“Culture is to recruiting as product is to marketing.”

I overheard this said the other day and could not help but share the idea with the rest of you, seeing as how fitting it is to the theme of this issue of Police Chief. All too often, the notion of culture gets lost within our everyday responsibilities, and it is time we refocus on the topic.

While respective agencies and regions may experience challenges unique to them, the field of law enforcement is broadly experiencing a recruitment and retention crisis. We struggle to find the right people—and, when we do get those people, we sometimes find it challenging to keep them.