Recruitment and retention of police officers is challenging even for the most well-resourced agencies, leading police departments nationwide to "think outside the box" in their recruitment and retention efforts. This session reports on one such effort to recruit police officers, through motivational language in job ads. In partnership with the UNC School of Government, the City of Mebane Police Department recruited officers on Indeed using one of two job ads: one that highlighted the prosocial aspects of policing (e.g., serving the community) and the other highlighting organizational values and the nobility of policing (organizational identification). The results thus far suggest that the prosocial ad attracts more candidates, while the organizational identification ad attracts more experienced candidates and more women. The session will also cover the effectiveness and costs of using Indeed and broader lessons for police chiefs interested in jump-starting their recruitment efforts.

This webinar will be held from 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 via Zoom.