Page 86 - 2021 A Year in Review

The objective of the recruitment campaign was to attract quality applicants who are

representative of the City’s demographics. The Training Division used the

Department’s social media presence and website, including the creation of a

recruitment email address for questions, several hiring sites, multiple minority specific

sites, radio ads, billboards in high traffic areas, and PoliceApp.com for hiring

notification, candidate registration, and candidate application submissions as well as

a variety of hiring sites to advertise. Additionally, Officer Cipalone of the Training

Division was assigned as Recruitment Officer and named the direct contact for

interested people to contact with any pre and post-application questions. Most

importantly, uniformed Cranston Police Officers were assigned to recruitment tables

throughout Cranston, Pawtucket, and Warwick at various locations, including gyms,

coffee shops, retail centers, the Warwick Mall, and the National Guard. These

recruitment sessions took place on different days and times over six weeks leading to

the application deadline.

Upon closing the applications on March 8, 2021, the Cranston Police Department had

four hundred ninety-three applications which were unexpectedly high based on known

results from surrounding agencies. Within a survey of applicants, most respondents

reported that they applied because of an interaction with a Cranston police officer at

one of the recruitment locations, which supported the decision to use recruitment

tables in various venues.

Once the applicants were finalized, multiple Zoom calls on different days were

scheduled for people to ask questions about the hiring process and expected timeline,

the testing requirements, the necessary paperwork, and background investigations.

Unfortunately, few took advantage of these calls.

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Cranston Police Department Year in Review 2021