Get Recruits…
All you want is to find people that will love and thrive in the job. How can you find those people?
It can be a full time job to recruit and retain good people.
Why I decided to serve…
“I knew from a very young age that police work would be the career that I wanted to pursue. I wanted a career where I was not behind a desk; a career where I would be on the front lines and where I would make a difference, hopefully for the better, with each person I encounter. I knew I wanted a career that would be an adventure. Having been in law enforcement for over ten years, I still feel as passionate about it as the first day I was sworn in as a police officer. At times, the job can be stressful. It can, at times, cause a strain on your health and family. It is not a career that is meant for everyone. It’s a career that is meant for those who are truly passionate about police work anad not for personal or financial gain, or because you think wearing a uniform is “cool.” I feel it is a great honor to be employed in an occupation as rewarding as local law enforcement. I enjoy the fact that each day everything will be different, and no two days will be alike.”
Officer Foster Miles, Patrol Division, Ashland Police Department, Ashland, VA
TELL A STORY
Bullet points are never going to wine. Why the job will be great, what you have liked about the job, what will happen to them. Then be ready to tell that story. It can be a single line, a video, an image. But that is what you are selling. Not just a job but a life and all the positives you have experienced.
GET NOTICED
Spread your message every way you can. Word of mouth from the people that already are a part of what you are trying to build and the people that loves those people.
Social Media
Great article about how a photoshoot and recruitment campaign progressed. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/gearing-up-for-an-fdny-photo-shoot
Posters & Flyers
Videos
They can be used on social media, websites and more.
@policepictures If I was by @OfficialOSHP Do you have what it takes to join the ranks of the Ohio State Highway Patrol? #OSHP #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Police Pictures
ACTION
Tell them what to do to take the next step and make it as easy for them as possible.
Webpages
See some examples:
https://www.citynmb.com/1324/Police-Recruitment
https://www.libertyville.com/1095/Become-a-FirefighterParamedic
Some great links with more about recruiting:
22 Law Enforcement Recruiting Tips for 2022
5 Creative Police Recruiting Strategies
https://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/09-2019/recruitment.html
Don’t Forget
High quality equipment so you can keep them safe and supported.