Recruitment strategies: a case study in police recruitment. (Police Practice).

For years, an official advertisement in a local newspaper constituted the only police recruitment efforts of the Fulton, New York, Police Department. The simple announcement usually provided a sufficient number of applicants for screening and hiring purposes. However, the department recently encountered a problem--even though applicants passed the written civil service test, many of them failed the physical agility test.

Background

Fulton, New York, a small city in the central part of the state, employs 35 sworn officers to serve the community. The Fulton Police Department maintains an active police candidate list for at least 2 years and, often, up to 4 years. But, because of an insufficient number of candidates several years ago, the agency offered the civil service test, the first phase of the testing process, for police officers for the second time in 2 years. In 1996, 144 applicants took the written examination for the police officer position, and, of those, 100 individuals passed. When the department offered the police test again in 1999, 47 applicants took the test and 36 (76 percent) passed.

The next stage in the testing process consists of the physical agility test. The department tests candidates for flexibility, the amount of push-ups and situps performed in a certain time frame, and the completion of a 1.5-mile run. In 1999, more than 58 percent of the applicants could not pass the agility test, which left a short list of candidates. After the remaining group completed background investigations and psychological and polygraph testing, seven more applicants were excluded from the list leaving only 12 percent of those who had taken the written test eligible for appointment. The shortage of eligible candidates seriously concerned the department. In particular, candidates did not seem prepared for the agility test. The written examination had not changed significantly in recent years, but neither had the agility standards. To rectify the problem of a seriously short candidate list, the Fulton Police Department aunounced another written test in 2000 to garner more candidates.

Recruitment

For the written test in 2000, the department embarked on a serious recruitment campaign. The department sent posters to area colleges and press releases to local newspapers and radio and television stations. The department highlighted the recruitment drive, as well as the physical standards, on a special page on its Web site. The department's officers and their families, as well as the department staff, assisted with the production of a television commercial that aired in the region and drew the most attention. It showcased Fulton and its police department by starting with a community theme, then leading to a police officer talking with a citizen, investigating an accident, and examining crime scene evidence. At the end of the commercial, viewers saw a telephone number and heard a voice that asked them, "Are you up to the challenge?" For 2 months, the agency continued a barrage of media releases and aired the television commercial. This proved an unusual recruitment approach in the area, and it drew the atten tion of all three local network affiliates, which increased publicity even more. During this time, the department made applications available not only through the civil service office during business hours but also from the police department. All of these efforts proved so successful that the department had to use a high school gymnasium as a testing center.

To help candidates meet the required physical fitness standards, each applicant received a summary of the requirements. Even though the standards constitute a part of the basic application package, the department added emphasis by attaching a simplified chart, which showed applicants what the department would require if they passed the written examination. Candidates received the fitness standards once again prior to agility testing, several weeks before the test. By providing this information to the candidates well in advance, the department hoped that the elimination rate would decrease significantly.

Results

The results of candidate testing showed that the department's efforts paid off. A record 160 candidates took the written examination and 111(69 percent) passed. A segment of those applicants with a passing score underwent the physical agility testing. Of that group, 71 percent passed, a 29 percent increase from the previous year. Even though a 7 percent greater failure rate existed with the written examination compared to the previous year's exam, the significant increase of those who successfully completed the agility test gave the department a much larger candidate pool. It also validated the recruitment campaign and, particularly, the emphasis on the physical agility component.

During the written examination in 2000, the department surveyed candidates to elicit responses concerning recruitment efforts. It designed the survey to measure best practices for recruitment, availability of application packages, number of police tests taken, and applicants' knowledge of physical agility standards. A summary of the survey results indicated that newspaper advertising proved the most prominent medium from which candidates learned about the police test, followed closely by the television advertising. Candidates suggested that newspaper and television were the best mediums to notify them of future tests. The availability of police test packages was important--45 percent of candidates obtained them from the police station and 33 percent from the personnel office.

The most critical survey question evaluated whether the department delivered the message on agility standards. Surveys asked if candidates knew about the physical agility requirements. An overwhelming 94 percent said that they knew, and 5 percent answered that they "somewhat" knew about them. Only 1 percent answered "no." The best analysis occurred when top-scoring candidates underwent physical agility testing. At that time, the pass rate for the agility test reached 71 percent, a 13 percent increase from the previous year.

In New York, the entrance exam is standardized and given on the same day statewide. This allows applicants to sit for one test and have their scores filed with other jurisdictions in the state. In 2000, 82 percent of the applicants sitting for the Fulton exam tested only for the Fulton Police Department.

Conclusion

The officer candidate selection process--from the written test to the agility test, to background investigations, psychological evaluations, and polygraph examinations--is intensive and expensive. After many applicants failed the physical agility test in 1999, the Fulton Police Department implemented an aggressive recruitment campaign to attract larger numbers of candidates. The department used a variety of resources to recruit local residents and to advise them of required physical fitness levels. As a result, a record number of candidates took the written examination, and the number of applicants who passed the physical agility test increased dramatically from the previous year.

A recurrent emphasis on fitness throughout the testing process is a message to candidates of the importance of the standards. While some law enforcement administrators might view a high failure rate for physical testing as a problem beyond their control, an intense recruitment program highlighting the minimum requirements is one method to increase results and yield more candidates.

Recruitment Strategy

                             1999             2000
                          No Strategy  Aggressive Strategy

Candidates taking             47               160
written test
Candidates passing            36               111
written test
Top-scoring candidates        42%              71%
passing all screenings *

* includes written exam, physical agility test, and background
investigation

Chief Spawn heads the Fulton, New York, Police Department.