Summary
The Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing noted that the quality of American policing depends upon the quality of its officers and stressed the importance of hiring individuals who reflect the diversity and values of the community—and also have the character and social skills to positively engage with it. This was emphasized in a later task force meeting with President Obama, who asked the COPS Office to explore promising practices and policies for hiring and retaining officers who meet these requirements. In response, the COPS Office and the Police Executive Research Forum hosted the Hiring for the 21st Century Law Enforcement Officer forum. This report details the discussions and recommendations of the forum, which included experts in police standards, screening, and hiring. Their insights and recommendations in areas such as psychological screening, educational requirements, promotion policies, and methods for retaining the best officers can be of great value to Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commissions, HR, and agency executives.
Contents
Introduction: Shaping the Policing Profession for the 21st Century. --
Diverse personnel, diverse perspectives. --
Three overarching themes. --
Discussion, recommendations, and promising practices. --
Nexus of recruitment and hiring. --
1. Hiring Candidates Who Share the Values and Vision of the Community and the Department. --
Identify key traits and characteristics. --
Operationalizing the process. --
A new look at traditional measures. --
Still need to “screen out the negative” --
Dealing with past drug use. --
Dealing with bias—explicit and implicit. --
Providing context for financial responsibility issues. --
A new look at some traditional tools. --
Reviewing candidates from other agencies. --
Ensuring the process is fair. --
Recommendations and promising practices: Hiring candidates who share the values and vision of the community and the department. --
2. Making the Hiring Process More Efficient. --
Different processes, different timelines. --
Procedural inefficiencies. --
Promising approaches to accelerate the hiring process. --
Recommendations and promising practices: Making the hiring process more efficient. --
3. Advancing Diversity and Inclusiveness in the Hiring Process. --
“Grow your own” --
Watch out for guardians of the existing culture. --
The fallout from “zero tolerance” policing. --
Recommendations and promising practices: Advancing diversity and inclusiveness in hiring. --
4. Other Issues to Consider. --
Changing standards on tattoos. --
Raising the minimum age for police officers. --
Recruiting and hiring qualified civilian professionals. --
Recommendations and promising practices: other issues to consider. --
Conclusion: Promising Practices for Moving the Profession Forward.