Hiring and screening practices in a sample of US law enforcement agencies
Sadaf Hashimi, Natalie Cotton, Jessica Huff, Erin M. Kearns, Justin NixPurpose
Hiring and screening processes shape who enters law enforcement, yet little is known about how agencies prioritize these requirements and publicly communicate them on their websites. As a result, it remains unclear how candidate suitability is defined in practice and how standards vary across agencies. This study examines hiring requirements, screening practices, and selection procedures across a sample of US law enforcement agencies.
Design/methodology/approach
Archival data were collected from the official websites of 730 law enforcement agencies selected through stratified random sampling. Hiring information was coded across six domains: background investigations, mandatory requirements, disqualifying factors, assessment tests, character evaluations and recruitment incentives. These indicators were aggregated into a transparency index that measures how agencies communicate their recruitment and screening practices online. Transparency levels were then compared by agency type, size and geographic region.
Findings
Transparency varies considerably across agencies. Larger agencies, municipal police departments and agencies in the Western United States tend to provide more detailed and comprehensive information about hiring requirements and screening procedures on their websites. Together, these findings suggest significant variations in recruitment practices and procedures across the country.
Originality/value
This study offers one of the first large-scale examinations of how U.S. law enforcement agencies present their hiring and screening practices online. Because agency websites often serve as the first point of contact for prospective applicants, the findings provide insight into how agencies communicate hiring expectations and screening procedures and reveal substantial variation in the hiring information available across organizational contexts.