As the national spotlight intensifies on efforts to build law enforcement agencies that better reflect and relate to the diverse communities they serve, police leaders face immense pressure to revamp recruitment and hiring practices. The Biden Administration’s recent executive order on policing reform emphasizes cultivating “a workforce that is equitable, competent and representative of the people it serves” – but achieving this vision requires actionable data on the specific attributes, experiences and backgrounds valued by residents. In this post, we’ll explore how rigorous community surveys can provide the invaluable public insights needed to drive more equitable, transparent and effective recruitment and hiring.
Understanding Community Priorities for Officer Qualifications
A fundamental first step in recruitment is assessing what qualities citizens truly prioritize in their police officers. While certain baseline requirements like academic credentials and physical/medical standards are clear, does the public favor recruiting from particular career backgrounds? Former military service members? Social workers or those with crisis intervention experience? Candidates deeply rooted in the local community?
By surveying residents across demographics, neighborhoods and jurisdictions, agencies gain clarity on desired attributes. A 2021 survey by the Benicia, CA police department revealed 68% of Hispanic/Latino respondents and 58% of Asian respondents valued diversity and multilingual skills over other potentials officers traits – key guidance as the agency sought to better represent its diverse populace. Meanwhile, Detroit solicited input helping shape new incentives like tuition assistance and pathways for recruits without military/criminal justice backgrounds.
Collecting this localized data positions agencies to tailor recruitment marketing, candidate evaluation rubrics, and application incentives based on substantive community needs rather than relying on assumptions or outdated preferences. It lays the foundation for rethinking minimum qualifications while being responsive to public demands.
Gauging Community Interest in Officer Residency Requirements
Among the most hotly-debated hiring practices are those involving residency incentives or requirements for officers. Many communities feel a disconnect with police forces mostly commuting from other cities and towns. Mandating officers live within certain geographic boundaries is seen as fostering stronger neighborhood ties and relationships. However, strict residency rules reduce applicant pools and can prove challenging for recruitment in rural areas or affluent suburbs.
With such a divisive and impactful policy consideration, community input is vital. In Boston, a 2019 survey commissioned by the police commissioner found 58% of residents supported incentivizing recruits to live in city neighborhoods, but only 26% favored making it an absolute requirement – key data preventing an overly restrictive policy. Conversely, survey results in Asheville, NC revealing 78% support for residency rules enabled City Council to confidently approve hiring mandates after years of public debate.
**Whether retaining open eligibility or adopting residency preferences, using surveys to definitively capture localized public stances equips agencies to make informed, transparent and defensible policy decisions reflecting their specific communities.
Identifying Target Recruitment Demographics and Attributes
Agencies can’t simply aim for more diverse ranks – they require detailed demographic data pinpointing underrepresented groups to focus recruitment efforts. Surveys offer a sophisticated toolset for intersectionally analyzing resident feedback and gauging whether the current workforce aligns with community makeup across age, gender, race/ethnicity, background characteristics like military service or languages spoken, educational levels and more.
For California’s Redwood City Police Department, survey data spotlighted several key demographics to prioritize in recruitment. While the overall force approximated census figures for Latino/Hispanic and White officers, female representation continued lagging departmentally at 14% compared to 51% of the city’s population. The survey also revealed only 3% of officers identified as Pacific Islander despite that group accounting for 9% of Redwood City residents.
**Armed with this localized intelligence, police leaders could implement tailored women and Pacific Islander-focused recruitment campaigns drawing from culturally-relevant community organizations and social circles – driving up applicant pools within those specific demographic groups for enhanced representativeness.
Soliciting Public Input on Recruitment Program Development
Diversifying law enforcement ranks requires multifaceted recruitment efforts targeting areas beyond traditional criminal justice programs. Many agencies are developing youth mentorship initiatives, police explorer programs, community college pathways and civilian recruitment from complementary fields like social work, education and counseling.
However, effectively allocating resources and developing these nascent efforts necessitates continuous public feedback. Do residents feel resources are being properly balanced between college outreach and youth development? Should agencies better leverage community influencers like clergy for recruitment promotion and advice?
