Recruiting Amidst Crisis: Exploring Police Recruit Motivations in a Post-Ferguson Era

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to explore how the Ferguson Effect may influence police recruits in the decision to become a police officer. Basic Law Enforcement (BLE) candidates attending a southeastern state police academy were surveyed on the influence of negative media publicity surrounding the law enforcement profession and perceptions of danger and current officer motivation. In addition, participants were asked to identify motivation variables for entering policing to evaluate possible confounding influences between the Ferguson Effect and the decision to become an officer. Results found little to no influence of the Ferguson Effect on recruits’ decision to enter policing, despite the majority of respondents acknowledging agreement to Ferguson Effect variables. Similarly, the relationship between the Ferguson Effect and motivation variables were found to be low-weak. Findings suggest negative media publicity played little role in the surveyed population’s decision to enter policing, thus advocating for further exploration in understanding the recruitment crisis surrounding law enforcement in a post-Ferguson era.