As demonstrated in previous years, this office has again taken a proactive approach in maintaining positive working relationships with all ethnic groups within Salem County. Members of the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office continued to utilize the recruitment brochure that provides information about our employment opportunities and clarifies the qualifications that a resident must possess to be considered for selection. The brochure also continues to stress that the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It has been made available to the public online, at numerous career day presentations and at various community events.
In previous years prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, investigative personnel made presentations at various Salem County High Schools and Middle Schools on career opportunities. This exposed a greater cross section of county secondary education students to the job opportunities at the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office.
In order to include the potential candidates who are in college, we have continued dialogue with Salem Community College and Rowan University. As part of this expansion to reach a more diverse pool of applicants who are focusing their studies in the criminal justice field, we anticipate outreach occurring through the distribution of informational pamphlets, career fairs and classroom presentations.
We have made great strides towards marketing our agency to interested applicants of all ethnicities when employment opportunities arise. We continue to gain positive exposure through the many events that our agency sponsors and participates in. The percentage difference between the ethnic demographics of our service population compared to the ethnic demographics of our sworn personnel has remained a constant.
Many school districts in Salem County and most universities re-opened their campuses and held in-person classes or a hybrid version of in-person and virtual learning in 2021. Our in-person scholastic recruiting efforts were limited in 2021 due to Governor Murphy’s limitations on indoor gatherings during the school year and the resurgence of the coronavirus at various times throughout the year. Many school districts and universities were still hesitant to fully re-open their campuses to pre-pandemic levels, which restricted some of our recruiting activities at those locations.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, some of our community outreach and community recruiting programs were limited during 2021 for the safety of our personnel and the safety of the community, as large gatherings, especially indoors, were prohibited by executive orders from Governor Murphy until June. We look forward to resuming our normal recruitment and community outreach activities in 2022 if it is possible to safely do so.
During 2021, we continued to be proactive in building community relations and attracting a diverse pool of applicants through our participation and involvement in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Diversity Summit, Puerto Rican Action Committee (PRAC), Reaching out in Plain English Program (ROPE), Mannington Township + Police Program (MannPower), DILEA Academy, Youth Services Commission, Black History Reading Program, Career, Wellness & Community Fairs, National Night Out, Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse (MAPSA) and our RESCUE Program to combat opiate addiction.
Our office hosted a public listening session on police use of force. Local community leaders, members of the clergy, advocates of police reform, representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and representatives of the Puerto Rican Action Committee (PRAC) attended the listening session, which focused upon reforming the use of force by police. The listening session was a great success, as members of the public in attendance were able to have direct input on reforming the use of force by police. Our recruiting efforts were also discussed during the listening session in an effort to better attract minority candidates.
Members of our staff participated in a community walk in the City of Salem that was sponsored by the Salem County Coalition for a Safe Community. The community walk was attended by Attorney General Bruck and members of his staff, members of the Salem County Chiefs of Police Association, members of the Southwest Council, members of the Soul Saving Center, members of the clergy, mental health professionals from various agencies and members of the local community. The community walk was a great success. The community walk also provided an opportunity for members of our staff to engage in recruiting activities with the community leaders, members of the clergy and members of the public that were in attendance, as well as individuals along the route of the community walk.
Members of our staff attended a conference in Atlantic County entitled “The Post-Pandemic Church”, which was hosted by Pastor Collins Days of the Second Baptist Church. The focus of the conference was on reaching out to millennials in the African American community through the use of social media and other technology. The conference was attended by members of the clergy, governmental officials, and community leaders, which also created a great opportunity for our recruitment efforts.
Members of our staff participated in “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” at the Salem County Vocational Technical School. The function was held outside for the safety of those in attendance. A recruitment booth was set up and staffed by members of our staff. Members of our staff handed out recruiting flyers to a diverse group of potential future candidates for employment. Members of our staff also interacted with the students and other organizations in attendance to promote our recruiting efforts.
Although we did not hire any sworn personnel during 2021, our recruiting efforts continue in an effort to attract a diverse group of applicants so that our agency demographics reflect the community that we serve. Our recruitment program encompasses a large culturally, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse geographical area. Our current agency demographics prove that our recruitment program is working to build a more diverse workforce.
The efforts of the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office to recruit the most diverse candidates continues to be of the highest importance so that the office can reflect the diverse communities which we serve.
SALEM COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE RECRUITMENT PLAN
GOALS and OBJECTIVES:
The goal of the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office Recruitment Plan is to attract qualified individuals to pursue a career with the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office. The objective is to achieve an overall racial and gender composition of the department in comparison to the service population of the County through the agency recruiting activities. The goals and objectives will be accomplished through various recruitment activities listed in the Recruitment Activities section of this plan.
GENERAL:
The Salem County Prosecutor’s Office recruits from a candidate pool open to residents of Salem County.
Salem County is an equal opportunity employer in all facets of the personnel process.
CURRENT DEMOGRAPHICS:
The demographics composition of the service area and agency are represented in the following table:
I. RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES
A. The best law enforcement recruiters are personnel currently serving in sworn positions. Therefore, every member is charged with actively recruiting individuals they feel are qualified with the potential to be an asset to the agency. The Chief of Detectives is responsible for the administration of the Recruitment Plan.
B. This agency will take a proactive role in programs intended to attract qualified people to apply for investigative positions within the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office. These programs include; but, are not limited to:
- Establishing and maintaining contacts with community organizations and educational institutions and providing recruitment materials for display and distribution;
- Participation in career day type programs at educational institutions and other public places and events;
- Citizen police academies, junior police academies, and law enforcement explorer posts; and
- Posting on going recruitment announcements on the County’s website.
C. Particular attention should be paid to attracting candidates in approximate proportion to the racial, ethnic, and gender composition of the available workforce in the County.
D. Personnel assigned to recruitment activities at career day and similar events and programs will be provided with information so that they are knowledgeable in those matters as they pertain to agency management and operation. Those topics include, but are not limited to:
- Career opportunities
- Salaries, benefits, and training
- Hiring guidelines
- Community information
- Cultural diversity
- Qualification and selection process
- Eligibility requirements
E. This recruiting materials will identify the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office as an equal opportunity employer and will include the following information:
- Basic description of duties
- Responsibilities
- Requisite skills
- Educational level
- Other minimum qualifications and requirements
II. REVIEW & EVALUATION
A. The Chief of Detectives shall conduct an annual review of the Recruitment Plan.
B. As a result of the annual review, if necessary, the Recruitment Plan shall be revised if the goals and objectives are not achieved.