Form seeking function: An exploratory content analysis evaluation of the imagery contained in law enforcement agency police officer recruitment brochures

The current exploratory study incorporates conceptual content analysis as a means of examining the imagery contained within a selected sample of police department recruitment brochures. The study examines the proportional representation of the different policing styles (watchman, legalistic and service) that were identified by Wilson (1968) in the recruitment brochure images (n = 62) that were analysed. The results indicate that the watchman style was most commonly depicted in the recruitment material images that were included in the study. Additionally, the findings obtained indicate that the bulk of the remaining images contained in the recruitment brochures that were examined depicted a legalistic orientation towards policing, rather than one more aligned with a service orientation. The significance of these findings are examined, specifically as they relate to the officer hiring and retention issues currently facing the American law enforcement profession. Additional discussions evaluate how the results obtained relate to ongoing efforts in many departments to implement a more community-oriented approach to law enforcement. Limitations of the current study are identified and discussed and suggestions for future research are advanced