Since the dawn of the new decade, the policing profession has faced a dual crisis: recruitment and retention. A reflection of societal shifts and institutional challenges, the traditional allure of the profession has started to fade.

As of the summer of 2024, on average, U.S. agencies are operating at 91 percent of their authorized staffing levels.¹

Only by confronting and addressing the underlying issues of the crisis can the profession begin to rebuild a resilient workforce. Adopting innovative tools that make the hiring process more effective and bring unique benefits to the agency could be the turning point.

Finding the Right Staff

In a survey of member agencies, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) found that “more than 70 percent of respondents reported that recruitment is more difficult now than it was five years ago.”² According to data from NEOGOV, between 2019 and 2023, there was a 40 percent increase in the number of job openings for police officers. At the same time, the number of applications per job decreased by 39 percent.³

NEOGOV’s Attract, as its name suggests, helps police agencies to attract the right candidates to hard-to-fill positions faster. The candidate relationship manager brings qualified applicants by integrating with GovernmentJobs.com to open up agency positions to more than 2.4 million job seekers, saving agencies time on sourcing these qualified candidates. Agency staff can then connect with candidates throughout the hiring process with custom online forms and email campaigns. Attract gives every agency the opportunity to market themselves more effectively by providing tools that help convert prospective candidates into applicants.

PowerDMS, the public safety platform by NEOGOV, also recently launched Vetted—a solution that digitally manages, tracks, and optimizes the background investigation and hiring process. A single, secure platform enables applicants and investigators to share protected information while maintaining the integrity and compliance of each background investigation. A candidate can quickly upload documents and submit them for review, giving agencies the ability to view inconsistencies and identify potential issues early. The system is also configurable to an agency’s needs.

While these tools help to obtain the right individuals for the agency, it is another feat altogether to maintain the talent.

Sustaining the Right Environment

To address the changing demands of the profession, agencies have made several adjustments to make a more sustainable workplace for their staff. About 75 percent of respondents to an IACP survey reported changes made within their agency during the last five years to enhance recruitment and retention. Respondents also indicated that resignations are most likely to occur within the first five years of hire.⁴ This shows that agencies must provide unique, effective benefits to retain talented employees, or at the very least, express a willingness to adapt to the changing times.

Versaterm offers a wellness platform that ensures agencies can address unique stressors and foster a healthier, more sustainable workplace. The concept of Versaterm Mindbase draws inspiration from the Checkpoints Model, which was developed by Chief Reuben Ramirez during his time with the Dallas, Texas, Police Department. The model emphasizes proactive measures such as education, counseling, structured wellness touchpoints, and peer support networks. Mindbase integrates each of these principles with advanced technology, enabling agencies to scale and customize their wellness initiatives.

The confidential and secure platform seamlessly integrates into the public safety agency workflow. It features early identification systems, peer support networks, wellness resources, and personalized learning modules tailored for career development.

Agencies that have adopted Mindbase reported a cultural shift toward prioritizing well-being and building a culture where personnel feel valued, resilient, and equipped to handle the demands of the profession. “A Versaterm Public Trends Survey revealed that 81 percent of law enforcement personnel favor expanding wellness resources, reflecting this cultural evolution,” said Chief Product Officer Rohan Galloway-Dawkins.⁵

Another shift within the profession is the idea of being proactive rather than reactive, and Vector Solutions’ Guardian Tracking is a prime example of bringing that aspect to personnel management. At the time of the solution’s conception, early warning systems were focused on catching adverse conduct after the fact, which did not help to prevent the action from occurring in the first place. “We wanted to provide a tool that would allow agencies to provide consistent, transparent feedback and identify potential issues before an incident takes place,” said Skylar Pickard, director of Demand Generation for Law Enforcement and Federal at Vector Solutions.⁶

As an early intervention solution, Guardian Tracking allows agencies to track identified behaviors, document noteworthy conduct, provide consistent feedback, recognize high performers, and maintain personnel files securely. Interventions are driven by customizable thresholds that identify supervisors of positive and negative conduct. Once notified, any appropriate action can be taken to intervene and address the adverse behaviors or provide positive recognition.

Having a system that manages off-duty detail assignments could also be an attractive benefit to potential applicants and current employees because it would streamline the process and allow for supplemental income—an important factor in the retention of employees. Off-duty detail assignments are traditionally managed through manual processes, which are time-consuming, prone to errors, and lack transparency. “These inefficiencies can impact officer morale, administrative workloads, and even relationships with community partners,” said Bill Kicklighter, chief executive officer at Kommander Software.⁷

Detail Kommander is an advanced software solution that is tailored to modernize off-duty detail management. The cloud-based software platform offers a range of capabilities, including an automated assignment distribution, officer self-service portal, integrated scheduling tools, and comprehensive reporting. “By leveraging technology like Detail Kommander, the policing profession has demonstrated its ability to modernize operations and embrace innovative solutions that support both officers and the public,” said Kicklighter.

One of the most significant advancements that Detail Kommander has brought to personnel management has been the adoption of electronic payments through the solution’s integrated financial platform, KommanderPay. While most agencies relied on manual payment processes for off-duty assignments, KommanderPay revolutionized the process by enabling businesses to pay officers electronically for services rendered.

Prioritizing these unique benefits within a job posting may help an agency be more enticing and competitive to qualified applicants.

Conclusion

Human resources and personnel management are the foundation of any effective law enforcement agency. “In today’s environment, where resources are often stretched thin, having reliable personnel management tools is essential,” said Kicklighter. “These tools not only improve internal efficiency but also enhance the agency’s ability to effectively meet the needs of the community.”

With the help of personnel management tools, the future of recruitment and retention in policing does not look so bleak. The profession, however, must adapt to innovative tools and experiment with new workplace benefits to attract the employees needed and maintain the talent wanted.d

Notes:

¹The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), The State of Recruitment & Retention: A Continuing Crisis for Policing, 2024 Survey Results (2024).

²IACP, The State of Recruitment & Retention, 1.

³NEOGOV, The Fragile Future of Recruitment: 2024 Public Sector Hiring Report (2024).

⁴IACP, The State of Recruitment & Retention.

⁵Rohan Galloway-Dawkins (chief product officer, Versaterm), email interview, January 3, 2025).

⁶Skylar Pickard (director—Demand Generation for Law Enforcement and Federal, Vector Solutions), email interview, January 2, 2025.

⁷Bill Kicklighter (chief executive officer, Kommander Software), email interview, December 26, 2024.

Please cite as

“Attracting and Maintaining a Resilient Workforce,” Product Feature, Police Chief 92, no. 2 (February 2025): 50–53.