In many law enforcement and fire agencies, the “Recruiting Unit” consists of a sergeant or lieutenant near retirement, or an officer on light duty. They are handed the keys to the social media accounts, told to attend job fairs, and tasked with “finding people.”
This model is broken.
While these officers are highly trained in public safety, they are rarely trained in digital marketing, brand management, recruitment advertising technology, or data analytics. You wouldn’t ask a civilian marketing professional to run a SWAT operation; why ask a SWAT operator to run a complex marketing campaign?
The Rise of the Professional Civilian Recruiter
Progressive agencies are professionalizing talent acquisition. They are hiring civilians with backgrounds in HR and marketing to run the top-of-funnel operations.
These professionals understand how to manage ad spend, analyze funnel data, and craft compelling employer brand messaging. They bring a necessary skillset that doesn’t exist in most police academies.
Where Sworn Officers Belong in the Process
This isn’t about removing uniforms from the process entirely. Sworn personnel are essential champions of the brand. They should be the face of video testimonials, they should conduct the interviews, and they must conduct the background investigations.
The ideal structure is a partnership: Civilian professionals manage the marketing, lead generation, and technological pipeline, handing off highly qualified, interested candidates to sworn officers for vetting and closing.
If your agency lacks internal marketing expertise, you don’t need to hire a full-time civilian staffer. You can partner with Safeguard Recruiting to handle the specialized marketing functions.
Let our experts support your sworn staff.