The Camden County, NJ Police Department has embedded public surveys into its comprehensive recruitment process analysis. Annual questionnaires gauge overall program satisfaction while targeted follow-ups assess individual components like youth Explorer feedback or applicant experiences through testing protocols. This cycle of constant public evaluation enables the department to rapidly analyze, report on and enhance recruitment strategies – a national model for transparency and accountability.
Evaluating Equitable Hiring Processes & Background Considerations
Ensuring diversity doesn’t stop at the recruitment phase – equitable hiring protocols are equally paramount. Agencies must confront whether procedures like written and physical tests, background checks and interview boards harbor implicit biases disfavoring demographics like women, minorities and younger applicants from non-policing careers.
Surveys prove invaluable barometers for measuring public faith in hiring integrity. In the wake of a 2019 discrimination lawsuit over its entry exams, the State of New Jersey commissioned a survey mirroring concerns – only 24% of Black respondents expressed confidence in the fairness and equity of state police hiring processes compared to 81% of White respondents. This stark gap signaled agencies’ urgent need to reform assessments and oversight.
But beyond identifying shortcomings, surveys provide guidance for developing stronger processes and background check criteria aligned with public values. Should drug infractions in adolescence automatically disqualify candidates given current perspectives on youthful indiscretions? Do residents trust more holistic processes weighing mitigation like expungement alongside employment/character references? Community feedback guides agencies in balancing background standards with equitable opportunities.
Promoting Transparency & Public Engagement Throughout Recruitment
With recruitment so deeply intertwined with perceptions of legitimacy, transparency around hiring efforts is crucial for maintaining public trust. Too often police forces operate in secrecy, concealing candidate demographics and selection rationale while shrugging off criticism over lack of diversity and misaligned community values.
By proactively publicizing recruitment data dashboards, sharing impartial third-party survey findings, and formalizing continuous public feedback loops, agencies demonstrate accountability to the communities they serve. This open-book philosophy pays dividends boosting credibility around commitments to reform.
The City of Seattle adopted this model when comprehensively overhauling hiring in 2019. Through commissioned surveys, community focus groups and public dashboards, the city shared real-time applicant demographics alongside targeted goals and gaps. As initiatives like ramped recruitment advertising and accelerated testing cycles gained traction, continued surveys showed steadily rising community confidence in the equitable and inclusive process.
Officer Survey equips law enforcement agencies with a powerful data-driven solution for ensuring recruitment, hiring, and workforce initiatives accurately reflect community needs and values. Through the intuitive survey platform, departments can rapidly deploy scientifically-validated questionnaires to thoroughly capture resident perspectives across all demographics on desired officer backgrounds, qualifications, and attributes. Robust reporting capabilities transform this comprehensive public feedback into actionable insights for strategically refining recruitment campaigns, evaluating fairness in screening and hiring processes, setting equitable eligibility requirements aligning with community priorities, and promoting transparency by sharing real-time data dashboards. By facilitating this critical two-way dialogue, Officer Survey becomes an indispensable tool for cultivating law enforcement workforces that embody the diversity and representation catalyzing enhanced public trust, accountability and legitimacy.
Conclusion
Achieving law enforcement ranks genuinely representative of the communities served necessitates far more than just well-intentioned recruitment drives. It requires robust data illuminating public priorities around officer backgrounds and demographics. It demands accountability through formalized processes for capturing continuous feedback at every stage. And fundamentally, it hinges on polices earnestly internalizing and operationalizing that community voice in crafting responsive, equitable and transparent recruitment and hiring protocols.
Does your agency have the survey capability and infrastructure to facilitate this invaluable public dialogue? Our intuitive platform empowers seamless deployment of scientifically-validated surveys through versatile online and mobile channels to maximize response rates across all community demographics. Powerful reporting visualizations transform this comprehensive data into actionable intelligence for strategic recruitment initiatives and hiring reforms reflecting your unique community’s needs.
Bridging the divide between the public and its police force begins at the recruitment and hiring stage. Request a consultation today to learn how our survey solutions can drive the transparency and accountability underpinning truly representative law enforcement workforces.
