Selecting Police Candidates ‘IN’, Instead of ‘OUT’
Where We Were…
Well, over 20 years ago, I reported to a large auditorium to take a written test for the position of a police recruit. The auditorium was filled with hundreds (and I mean hundreds, nearing 1000) of other applicants taking the same test. Months later when I was selected, I was part of a class of 10 recruits (yes 10, all the digits are there).
How do you whittle 1000 down to 10? No agency could ever afford to evaluate and investigate that many applicants individually.
You eliminate large numbers of candidates in steps. The application process usually uses a large selection of the pool; minimum standards are not met or the applications are not complete (so that 1000, was actually larger!). The written test brutally takes on who is left. The day I took the test, long sheets of green and white computer printer paper were hung in the hallway of the auditorium, with the names of those that passed and would be moving on to the next steps. You knew that night if you were in or out, at least to that point.
The list shaving moves on; physicals, PT tests, psychs, oral boards, background investigations…. until the list is small enough to start selecting recruits.
The process moved perfectly as designed: enough applicants were screened out to create a pool of people that could be checked thoroughly and start a recruit class.
Things change.
- What if some of those applicants that were eliminated were actually capable, maybe even a perfect fit, if not for a technicality?
- What happens when you go from over 1000 applicants to 100 and you are hiring 50?
- Did the process arbitrarily remove females and minorities that you desperately need?
- What happens when there are seismic shifts in the demands the community has for the policing industry that change the makeup of the department ?
Where We Are
Things have definitely changed; few of us from 2 or 3 decades ago would have ever guessed that things would have ever changed.
In many cases, the packed auditoriums have evolved into walk-in ‘please come and try this test’ environments; a small classroom might be too big now. Given the competitive employment field for young educated men and women where they can find physically and mentally safer careers for greater pay, recruiting is more difficult than ever.
The current anti-authority rhetoric in the media and social media is a very powerful challenge to recruiting. While it is true that most of us, and thankfully many young people, would and will come to this career, how many have heard those retiring say they were leaving at the right time; the best of days of their career are long behind them? The challenge is real; no putting any lipstick on this pig (no pun intended).
Toss in the complexity brought to the table due to fact our pool is mostly the millennial generation and the hurdle is higher.
The days of filtering applicants ‘out’ are done; the days of filtering ‘in’ are here.
A quick clarification: this has nothing to do with lowering standards (many think it is). It is actually a way of making sure they are maintained, or actually raising the bar.
When departments use the screening out process, they are often left with substandard candidates. Screening out does not distinguish between mediocre and outstanding candidates.
Selecting ‘in’ is not new in the policing industry, but it certainly is becoming more relevant as time passes. The conventional KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities) are in question to some degree; the emphasis now shifting to more advanced critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills.
What most police veterans saw as ‘new’ when it came to Community Oriented Policing and the training of entire agencies, is now nearly a requirement when looking at candidates, at least a high aptitude for hitting the ground running with it as an understood requirement.
Who we hire must be a reflection of what the future of the police industry looks like, not the shadow of the past.
The November 2015 Police Chief Magazine published a terrific article by Suzanne Steel-Claridge, MCJ, an Operations Review Specialist with the Florida Highway Patrol in Tallahassee Florida titled:
Read On: SELECTING IN Recruits: Identifying Traits and Characteristics Indicative of Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy Success
Well worth the read; Steel-Claridge offers up a researched approach to concept.
Does your department screen ‘IN’ or ‘OUT’?
© 2015 DAVID A. LYONS
You raise some excellent points, Dave, and they become even more significant as the number of applicants decreases. I recently administered a hiring test for a community which had 90 or so candidates in each of the last two cycles. This year, there were 34. In today’s environment, it’s more critical than ever to get the right people into the profession.
Michael Stevenson
Let’s hope when we identify what the requirements are going to be for a LEO of the future, we’re “identifying” right. There are some things about handling people and dealing with criminals that just never change.
Mike Pearlman
This is a topic very worthy of conversation as the fight for talent becomes critical. If you hire a reasonably smart person, the day to day functions of the job can be taught, ie, investigative method, report writing, driving skills, combat skills, law, etc. What I have found cannot be taught, and what makes outstanding cops vs ok cops, are the soft people skills. The ability to listen and understand people. The ability to have a conversation and put people at ease. The ability to get people to tell you what they know, that you may need to know. These are things that can’t be taught. They can be perfected, but someone has to have the innate ability to relate to others first. This is what we should be looking for.
Michael Stevenson
Mike P., you’ve hit the nail on the head. A good FTO is going to impart this stuff to their young skull full of mush probie right away, starting with their first day/night on patrol. Basic intelligence is a must, and the degree is nice – but doesn’t substitute for practical experience. Since this would be a new person, the FTO is absolutely critical to this process. You’ve got a few months to impart what it’s taken you an entire career to learn. It’s not a pain in the duff to be one of these people – it’s a privilege. I was a Field Training Agent for two young people right out of the center and consider those two years to be the high point of my career. As stated you can teach take-downs, marksmanship skills, and report-writing – but learning how to really listen to what people are saying, to keep you own mouth shut and hear what they’re saying; learning how to conduct a good FI, and get the info you need quick & dirty – and make decisions quickly on the info you glean.
Michael Stevenson
Those are the “soft skills” new people mostly lack but can be taught if they are receptive and the FTO is a good teacher, and not someone this job is just fobbed off to because everyone else is too busy.
David Boggs
I think this paradigm shift is the way of the future for many employers because we are all competing for the most highly qualified and diverse applicants….
Joshua Ball, MPA
Law enforcement, AVSEC, Aviation, Firefighting
Very interesting take David Lyons, MBA. I’m not sure where I fall in this from a personal and professional opinion. I agree with changing to selecting in, but I think lowering of standards is never acceptable.
Garry Dobson APM
Director of Policing Programs Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism
I think this is a bit of a “chicken and egg” discussion. When you have more people applying for positions than is available you have to apply a filtering process. That process should reflect the standards, requirements and suitability for the position under evaluation. At some point a cull of equally or nearly equally qualified people has to take place. By any objective measure that is about reducing the pool to the most manageable level. Why have 200 people in the final assessment group if you only need 10? it is neither cost effective nor humane to create some sort of expectation on the part of the individual when they were never really a chance. Of course all of this is somewhat moot if policing ever decides to become a genuine profession, one that is controlled by the industry itself rather than some little faceless person in a treasury somewhere….
It is a “recruiting” effort now, attracting, pre-screening and selecting a targeted demographic in a highly competitive market place. How do agencies in law enforcement and corrections attract qualified and competent recruits in a field that often pays less than other fields?