Police forces around the United States are borrowing tactics from sports recruiters and the corporate world to fill their thinning ranks, a report said.
Signing bonuses up to $5,000 and current worker incentives attempt to fight police officer deficits that average 10 percent in California.
"This job used to be more enticing, and we didn't have to do a lot of marketing," King County, Wash., Sheriff's Deputy and recruiter Jessica Cline told The New York Times. "Over time, it's become less attractive."
Jobs that once drew crowds now go unfilled with competition from the military, high housing prices and a brighter general jobs outlook. Some departments offer more pay. Others have removed height, weight and age restrictions.
Today's generation has a different outlook than baby boomers, said Elaine Deck of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
"People used to live to work," Deck said. "This younger generation works to live. Working late, working weekends, that's not attractive. They want to make money and retire early."