Police departments update recruitment methods in era of turmoil

Police departments update recruitment methods in era of turmoil

[...] most of all, cognizant of the recent turmoil over officer-involved deaths in Missouri, Baltimore and elsewhere, America’s police chiefs are looking for compassionate men and women who are in the field to do good.

Take Victor Ransom, whose first assignment as an officer in Jersey City, N.J., is bringing him to familiar territory: his own neighborhood.

Hampered by low pay and threats to generous pension plans, some of the country’s largest police forces saw significant drops in applicants long before chants of “hands up, don’t shoot,” “I can’t breathe” and “black lives matter” entered the zeitgeist.

The obstacles police departments face post-Ferguson make some potential officers think, “‘Is that an occupation that I want to do?’” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

Some departments, like in Denison, Texas, show recruits flashy videos that stress the exciting side of police work.

Police agencies that used to swing open their doors to a flood of applicants are turning to social media and slick online presentations like the Justice Department-backed Discoverpolicing.org to generate interest in a generation more apt to find excitement in technology-driven jobs than police work.