JAN. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No. 1

GUEST COMENTARYTravis

GUEST COMENTARYTravis YatesHiring Bonuses are Easy..Culture is the Hard Part.I recently saw an agency washiring 10 laterals and giving a0,000 bonus. The agency isdown almost 40 officers andtheir offer is no doubt out ofdesperation but they have everythingwrong. While they maypick up a few officers, nothingwill actually be solved andit’s likely things will get muchworse.We don’t have a recruiting crisisin policing…We have a culturecrisis.I don’t even have to ask aboutthe leadership at the agency.If you have to bribe new hires,the environment is in the gutterand it’s sickening to see thembrag about their bonus offer.SAFEGUARD Recruiting has beensuccessfully helping agenciesrecruit across the country andthey routinely build culture intotheir advertising. In fact, theirdata shows that agencies thathighlight culture are much moresuccessful than those that highlightbenefits.The beauty of organizationalculture is that it can be fixed andonce it is, everything else becomesright again.1. Define Core Values andMissionLaw enforcement agenciesmust articulate their core valuesand mission clearly and the heartof that mission is law and order.Look no further than the UnitedStates Military on how the wrongmission and values will hurt theorganization in recruiting andmore. In 2024, more Marines reenlistedthan in the last 14 yearsand they met their recruitinggoal by 101%.Their success is not only notunique but should be expected.All other branches of the militaryare suffering in both recruitingand retention and when theMarine General was asked byCongress how he could surpasshis recruitment without bonusmoney, he simply said, “Becausethey get to be Marines.”Law enforcement needs toremember that their core missionis the safety of their citizensand there have always been asegment of society ready andwilling to do that job. But if youmake the job impossible andsay you don’t want warriors toperform that core mission, goodluck.2. EmpowermentI always thought it was wildthat we give law enforcementofficers more power than thePresident of the United States(They have the authority, if needed,to kill United States Citizenson American Soil) but cowardlyleaders don’t want to hear whatthey have to say and they micromanagethem constantly.When I’m at an agency withstrong culture, I hear two thingsfrom the officers. They give methe resources to do the job andthey let me do the job. It soundssimple but I get calls every weekfrom officers from across thecountry that are ready to quitbecause the job they were promiseddoesn’t exist.3. Prioritize Training and DevelopmentThe priority of any leader isto ensure that their employeeshave the training to preparethem for the job. We need to getaway from the “check the box”training those DOJ funded policeorganizations keep pushing andget back to training that buildsconfidence and competence.Whether it’s tactics, leadership,medical, or communication,there is some fantastic trainingavailable to agencies but feware taking advantage of it. Ourprofession should not be gettingless training annually than abanker or a hairdresser but thatis the reality in most departmentsand it has to end if wetruly care about our employees.4. Foster Open CommunicationWe need to stop the “I havean open door” policy and go to12 The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25

The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25 13