Recruiting Officers in the New Millennium

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Historically many police recruits have come either from law enforcement families or from military backgrounds, but these resource pools have begun to dry up. The military is struggling to meet its own quotas for quality personnel and many of those who do join the military learn a trade - particularly in the technology fields - and then take their education into the private sector for the "big money."

Another reason many young adults opted for law enforcement careers in the past is that they wanted to serve the communities in which they lived. Many joined to help stop the drug problem. Today's new recruit rarely makes such an idealistic statement. Most are just seeking a paycheck, …