Officer perceptions of ideal police candidates: view on college, military, and work experience

Police agencies continue to face persistent recruitment challenges and evolving expectations for officer qualifications. Understanding how current officers perceive potential candidate backgrounds provides insight into the cultural and professional values that shape the policing workforce. This expl...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Stickle, Benjamin F. (Author) ; Jossie, McKenzie L. (Author) ; Anderson, Eric (Author) ; Nagel, Darien (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Criminal justice studies
Year: 2025, Volume: 38, Issue: 4, Pages: 444-463
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Education
Employment
Military
Experience
hiring
Police
Description
Summary:Police agencies continue to face persistent recruitment challenges and evolving expectations for officer qualifications. Understanding how current officers perceive potential candidate backgrounds provides insight into the cultural and professional values that shape the policing workforce. This exploratory study examines officer perceptions of three common pre-employment experiences – college education, military service, and work – using open-ended responses to a scenario-based survey of 130 law enforcement officers. Participants described perceived strengths and reservations associated with each background. Military experience was most frequently characterized as favorable (49.2%), often linked to discipline, structure, and maturity. Work experience was positively viewed (41.5%) as a source of practical skills and real-world preparedness. College education elicited more mixed perceptions, with some officers favoring (21.5%), while others were critical of its relevance to the realities of policing (53.1%). These findings highlight how officers conceptualize desirable qualifications, offering practical insight for agencies seeking to align recruitment messaging and training priorities with workforce perceptions. The study reflects professional attitudes rather than formal hiring decisions, underscoring the importance of distinguishing between perceptions and validated predictors of officer performance.
ISSN:1478-6028
DOI:10.1080/1478601X.2025.2584758