There are other barriers to recruiting good police officers. A 2010 RAND study found some departments were having trouble competing with the large number of jobs created by the war on terror. There are cultural matters, too: millennials, the researchers found, may be less enthusiastic about the prospect of joining the rank-and-file. "The youngest generation of workers has shown marked preferences toward extrinsic work values, such as prestige, changing tasks, social and cognitive aspects of work, and flexibility," the researchers wrote. "Many of these career expectations cannot be met in law enforcement."
"There are certain people you don't want to be police officers whatever race they are."
Whatever the reasons, a smaller applicant pool makes it more difficult for departments to maintain high standards. Recently, Wexler points out, New Orleans scrapped a requirement that new officers without two years of military service have at least 60 college credits. The move might grow the department, according to a recent Times-Picayune story, "but research suggests the officers it takes on could be more likely to use force on the job."
"People think a police force should be a microcosm of society. That's not right. That's not correct," says Wexler. "You want a police force to be more selective than a microcosm of society. There are certain people you don't want to be police officers whatever race they are."
