Career Satisfaction of Generation X Law Enforcement Officers
| Author | Troy A. Mineard |
| Date | 01 December 2006 |
| Published date | 01 December 2006 |
| DOI | 10.1350/pojo.2006.79.4.343 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
TROY A. MINEARD
Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio
CAREER SATISFACTION OF
GENERATION X LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
Generation X-age workers are increasingly staffing law
enforcement agencies in the United States. This article seeks to
determine the level of career satisfaction for this age group of
officers. The author used a questionnaire format to solicit
responses across a range of officer ages, experience and agency
personnel size to determine their career satisfaction levels.
Interesting responses were obtained that addressed three broad
areas of the study. Specifically, whether explanation of the
work environment prior to hiring was accurate, whether rate of
pay in relation to educational level is adequate, and whether
they feel included in decisions affecting the workplace. This
article presents the results of the study, and suggestions for
police managers to increase career satisfaction for Generation
X officers.
Introduction
Generation X workers have been profiled in many publications
as being different from their older counterparts. These differ-
ences primarily have been outlined as being less committed to
work and more committed to personal freedom and gratification.
But is this a fair assumption to make about this generation of
workers? Are they less satisfied and committed to their careers
than other age groups of workers?
Complaints from older law enforcement officers towards
Generation X officers range across many issues. Some of the
most common are that these younger officers expect more
freedom in their jobs, want more time off, and do not feel that
their rate of pay is commensurate with their educational level.
This creates an obvious conflict in the workplace as older
officers generally are in command of law enforcement agencies.
Additionally, there has been a decrease in the number of applic-
ants for police officer positions nationwide. Recruiting officers
from other agencies was very rare in the past, but now is
commonplace in policing. Resignation of police officers is a
significant concern among police executives because of the
direct financial costs of recruiting, selecting and training police
The Police Journal, Volume 79 (2006) 343
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