Local and Federal Police Hiring

In America, today, the rate of the population has dramatically increased together with the levels of crime. Additionally, the methods that are being used by different criminals have totally changed from the ones that were used in the olden days. On the other hand, some police officers are either turning to become criminals, or they are collaborating with criminals. However, their federal counterparts have proved to be different because they are doing everything in their power to bring the crime rate down. The question, therefore, is should the police departments change their hiring policies to mirror their federal counterparts.

Findings

Different local police departments in America differ in the policies in which they use in order to hire new police officers. However, there are certain policies that are similar to all local police departments in America. Originally, the policies used by the departments were adopted from the colonial era from the English colonial police officers. They have been implemented by the American government Department of Justice. A question then arises, do they actually need to be changed or implemented to be similar with those of the FBI.

The hiring process of the police has several procedures that a candidate must follow. The first is the candidate is expected to take a written exam. Second, a physical test is required and then the candidate is interviewed by the chief of police. A background check must also be carried out on the candidate to make sure that they are free from any debt or convictions in their past years. The candidate is then sent tot the academy to be trained. A medical check up is also taken by the candidate.

On the other hand, for one to become a federal police officer they must be physically fit. The FBI stresses this one policy. They mainly concentrate on the physical fitness of the candidate. The reason for this is to ensure that the candidate will be able to handle the tasks of the job effectively, for instance, the task of handling a gun or dealing with dangerous criminals. This policy automatically rules out the disabled who cannot be hired as federal agents. The physical test policy is so important to the bureau, that it is divided into several sections, which are the visual, hearing and the medical review. The differences in policies between the police and their federal counterparts begin from the procedures that the two groups use, and the leniency applied by each group.

The police department is also having trouble in finding new recruits. This has resulted due to several factors; the first of these factors is the change in the demographics of the United States. The population of the United States presently consists of mainly of aged people. This is contrast to what the police agencies are looking for in recruits. Their age bracket mainly consists of the youth aged between eighteen and thirty five years old. Additionally, the youth are also preferring other better paying and exiting jobs rather than joining the police force (Wilson & Grammich, 2009). There is also the presence of other law enforcement organizations that are the youth are opting for like the federal bureau of investigation.

Another problem facing the police recruitment or hiring process is their new requirements for candidates. The police force is now recruiting candidate with certain educational achievement above the high school level (Wilson & Grammich, 2009). This is one reason that has seen police recruitment decline in the world today. Initially, the police were only required to have some experience for instance, they had initially served in the military. Today, the situation has changed along with the population needs. Today's population has and uses new strategies and technology to commit crimes, so it is, therefore, important for a recruit in the police force to have some knowledge and certain skills to serve the community. The demands of the agencies are making people shy away from applying into the police force.

The police force is widely faced with a diversity of duties and the need to recruit continuously to meet the needs of the community. This is one of the problems that police recruiting agents are faced with; they occasionally have to recruit candidates for certain jobs (Wilson & Grammich, 2009). This poses problems for the agencies as they struggle to recruit the candidates needed for the diversifying tasks.

Additionally, recruitment agencies take an extended period to employ the candidate. The procedures that have to be followed by a candidate are long and tiresome before one can finally begin to work. This length of time discourages candidates to apply for positions in the law enforcement. The police force should aim at reducing the amount of time taken to recruit candidates to discourage dropouts or lack of recruits. In addition, the recruitment agencies are known to work under a budget or with the resources that are available. This may reduce their chances of recruiting an extra number of candidates.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the police hiring policies should be revised and changed to cater for the changes along with the setbacks that the current policies are facing or rather mirror those of their federal counterparts. First, the police force should be more lenient on the high educational requirement policy that has been introduced as it eliminates a number of recruits. Second, they should ensure that the recruiting agencies are run smoothly and have adequate resources. Third, the agencies should improve their recruitment procedure, to make it fast, transparent and attractive to potential candidates. The agencies are recommended to use modern advertising methods to attract recruits.