Tennessee municipal police recruitment and retention: a study by the MTAS Research and Information Center for the Tennessee City Management Association

A study conducted by the MTAS Research and Information Center at the request of the Tennessee City Management Association. The purpose of this study is to analyze Tennessee municipalities’ ability to recruit and retain police officers. Many cities in Tennessee have hired and made significant investments in entry level police officers only to see them leave employment in the first three years. This short turnover impacts the cities financially and decreases their ability to maintain adequate staffing in their departments. By analyzing police officer recruitment practices and retention levels, this study can explore the factors affecting police recruitment and retention and offer insights into what works and what does not work when attracting and keeping talented police officers.