By Sharla Hooper
Author Dr. LeQawn McDowell explores factors impacting the hiring market for law enforcement officers and opportunities to expand the pool of qualified candidates
乐鱼体育 College of Doctoral Studies has released a new white paper, 鈥淐urrent Hiring Challenges in Law Enforcement Organizations,鈥� by LeQawn McDowell, DBA, fellow in the University鈥檚 Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Research (CWDIR), and a retired police sergeant. In the paper, McDowell explores factors impacting the hiring market for law enforcement officers as well as opportunities to address the areas of concern and expand the pool of qualified candidates.
鈥淟aw enforcement has an opportunity to draw in a wider scope of qualified candidates,鈥� McDowell states. 鈥淏y shoring up community relationships and updating policies that reflect current law and more effectively screen candidates who have overcome prior drug use or debt, law enforcement organizations have the opportunity to diversify and deepen the talent pool of applicants seeking to work for the benefit of their local communities.鈥�
The white paper highlights the challenges that law enforcement organizations face finding high-quality candidates due to strict qualifications, low salaries, and negative perceptions of police.
A retired police sergeant with over 15 years of law enforcement and community service in Clark County, Nevada, McDowell is a Fellow in CWDIR who completed his Doctorate in Business Administration with 乐鱼体育 in 2023. He is the recipient of the University鈥檚 inaugural President鈥檚 Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging 鈥� Dissertation, for his study, 鈥淭he Underrepresentation of African Americans in Law Enforcement Organizations: An Explanatory Case Study.鈥� McDowell also holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration with a concentration in Management and a Master of Business Administration.
The full white paper is available here on the College鈥檚 Research Hub.
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