Law enforcement outreach programs targeting young people get surprisingly little attention in the debate over how to solve police agencies' recruitment struggles, but they can play an important part in addressing staffing as well as community relations challenges, a new research report recommends.
The report by RAND, with the Law and Public Safety Education Network and funded by the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, is based on a nationwide census of youth law enforcement "experience programs" such as internships, Explorer and cadet programs, youth camps and academies, and in-school career programs focused on law enforcement. The report is a "a starting point for law enforcement, public safety officials, educators, and program staff" launching a new program or improving an existing one, with advice from interviews with a cross-section of programs. It also includes a searchable database of existing programs of all types.
According to the report, law enforcement recruitment and retention took multiple hits over the past decade, from the "legitimacy crisis" sparked by the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., through the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other high-profile police shootings; the controversial responses to protests for social justice and police reform, both peaceful and violent, in 2020; the pandemic's effect on police officers' health and duties; and economic forces that have made recruiting and retention difficult for law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
"Despite this pressing need, however, LEAs today continue to be hindered by such factors as a lack of strategic planning for recruitment, poor understanding of the labor market, and outdated advertising and marketing methods," the report states. "Thus, the current recruitment crisis requires a multipronged strategy. Youth experience programs offer concrete opportunities for learning about and experiencing law enforcement as a profession and have the potential to help strengthen community relations" and diversity hiring goals.
Along with detailed descriptions of the various types of programs, the guide outlines factors to consider when funding, promoting and running such programs.
The census found in-school programs to be the most numerous — about 60% of the total — while Explorer and cadet programs were the most common non-school programs, with about 30% of the total. In all, the census counted 3,689 programs nationwide.
In-depth profiles were developed of a handful of programs, including the Los Angeles Police Department's "pipeline" programs, the Tulsa, Ok., criminal justice investigations school at the Tulsa Technology Center, and the Youth Police Academy in Westchester County, N.Y., along with other types of programs in Charles County, Md., Dodge County, Wi., Danbury, Ct., Leon County, Fl., and a law enforcement academy in Las Vegas.
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