Employing Returning Combat Veterans as Law Enforcement Officers:

Supporting the Integration or Re-Integration of Military Personnel into Federal, State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement

In partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the IACP and Klein Associates Division/ARA have have undertaken a significant project to support returning combat veterans in law enforcement, their families, and their agencies. With the support of many combat veterans in law enforcement, we were able to identify transitional challenges facing these veterans who are returning to or starting a career in law enforcement.

In addition to focus groups, interviews, surveys, and a summit; the IACP has assembled a national advisory committee of law enforcement, military, psychological, academic, and health experts. They assisted in identifying policy and procedure shortfalls between the agency and the veteran during pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment processing.

In July 2010, the IACP released and distributed the Veteran’s and Leader’s guidebooks that will serve as fundamental tools in supporting our nation’s veterans, whether overseas or in their communities in law enforcement careers.

Hard copies of Veteran’s and Leader’s guidebooks are available upon request by contacting Daxe@theiacp.org. Please include a mailing address and quantity of each guide requested. PDF versions of the guidebooks can be found below.

Project Deliverables

Veteran’s Guidebook

The veteran’s guidebook (1MB Quality|4MB Quality), developed from interviews and focus groups with military veterans serving in law enforcement, shares experiences and tips for veterans as they transition from deployment to resuming or beginning law enforcement careers. A comprehensive list of support agencies and networks available to veterans is also included.

Leader’s Guidebook & Training Curriculum

The leader’s guidebook (2MB Quality|10MB Quality) provides recommendations to law enforcement leaders on how they can successfully improve the quality of support to returning combat veterans who are reentering law enforcement or launching a new career in policing. The guide also contains a training curriculum outline for incorporating relevant topics into specialized academy instruction and in-service training for both combat veterans and their supervisors. This curriculum will assist both hiring agencies and returning veterans to effectively address, discuss, and overcome any transitional obstacles.

Family Guidebook

The newest phase of the Returning Combat Veterans project will focus on the families of military veterans in law enforcement. The guide will not only help families understand their obligations and expectations through the deployment cycle, but will detail the interaction that their spouses will experience between the military and law enforcement communities. Release of the guidebook is anticipated for late 2010.

Marketing Tools for Recruiting Veterans into Law Enforcement

Marketing tools and information will be developed for law enforcement agencies detailing best practices from around the country on how best to market and recruit military veterans into law enforcement. Anticipated release is late 2010.

Additional Publications:

Employing Returning Combat Veterans Findings and Recommendations from Field Research - September 2009 (PDF)

For more information about the Returning Combat Veterans Project, please contact:

Arnold Daxe, Jr., Project Manager - Daxe@theiacp.org or 1-800-THE-IACP x817