The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/policing/training-recruitment/)
Research suggests that college-educated officers use force less often and face fewer public complaints. Most states set minimum ages from 18 to 21 for police eligibility, and four – Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, and North Dakota – require a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent based on education and experience.
A trove of documents reveals what one expert calls “snake oil” claims about methods of interviewing and interrogation that rest on unsteady scientific ground and have been linked to false confessions and wrongful convictions.
A recent study showed 10 times as many police officers in a simulation shot a subject after being told by 911 operators to expect a gun, an illustration of the importance 911 call takers play in the outcomes of police calls. Their role has gone largely unexamined in the criminal justice reform debate so far.
Lexipol, a California consulting company, has written policy manuals for 3,500 public safety agencies in 35 states. Now it’s rushing to capitalize on a mandate by New York’s governor that all police agencies in the state rethink their policies.
Cops who are fired for misconduct are likely to repeat the same offense if they get a second law enforcement job, according to a Yale study. The risks to communities posed by these so-called “wandering officers” could be addressed with a reinforced national database of decertified officers, accompanied by stricter state record-keeping, say the study authors.
During New Orleans’ high-crime years, its level of police staffing was the subject of perennial angst. Now, with homicides and other violence plummeting, it barely rates a mention in budget talks.
Police Executive Research Forum’s new survey says police departments are facing a workplace hiring and retention crisis with a “triple threat” of a decrease in applications, early exits and higher rates of retirement.
Videos of police officers using excessive force and controversies over fatal shootings surface regularly. In response, many police departments have updated their training on such subjects as dealing with the public, deescalation, mental health and implicit bias.
More than two years after vowing to replenish its ranks, Dallas’ police department continues to shrink through attrition. Higher pay hasn’t turned the tide, so the city is brainstorming other ways to get back in the recruiting game.
In Indiana cities like Bloomington and Columbus, police recruiters say the challenges they face in recruiting and retaining officers have prompted them to add perks, loosen entry restrictions, and boost pay in order to compete for a dwindling pool of talent.