Minority Recruitment: A Working Model

• NCJ Number: 205042
• Journal: Police Chief Volume: 71 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2004 Pages: 51,54,57
• Author(s): Walter A. Tangel; Andrew Morabito
• Editor(s): Charles E. Higginbotham
• Date Published: March 2004
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the three phases in the development and implementation of the Police Recruitment and Placement-Community Collaboration Model created to promote minority recruitment and first implemented in the Hartford, Connecticut Police Department.

Abstract

Due to problems in recruiting and selecting applicants for many police agencies, enhanced in the wake of September 11, 2001, many efforts are being made to find solutions. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has made such an effort with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Policing Services (COPS). The IACP in partnership with the Hartford, Connecticut, Police Department (HPD) developed a replicable model to promote local solutions to minority recruitment and selection shortfalls. The Police Recruitment and Placement-Community Collaboration Model’s principal objective is to position police executives and their local governments to diversify their police agencies and focuses on mobilizing the community in order to increase the number of minorities who apply and are selected for police positions. This article describes the three core phases of the model: building block activities; stakeholder action planning; and strategy implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The building block activities phase includes: (1) diagnose the recruitment population; (2) diagnose the human resources system; and (3) inventory of best practices. The stakeholder action planning phase includes: (1) mobilize community and government stakeholders; (2) conduct orientation engagement sessions; (3) conduct building block and information engagement sessions; and (4) conduct action and implementation engagement sessions. The final phase, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation includes: (1) implement action initiatives; (2) monitoring implementation activities; and (3) evaluation. This model can help chief executives diversify their agencies and build stronger ties between their agencies and the communities they serve.