The events of 2020 led to changes in all areas of life, many of which we are still feeling today. In the recruitment world, one of the major impacts was an increased difficulty in the recruitment of police officers. For years, hiring police officers had already become a challenge; but it was accelerated by the COVID pandemic and George Floyd protests in the 2020.
Police departments across the country are severely understaffed and struggling to attract applicants. For instance, late last year the Philadelphia Police Department was down nearly 1,000 officers with another 600 set to retire in the next 2 years including 121 on a single day in January 2025.
At SCG, we’ve partnered with police departments to bring our expertise in recruitment advertising to address this challenge. Through interviews with officers, we gained an understanding of the different paths that led them to a career in law enforcement. For many of them, becoming a police officer was not their first choice and chose it because they were not satisfied in their current career; while others truly wanted to make a difference and help others in their community. We used this information along with feedback from the people within the communities being served to develop effective messaging that appealed to potential candidates who have not considered law enforcement as a viable career.
Creating an effective message was the first part of the challenge. Delivering it to the correct audience is just as important. To that end, our advertising included a blend of traditional (Indeed, radio, billboard, Facebook/Instagram) and non-traditional media designed to reach candidates through multiple touchpoints. We also incorporated media designed to specifically reach minority audiences that were under-represented in the police force.
Some of the more unique options we’ve utilized are:
- Securing a NASCAR sponsorship featuring a car wrap
- Advertisements and a recruitment table at local gyms.
- Geo-fencing music festivals.
- Endorsement from a retired professional athlete who is now a local media personality
- Snapchat filters at targeted events
This forward thinking to look beyond conventional media combined with our expertise in developing a message that addresses each client’s specific challenges. Specifics are key to helping our law enforcement agencies in overcoming this challenge they currently face.
