APD audit reveals ineffective recruitment strategies amid rising staffing shortages

The Audit and Finance Committee of Austin convened on April 16, 2025, to discuss the findings of an audit focused on the Austin Police Department's (APD) recruitment and hiring processes for sworn staff. The meeting began with acknowledgments of the efforts made by the audit team and APD management in addressing staffing shortages that have seen vacancy rates rise from 3% to 18% between fiscal years 2021 and 2024.

The primary objective of the audit was to evaluate whether APD is effectively, efficiently, and equitably recruiting and hiring qualified candidates. The audit revealed that APD's recruitment strategy is lacking in effectiveness, primarily due to the absence of measurable objectives and a detailed recruitment action plan. Best practices suggest that recruitment goals should be specific, measurable, and time-bound, yet APD's current objectives do not meet these criteria.

The audit identified two main findings. First, APD's recruitment strategy does not include a clear action plan detailing who is responsible for recruitment tasks and the timelines for completion. Although the department has outlined broad strategies in its 2024-2029 strategic plan, these have not been translated into actionable steps as of March 2025.

Second, the audit highlighted that APD lacks a systematic process to evaluate the success of its recruitment efforts. The applicant tracking system used by APD has reliability issues, with inconsistencies in how applicant data is entered. This hampers the department's ability to analyze critical metrics, such as attendance at written tests and the duration of the hiring process.

Despite these shortcomings, APD is making efforts to enhance its recruitment outreach by engaging with military institutions, historically black colleges and universities, and local high schools. Recruiters are actively promoting careers in law enforcement, particularly to women, in line with APD's commitment to the 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to increase the percentage of women in sworn ranks to 30% by 2030.

The committee's discussions underscored the need for APD to refine its recruitment strategies and improve data management to effectively address its staffing challenges. The meeting concluded with a call for APD to develop specific action plans and metrics to better track recruitment success and enhance overall hiring practices.