Four Ways Forward

Abstract

This is an evaluation and analysis of attrition in South Carolina police departments. The purpose of the report is to gain clarity on possible causes of attrition and offer potential approaches to mitigating and/or eliminating a current and future issue that may have adverse implications on both quantitative and qualitative services rendered by departments across South Carolina. It then proposes four ways in which departments might be capable of increasing their recruitment to restore legitimacy. This analysis is based on data from two surveys-the Law Enforcement Management and Administration Statistics and Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies surveys-collected and made available by the US Bureau of Justice Statistics between 2007 and 2013. Three measures of attrition are used: (1) retention/attrition rates, (2) replacement rates, (3) and civilian-to-officer ratios. Additionally, demographic representation is also examined (e.g. female, minority or nonwhite, educational background, pay rates, etc.). Tables containing this information can be found in the appendix.