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July 1990
LATERAL ENTRY: A MOVE TOWARD THE FUTURE
By
J. Eddie Nix
Lieutenant, Training Section Commander
Cobb County, Georgia, Department of Police
One of the most frequently asked questions by police
administrators is, ``How can we hire qualified, experienced
personnel?'' The answer to this question may come in the form of
lateral entry. In fact, one of the keys to successful recruiting
in the future will be the practice of a full-scale lateral entry
program. (1)
Basically, lateral entry is the ability of a police officer
in one geographic location to enter employment in another area.
The officer's pay at the new department is based on experience,
job knowledge, and the ability to do the job. (2)
The concept of lateral entry is not new. It has existed for
some 25 to 30 years. Unfortunately, however, police departments
overlook the advantages of lateral entry, even though its
potential to improve a department's recruiting efforts and
professionalism is evident. This article discusses several of
the benefits of lateral entry and some of the obstacles to
implementing such programs within police departments.
ADVANTAGES OF LATERAL ENTRY
For most law enforcement departments, there are four areas
that benefit the most by lateral entry:
* Recruiting
* Individual mobility
* Training and cost effectiveness and
* Competition and educational growth.
Even though most departments will benefit from lateral entry
programs, some departments may not experience advantages relating
to all four of these areas.
Enhanced Recruitment
The recruitment of qualified personnel becomes more
difficult as time passes. In the past, all that was necessary
was a pool of applicants. Today, this is no longer the case. In
fact, in many police agencies, position vacancies outnumber the
applicants.
However, when initiated and administered properly, lateral
entry could open up a new source of qualified applicants to help
meet future recruiting needs. (3) Lateral entry programs attract
innovative, administrative, professional and technical
personnel, especially for the small department. (4) For example,
many former police officers have left law enforcement because of
inflexibilities, such as the lack of mobility and promotional
opportunity. Yet, these officers would be desirable candidates
in many police departments, if they were available for
employment. Lateral entry is a way to gain access to such an
untapped resource.
Individual Mobility
Another benefit of lateral entry pertains to police officers
who are currently employed in law enforcement, but would like to
relocate. (5) Typically, officers desire relocation in order to
move from a smaller department to a larger department, for more
promotional potential, more job responsibilities or enrichment,
or because of spouse relocation. All of these are valid reasons
for mobility and should in no way detract from the individual
seeking lateral entry.
Today, with community and corporate growth, mobility is
becoming even more of a concern. One reason for this is the
changing role of women. (6) Women also are thinking "careers."
In fact, dual-career couples have become the rule rather than
the exception in American society. (7)
Dual-career couples create problems for law enforcement.
Now, a police officer with a family must consider the spouse's
career opportunities in the decisionmaking process. In many
cases, a spouse may have more advancement and earning potential
than the law enforcement officer, and relocation may be
necessary in order to advance within the organization. Often
times, husbands or wives are giving up or changing professions
so that their spouses can pursue their careers. (8)
In addition, officers may look toward mobility for other
reasons, such as caring for ill relatives or wanting a change in
climate. In today's law enforcement community, a police officer
who is fully qualified and capable of performing the job should
have the option of lateral relocation without fear of losing rank
and/or pay.
Training and Cost Effectiveness
Police officer training is both time consuming and
expensive. It is not only costly from the view point of salary,
benefits, and uniforms but also because of down-time prior to
achieving patrol officer status. For this reason, lateral entry
police officers provide substantial savings to police
departments. In cases where the lateral entry applicant comes
from within the State, the savings could be even greater. For
example, in most States, individuals must meet certain basic
minimum standards and must complete a prescribed training program
in order to be employed anywhere in the State. (9) This is usually
a one-time process and permits a certified officer to transfer.
Adapting police standards and training legislation is a good
first step toward lateral entry. (10)
In many areas, the Field Training Officer (FTO) Program is
the second step in the training process. This is an important
phase and should be required of every new officer, even the
lateral entry officer. However, even if the FTO phase of the
training is included, the lateral entry candidate still saves
police departments both time and money.
For example, in 1985, the Cobb County, Georgia, Police
Department estimated that each new police officer costs the
department between $18,000 to $20,000 before that officer can
work a shift without direct supervision. Lateral entry
candidates save a large portion of this cost. These savings
could be better used to pay the increased salaries of lateral
entry employees.
When considering the variables of cost and time, it is easy
to see that the savings realized from the lateral entry candidate
can be spent on higher salaries. What the police administrator
really gets from lateral entry is an experienced officer who is
assimilated into the department faster. In today's fast moving
world, this is very much desired.
