It's getting better: police hiring rebounded in 2023, while resignations and retirements eased.
But acute shortages in police staffing remain. Some police departments are filling positions more quickly through what’s known as “civilianization” – hiring civilians to assume some of the roles that have historically been performed by sworn law-enforcement officers.
Look around, police leaders are advised. “Leaders are likely to discovery that many of the positions that do not require a badge and a gun are currently held by sworn police officers. These are the positions that are ripe for civilianization.”
That is according to a new report from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) called Embracing Civilianization: Integrating Professional Staff to Advance Modern Policing, which includes interviews with administrators from 20 agencies and offers tips for successfully identifying the positions that could be filled by civilians and what to look for in potential candidates and trainees.
The report outlines places where civilians have been hired for jobs formerly performed by officers. Salt Lake City, for instance, hired civilians known as “Community Response Specialists” to handle non-emergency calls and to gather crime-scene evidence. The New Orleans Police Department contracted with a third-party civilian vendor to respond to minor traffic accidents, which is estimated to free up the equivalent of 13 sworn officers over the course of a year. With the help of three civilian staffers, the Phoenix Police Department finally met a state requirement of notifying communities within 45 days of a sex offender’s registration there.
The Baltimore Police Department had trouble getting officers to work in Internal Affairs, so it created civilian Investigative Specialists, who bring a “strong level of objectivity to the job,” officials say. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and other departments have found their 911 center hires may have no police experience but they have a better understanding of emergency communications.
There are challenges, the report notes, including resistance from police unions and law-enforcement culture that “has often viewed professional staff as second-class employees.” Administrators are also concerned that if budgets are tight, government officials will often prioritize cuts to civilian staff, even those decisions could take officers off the street to backfill positions.
The report advises that non-sworn employees should be described as “professional staff,” not civilians and ensure that they are treated equitably for training opportunities, awards and recognition.
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