Learn how law enforcement agencies can maximize recruiting budgets and reduce cost per hire without compromising candidate quality.
Police recruitment is no easy task. We know how challenging it is for agencies to balance tight budgets, high turnover, and the need for highly qualified candidates. One of the most impactful ways to maximize recruiting budgets is by minimizing the cost per hire (CPH) while maintaining a strong talent pool.
What is Your Agency’s Cost per Hire?
Calculating your cost per hire is a straightforward process that gives your agency valuable insights into the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your hiring efforts.
In case the formula above doesn’t quite make sense, here’s how you can determine your CPH in four easy steps:
Add Up Internal Costs
Start by calculating your internal recruiting expenses. These are costs directly tied to your in-house hiring efforts, such as: Salaries for recruiters and HR staff Costs associated with background investigators or recruitment teams Onboarding and training expenses for new hires
Account for External Costs
Next, total your external recruitment expenses. These are costs incurred from resources outside your agency, including: Background checks and psychological evaluations, marketing efforts like job postings, social media ads, and job fairs Applicant tracking systems or other recruitment software
Combine Internal and External Costs
Once you’ve tallied both internal and external costs, add them together to calculate your total recruitment expenses.
Divide by the Number of Hires
Take the total recruitment costs and divide them by the number of hires made during the period you’re evaluating. This gives you your cost per hire.
How Law Enforcement Agencies Make Every Dollar Count
1. Streamlining the Hiring Process
Agencies often lose time and money—on repetitive, manual tasks that could be automated. It is imperative to implement automation tools that handle application management and candidate communication. By simplifying and automating these steps, recruiters can focus on what matters most: identifying the best candidates. A streamlined process not only improves efficiency but also lowers the cost per hire by reducing unnecessary delays.
2. Collaborating with Community Programs
One of the most effective ways agencies lower their cost per hire is by building partnerships with local schools, law enforcement academies, and community organizations. Programs like internships and police explorer initiatives create a steady pipeline of candidates, reducing the need for expensive outreach campaigns. These partnerships are a long-term investment that pays off by providing pre-qualified, motivated recruits.
3. Leveraging Technology for Screening
Screening is one of the most resource-intensive stages in hiring. Agencies waste valuable time on manual evaluations when tools like online pre-screening or virtual assessments could do the heavy lifting. By integrating features like digital assessments, Epic helps agencies save time and money while ensuring that only qualified candidates move forward. This efficiency has a direct impact on reducing the cost per hire.
4. Optimizing Recruitment Marketing
One of the first things to look at is how your agency advertises openings. Casting a wide net can be expensive and isn’t always effective. Instead, I recommend targeted strategies like job boards for public safety professionals or social media campaigns designed to reach the right audience. Using Epic’s data-driven tools, agencies identify the most effective advertising channels, reducing their marketing costs and ultimately lowering the cost per hire.
5. Enhancing Candidate Engagement
Candidates drop out of the hiring process simply because they didn’t feel valued or informed. Every time that happens, it drives up the cost per hire because the agency has to restart the process. With Epic, agencies keep candidates engaged through automated updates and consistent communication. When candidates feel connected, they’re more likely to stick around, which keeps costs down and improves hiring outcomes.
6. Investing in Referral Programs
Agencies should tap into their greatest resource: their current officers. Referral programs are not only cost-effective but also bring in quality candidates who are already familiar with the agency’s culture. Officers who recommend someone tend to vouch for candidates who are serious about the job, which saves time and resources. And less time spent vetting equals a lower cost per hire.
7. Tracking Recruitment Metrics
Tracking your metrics is extremely important. Understanding where your money is going and how it impacts your recruitment outcomes is key to reducing the cost per hire. Epic’s customizable reporting dashboard makes this easy, offering real-time insights into time-to-hire, sourcing effectiveness, and candidate drop-off rates. By analyzing this data, agencies can adjust their strategies and focus resources where they matter most.
Why Modernization Is the Key
Reducing the cost per hire doesn’t mean cutting corners—it’s about working smarter. We know how important it is to hire the right people while staying within budget. By implementing the right tools and strategies, like those available through Epic, agencies can streamline their process, improve candidate engagement, and maximize budgets.
If you’re ready to modernize your hiring process and reduce your cost per hire, let’s talk about how Epic can help your agency recruit smarter, faster, and more cost-effectively