Motivations for a career in law enforcement: comparing police officers and deputy sheriffs

Purpose Law enforcement leaders are expressing challenges in recruitment and hiring, pushing recruiters to explore how to attract motivated candidates to the job. At the same time, motivations to seek a career in policing have remained relatively stable with themes relating to salary/benefits and community service, and low police-public social distance playing a role in career aspirations. While some studies have focused on reasons why people enter a police job, there is little research exploring whether motivations to seek a career in law enforcement vary between different types of law enforcement agencies. The purpose of this study is to compare motivations for employment in police departments and sheriffs’ offices. Design/methodology/approach During Spring 2019, 340 Pennsylvania police officers and deputy sheriffs were interviewed about their motivations to pursue their current career and whether low social distance played a role in their career decision. Findings Both groups most commonly sought a career in law enforcement to help people, although the police officers had more diverse motivations than deputy sheriffs. Family and friends in law enforcement were important recruiters for deputy sheriffs more so than municipal police officers. These findings and policy implications are discussed in light of the literature. Originality/value This study contributes to the larger literature in that it focuses, in part, on understudied deputy sheriffs and highlights differences in career motivations for law enforcement officers working in police departments and sheriffs’ offices.