Competition and Educational Growth
Support for lateral entry also comes from the Nation's
leadership. In 1967, the President's Commission on Law
Enforcement in its Task Force Report: Police stated:
``To improve police services, competition for all advanced
positions should be opened to all qualified persons from
both within and outside of the department. This would
enable a department to obtain the best available talent
for positions of leadership. If candidates from within
an agency are unable to meet the competition from other
applicants, it should be recognized that the influx of
more highly qualified personnel would greatly improve the
quality of the services.'' (11)
The commission's recommendations and farsightedness were
optimistic that lateral entry is one of the keys to the
competitive spirit needed to enhance the police profession.
This prescription for the success of the police field is as
valid today as it was in 1967. Lateral entry is essential to the
professionalization of the police function. It also disturbs the
status quo and avoids the we've-always-done-it-this-way
approach. (12)
In addition, lateral entry affects positively the
educational processes of the upwardly mobile department members.
It helps provide fresh points of view because people with
different experiences and insights introduce variety, change and
innovative ideas. (13) Many officers are finding out, or will find
out, that in order to keep up with the competition, they must
refine skills already developed. Lateral entry also bolsters
management and technical strength, as well as increases
competition and productivity, by providing new talent and
ability. (14) It also provides management with a better yardstick
for evaluating executive performance and forces management to
compare the present group with outsiders. (15) And, once police
departments start using lateral entry, law enforcement executives
will no longer have to accept marginal employees. Lateral entry
could also help to merge effective policing concepts from various
police departments, thereby raising the levels of education and
training in participating departments. This creates a better
understanding of law enforcement affairs. (16)
OBSTACLES TO LATERAL ENTRY
Despite the obvious benefits, obstacles to lateral entry
still exist. (17) Police personnel at the patrol level and upper
management seem to have the least resistance. And, as expected,
the more established the department, the more restrictions there
seem to be to the lateral entry concept.
Department Personnel
Mid-level police administrators present the biggest
obstacle. At one time, police officials believed that lateral
recruiting was the equivalent of "raiding," and police chiefs
even had pacts that they would not hire each other's
personnel. (18) However, the resistance and obstacles to full
implementation of lateral entry are not limited to department
personnel. Roadblocks can arise in the form of civil service,
retirement plans, maximum age limitations, and legislative
restrictions.
Resistance to Change
Change in law enforcement comes slowly, and this is the case
with lateral entry. In fact, some believe that it will never
reach the level that the President's Commission on Law
Enforcement envisioned in 1967. To achieve this goal, all of the
obstacles to lateral entry must be addressed individually and
systematically. Many departments have already dealt with some of
the obstacles. Obviously, eliminating the obstacles is not easy,
but the result to law enforcement will be well worth the effort.
CONCLUSION
Acceptance of lateral entry will continue to be a long,
uphill battle. However, it is imperative that those in law
enforcement who support lateral entry, both academically and
professionally, continue to chip away at the resistance until it
is universally accepted. The future of police improvement in all
jurisdictions will be handicapped if there are not forthcoming
changes in the acceptance of lateral entry. (19)
Some believe that the key to the success of lateral entry is
at the State and Federal level. In a real sense, this is true
because through legislative reform and financial encouragements,
the State and Federal Governments can do much to implement
lateral entry. Some advancements in this area have been made,
such as legislative reforms that contribute to the cause of
lateral entry and the statewide training requirements that are
recognized anywhere in a given State. But, the battle for
lateral entry is not going to be won at the State and national
levels. It will be won one police department at a time, and one
geographic area at a time.
FOOTNOTES
(1) W.H. Hewitt, ``Police Personnel Administration: Lateral
Entry,'' Police, January February 1971, p. 13.
(2) The salary will be at a level higher than starting pay. A
Stone and S. Deluca, Police Administration: An Introduction (New
York: John Wiley and Sons, 1985).
(3) C. Swank and J. Conser, The Police Personnel System (New
York: John Wiley and Sons, 1982).
(4) Supra note 1.
(5) P. Weston and P. Fraley, Police Personnel Management
(Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1980).
(6) M.H. Sekas, ``Dual Career Couples A Corporate
Challenge,'' Personnel Administrator, April 1984, pp. 37 45.
(7) Ibid, p. 37.
(8) Supra note 6, p. 40.
(9) Supra note 2, p. 293.
(10) O. Wilson and R. McLaren, Police Administration (New York:
McGraw Hill Co., 1977).
(11) The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and
Administration of Justice, Task Force Report: Police
(Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1967).
(12) Supra note 1.
(13) Supra note 1.
(14) Supra note 1.
(15) Supra note 1.
(16) Supra note 1.
(17) W. Bopp and P. Whisenand, Police Personnel Administration
(Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn Beacon, Inc., 1980).
(18) Supra note 5, p. 56.
(19) A. Cohn (Ed), The Future of Policing (Beverly Hills,
California: Sage Publications, 1978).