Recruiting and Retaining the Younger Generations

Recruiting and retaining both Millennial and Generation Z applicants is of critical importance to law enforcement agencies. Agencies, large and small, are chronically understaffed. Vacancies created by both growth and by attrition as the current workforce ages out exceed the number of qualified applicants for those positions. Law enforcement agencies that wish to thrive in the future must adapt now in order to maintain police forces at sufficient levels. It is the position of this researcher that those who currently occupy command positions within departments should adjust current practices in order to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of quality candidates from younger generations. This change will require a dynamic shift in current hiring and operational practices and procedures along with modifications to departmental policies that address applicant eligibility. Law enforcement agencies looking to attract officers in the future need to identify key components of job satisfaction for younger generations and plan to meet those needs. This paper is designed to inform the reader of critical factors that influence decision making when members of the workforce under the age of 35 are deliberating about a career in law enforcement. This paper also addresses the issues facing departments and provides direction to those departments wishing to continue to complement their current force levels