A Look at The Hiring Procedure Used by The Police

Police officers come from all walks of life, yet it takes a lot to recruit someone into becoming a police officer. Often, there are many methods, challenges, and problems that arise during recruitment. Throughout the journey, there is a strict screening process, a lot of physical training, and even some politics that many people just aren’t ready to handle. What happens during recruitment?

Let’s start with the methods of the recruitment process. Essentially, thousands of people apply to be police officers, but not all make it to the final round – which is actually wearing the uniform. People choose to be police officers in order to help people, fight crime, for job security, and several other reasons, according to Lesson 2. Now, when someone decides to become a police officer, they have to go through the hurdle process. This allows the police force to scan candidates and find the strongest and most fit for the job at hand. Lesson 2 explains that it includes several tests, such as a general knowledge test, physical agility test, oral interviews, psychological assessments, a background investigation, a polygraph, and a full medical exam. Not everyone can pass each of those tests. However, if someone does pass all of those tests, they may think that they immediately have the job. This is not the case, and leads to some of the problems and challenges with the recruitment of police officers.

One of the biggest problems in today’s society is obesity. This is not only a problem in the United States, but stretches into the job market when looking for new police recruits as well. This, along with, “major debt, drug use, and criminal records,” says Kenneth J. Peak, the author of Policing America: Challenges and Best Practices. This becomes a huge issue as thousands of applicants may apply, only few end up passing all of the requirements, leaving whichever agency in need of more recruits. Another issue has to do with the recruits’ privacy, as during the background check they are asked for all of their passwords to social media sites. Some people refuse this part of the process and, in turn, background investigators lose potential candidates. Along the same lines, salary has a lot to do with less of an interest from recruits. Accord to Peak, “the entry-level average salary of police officers in smaller jurisdictions averages about $26,000, and $49,500 in the largest jurisdictions.” Some feel that this is not enough to be putting their life on the line everyday, yet budget cuts and the competitive job market make it so.

Lastly, and probably one of the biggest issues surround the recruitment and policing field, is minority and gender bias. Gender bias, in regards to men being hired over women and being promoted over women, even though said woman may have higher or better qualification for that job. It also refers to the sexual harassment that is seen in the workplace. Peak says, “…sexual harassment concerns prevent many women from applying and cause many female officers to leave - and quickly: about 60% of female officers who leave their agency do so during their second to fifth years on the job.” At the same time, minorities are being treated the same way. Some, with lower pay, lower rate of being hired, and harassment. In order to combat this, however, the recruitment teams have taken special steps to make sure they hire underrepresented groups and expand their hiring pools.

From the start of the hiring process to the end of a twenty-year career in the police force, someone is always going to remember his or her recruitment process. Many methods are in place to make sure the recruitment process goes as smoothly as possible. There are always going to be challenges and problems that people face, whether it has to do with fiscal budgets or hiring new employees, but the police force will always be there to protect and serve.