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Law Enforcement Leader's Guide on Combat Veterans: A Transition Guide for Veterans Beginning or Continuing Careers in Law Enforcement

NCJ Number
231824
Date Published
2010
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This Leader's Guide provides law enforcement managers and supervisors with the tools and strategies for defining or refining a transition/reintegration strategy for officers returning from a military deployment, as well as academy recruitment of military veterans.
Abstract
In order to familiarize law enforcement leaders with the type of organization into which deployed law enforcement officers will enter, this guide first describes the features of U.S. military forces in 2010 and how they are organized. This is followed by a section that provides guidance for reintegrating returning veterans into law enforcement work. Information is provided on the common issues faced by returning sworn veteran officers. This is done by using a model deployment cycle. Guidance is also provided on recruiting military veterans who have never been in domestic law enforcement. The section entitled, "Employing Veteran Recruits" notes that combat veterans are experienced individuals whose skills are transferable to a career in law enforcement. The guidebook discusses training that is tailored to military veterans. It recommends a flexible but comprehensive training approach that incorporates a veteran's unique skills. Topics are suggested for a training curriculum template. This is followed by a section that outlines actions to be taken within a specified timeline in guiding the reintegration or recruitment of veterans. The presented timeframe is useful for departments that have not initiated a departmental veterans transition, have not hired combat veterans, or currently employ or recruit returning combat veterans. In order to implement the recommendations in this guide, a draft training curriculum was developed to support training at three levels: mid-level managers, returning sworn combat veterans, and veteran recruits new to law enforcement. Following a listing of resources, a listing of members of the Project Advisory Committee that prepared this guide is provided.