California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2019_Spring Magazine- FINAL | Page 16

OUT OF BOX RECRUITMENT EFFORTS OF
THE CARLSBAD POLICE DEPARTMENT
By Lt. Jeff Smith and Capt. P. Pascual
The recruitment of qualified applicants in law enforcement has been
identified as a constant struggle within the industry. For many of us sitting
around the recruitment table, the view on how employment is conducted
within our individual agencies requires a new perspective. A paradigm
shift from the traditional pool of candidates, to a fresh business model
approach from the private sector by analyzing how we are applying the
same business acumen in our recruiting practices. As important is the ability to
leverage achievements between developing successful long-term employees with the needs
of millennials to satisfy their necessity for technology, personal, financial and professional
success. I have listed some of the ideas, philosophies and new approaches to recruitment
the Carlsbad Police Department has incorporated in their efforts over the last five years.
• HIRE FOR CHARACTER, TRAIN FOR SKILL.
A concept originally identified during my attendance
at a Southwest Airlines one day Culture Connections
conference, but reflective of a new way of looking
at applicants interested in a law enforcement career.
As we all frequently know, the hiring process for
law enforcement is appropriately filled with many
areas where we may identify unsuitable applicants
for employment. Despite this, our current hiring
standards are riddled with absolutes when flexibility
should be utilized. Can we adapt to the applicant’s
life experience as a direct reflection of their character,
or conversely an honest experience based on poor
judgement by a young adult? Second are our FTO
programs designed to washout these same recruits, or
train them for success. The recruitment and the field
training phase for a new employee should have a clear
shared goal of identifying, training and developing
successful long-term police employees, and not one of
opposing interests.
• A FUTURE TACTICAL ATHLETE. Education is a
good indicator for success in today’s law enforcement
profession. At the root of a college athlete, they enjoy
a team environment. They understand the necessity
to work hard, to develop fundamentals, and are
required to problem solve frequently in a dynamic
environment. More importantly they often understand
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the need to serve something greater than themselves in
a team atmosphere. Their experiences and educational
challenges faced by college athletes directly reflect the
character and qualities law enforcement are looking for
as it applies to the service to our community.
• DEPARTMENT MINDSET. The best recruitment
tool we have today is our individual employees. They
are the ones who must do the work every day. They
are the ones who are best suited to engage these
future applicants, and future employees about the
real working world of law enforcement within our
individual departments. They can speak candidly
about our law enforcement culture, how technology is
used, the work environment from shifts to supervision,
and the true level of service and impact we have in the
communities we serve.
• OUT OF STATE LATERAL POLICE OFFICERS.
The Carlsbad Police Department has hired a small
pool of out of state lateral police officers and lateral
dispatchers during the last 5 years. The value in
these potential applicants has been their tenured law
enforcement experience, and their “plug and play”
operability they possess within our organization.
The challenge has been identifying applicants who
share our Department’s philosophy of service, their
ability to adapt to a new law enforcement culture,