b'C O V E RPhoto credit: Chris Culham, Ontario Police College.Navigating the Challenges & Opportunities of Police Recruitment By Dr. Jos Lus (Joe) Couto and Emma SweeneyINTRODUCTION scrutiny,competitionwithotherpolicinghashadtochange,too, ItssafetosaythatthelandscapesectorsandchangingexpectationssaidDeputyChiefRogerWilkie, ofpolicerecruitmenthaschangedofrecruitsthemselves.AddressingwhoisservingasOACPpresident dramatically in recent years. In fact,these challenges requires not only ain 2024-25. How we recruit, where what once was a stable and steadyclear understanding of the factors atwerecruitand who werecruithas pipelineofcandidateshastrans- playbutalsoinnovative,long-termand will continue to change to meet formedintoamuchmorecomplexstrategies that prioritize the future ofour police organizational and public andchallengingprocess.Policelaw enforcement in this province. safety needs. servicesacrossOntarioaregrap- Just as society has seen massiveAccordingtonationalStatistics plingwithissuessuchasdecliningsocial, technological and other chan- Canadadata,therehasbeena applicantpools,heightenedpublicgesoverthelastseveraldecades,significantdeclineinpoliceofficerThe Official Publication of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police7'