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should develop messaging and make feedback to officers on a frequent and
strategic use of the internet to advance the regular basis. The best way to implement
department’s image and make a career with this is to provide this feedback to all
the department more attractive to potential officers including the millennials and
recruits. Increased use of the Internet by the both the younger and older generations.
younger generations has lured agencies
seeking to attract officers to adopt social One of the biggest reasons for not joining
media campaigns as part of their recruiting noted in the Rand Corporation study was
strategy. The under 35 generation are more the negative perceptions that many
likely to go to a department’s website before candidates have towards law
making a decision to apply. Departments enforcement (RAND, 2010). This
need a web presence that promotes the perception also extends to their families
positive aspects of working for the agency. and friends who can exert a lot of
The website needs to demonstrate that the influence over a candidate when they are
department publically recognizes the trying to decide if the career is right for
positive efforts of the employees. The them. By emphasizing the positive
younger generations want to see the results aspects of social engagement and how
of their labors and share that with others. the police can be a positive force for
This cannot just be left to the municipality’s good can go a long way. Empower and
marketing or IT department to ensure the encourage officers to focus on benefits
web presence is up to date and presents the instead of risks when speaking to
message the administration wants to potential candidates. We need to
project. Departments also need to explore eliminate the mindset that so many
actively recruiting from the internet as well. officers have coming out of the academy,
Reaching out to qualified applicants on job which is that everyone is out to hurt
boards and networking sites like LinkedIn, them. If an agency wants to solve their
Indeed.com and Monster.com can bring issues with recruitment and retention
more applicants who may not have they should rebrand their image via
considered the agency before. social media and revamp their
management program to make
Agencies should also clearly demonstrate themselves more appealing to the
all of the benefits of the job when hiring. As younger generations.
we have seen, there are multiple non-
financial motivators that attract millennials
to a job in law enforcement. Agencies
should promote socially beneficial aspects
of the job along with other benefits like
health insurance or educational benefits in
order to attract more millennials to the
career field. Supervisors should be trained
to embrace the need to provide positive
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