What to know what cops want? We asked them.

What do cops want in 2021? Police1 set out to answer this with our first State of the Industry survey.

Among the 30+ questions we asked 4,300+ LEOs:

• What do you find most satisfying about working in law enforcement?
• What do you find least satisfying about working in law enforcement?
• What policy and legislative changes do you want?
• What services should be performed by other government agencies?

“By leveraging the data from this survey to target public information outlets, the truth about who the police are, what they believe, what they are doing and what they hope for the future can serve as a means to advocate for the profession while producing one of many positive, intended consequences: successful recruitment and retention of quality police officers,” observes criminal justice professor and former police officer Janay Casparini, Ph.D.

In our latest Leadership Briefing, Paul Conor, Ph.D., walks readers through how to interpret results from the survey to help convert those officers with 5-10 years on the job into career cops. We also share top tips from 21 on 2021: A police leadership playbook on prioritizing officer wellness, safety and morale - all key to improving job satisfaction, police performance and officer retention.

Download the results of Police1’s State of the Industry survey here.