Recruiting, Selecting, and Retaining a 21st Century Workforce That Builds Community Trust and Legitimacy

This conference workshop presentation provides police executives with a blueprint that will assist them with recruiting, selecting, and retaining a law enforcement workforce that is reflective of the community. Law enforcement executives are searching for strategies to hire workforces that are reflective of the communities they serve. The presentation also discusses research currently being conducted at Oxford University in the area of targeted recruitment of officers of color and a character-based police officer selection method that was developed with input from community members. In addition, research is presented on the role unconscious bias plays in officer of color retention rates.