Mentoring Programs Help New Employees.

Most officers remember their first day on the job. Some may recall working with a seasoned veteran whose first words may have been "Okay kid, be seen and not heard!" Others may remember fondly a kind word or act from some caring officer at the end of their first shift.

Whatever an officer's recollection, no one will dispute that beginning a new job remains very stressful. Many in law enforcement will agree that it may take a long time for a new officer to gain the trust and respect of senior officers. Conversely, few administrators appear to concern themselves with the concept that their organization needs to gain the trust and respect of the new employee. Recognizing that the first few weeks of a recruit's career can mean success or failure for employees and agencies alike, the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department (FCPD) began a mentoring program for new employees.

Implementing a Mentoring Program

In 1995, the FCPD examined its overall recruiting, hiring, and training strategies. FCPD administrators formed a work group to explore the inclusion of a mentoring program as an integral component of its recruiting, hiring, and training process. The work group included an array of experienced employees from a variety of backgrounds. These employees focused on creating a program where veteran officers would team with new employees to introduce them to various members of the department and help them become more familiar and comfortable with the community.

One specific area in need of improvement was the time period between employees' first day at work and their reporting to the criminal justice academy. Typically, recruits waiting for an opening in the academy spend a period of time in the office. During this period, which varies from several days to several months, they perform general clerical tasks and other support assignments. However, they receive little, if any, personal attention to their needs or any sincere effort to integrate them into the department. Initiating a mentoring program prior to academy training helps reduce or eliminate many of the fears, concerns, and potential distractions new employees commonly face and helps them focus on their upcoming training.

Once a police applicant accepts a job offer, the department's personnel office notifies the mentor coordinator of the recruit's hiring date. The coordinator then contacts a volunteer mentor and provides basic personal information, the cadet's hire date, and exact arrangements of where and when to meet the cadet.

Mentors can provide help with a variety of subjects that some veteran employees may take for granted. Some examples include obtaining a building identification pass and selecting the proper attire and accessories required for the academy. Mentors also can help new employees become familiar with various police facilities, such as the shooting range, and provide them with several alternate travel routes to the academy, which may help reduce tardiness once recruits begin academy training. Mentors can help new employees unfamiliar with the area find desirable housing, acquire local maps, open new bank accounts, obtain a driver's license, and generally acquaint them with their new surroundings. Removing these obstacles before recruits spend 6 months at the academy helps eliminate distractions and can allow them to focus on their studies while there.

Benefitting from a Mentor Program

In a mentoring program, a veteran officer shares knowledge, skills, and expertise with a recruit. This mutual relationship benefits the participants and the organization, as well. The mentor can fill a void in an officer's first days on a new job, sometimes in an unfamiliar city, and also help give the employee a positive perception of the agency.

A mentoring program not only integrates recruits into the department and institution, but it also can foster self-esteem, affirm potential, provide access to information and resources, and enhance empowerment. Although the primary intent of mentoring is the benefits to the recruit, substantial benefits can accrue to the mentor and the department. For example, the mentor may develop counseling and guidance skills, gain greater insight into the recruit's work, and gamer the sense of satisfaction that comes from helping another person. Effective mentoring can provide the opportunity for veteran officers to pass on their practical expertise and professional knowledge to employees who are committed to improvement, responsibility, and success.

Although the FCPD designed its mentoring program for the period prior to the academy, some immeasurable personal benefits, such as continuing friendship, can endure an entire career. Agencies that implement a mentor program can benefit from many positive changes, as well, primarily a potentially lower dropout rate at the academy.

Choosing and Training Mentors

Employees who act as mentors represent the single most important part of a successful program. Because mentors can serve various roles - teachers, guides, counselors, sponsors, and role models - for recruits, agencies must select them carefully. Generally, administrators should choose veteran officers who endorse the program, receive recognition from their peers as positive role models, and, most important, volunteer for the job. FCPD mentors must have 2 years in the department to ensure adequate experience and maturity. Usually, mentors do not receive any compensation for the time they spend with new employees, aside from a few hours of overtime for mentors who work the evening or midnight shifts and need to meet with their proteges during the day.

The FCPD believes that the basic tenet of a mentoring program is to keep it simple and cost-effective. The FCPD found few administrative costs associated with the program and consider overtime costs negligible. In the FCPD, new mentors receive a few hours of training for their volunteer job. This short lesson plan includes how to help the recruit get acclimated to their new environment.(1) The FCPD has approximately 60 volunteer mentors, who, in addition to their regularly assigned duties, coach about 80 recruits each year.

Conclusion

Typically, individuals apply to several agencies at the same time, usually accepting the first job offered to them. Law enforcement agencies that recognize the value of new employees attract potential candidates. By paying attention to the recruit's initial needs, agencies can benefit twofold by increasing the retention of the employees and ultimately saving the department immeasurable recruiting and training costs.

Law enforcement agencies must offer a nurturing environment for their newly hired police officers prior to the academy. Providing a welcoming and supportive environment and assimilating the recruits into the agency may make the difference between their persevering through the rigorous training period, moving to another more accommodating department, or giving up on their law enforcement career altogether.

Responsibilities and Qualities of Mentors

* Welcome recruits and take a personal interest in their development

* Share their knowledge, skills, and experience with their recruits

* Recognize and encourage excellence in others

* Listen well, remain sensitive to the needs of others, and recognize when they require support, assistance, or independence

Endnote 

Agencies can use qualified in-house personnel, commercial vendors, or both to train mentors.

Lieutenant Edmundson serves with the Fairfax County Police Department in Fairfax, Virginia.