to apply for a position (Grant and Terry, 2012). Minimum entry requirements, however, do not reflect actual hiring practices. Departments often hire applicants with more than the required minimum level of education. It should be noted that sometimes candidates with bachelor and master degrees became terminated at a faster rate, than none college graduates. One will often hear that police work is more of a common sense type of job; however, common sense is not that common.
Open recruitment efforts, including public advertising of opportunities, are required by law today. Once there is a pool of applicants, a series of tests are used to select a group of new recruits. Every agency or police department, if one will, has its culture and personality. Finding the right or best fitting candidate can be a struggle for many background investigators. Long delays cause some applicants to drop out because they either find other jobs or lose interest. Once the proper and best fitting candidate has been chosen, the training process begins.
By providing a rookie candidate with a variety of incentives, one will often see a better turn...