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Q&A
Challenges and strategies in recruiting correction officers
3:08:33
ยท
179 sec
Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie discusses the difficulties in recruiting correction officers and outlines strategies to address this issue. She emphasizes the need to change perceptions about the job and increase awareness.
- DOC faces nationwide challenges in recruiting correction officers
- Current staff are encouraged to recruit family members
- DOC is implementing programs to expose high school students to corrections careers
- The department is increasing presence at job fairs and colleges to promote opportunities
Vickie Paladino
3:08:33
The rest of the twenty four hour day, they are in their That's correct.
3:08:36
That's okay.
3:08:38
Let's let's move to the second question because I know with the decline in staff, how do we plan on recruiting more officers?
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:08:48
So we have done we we have done robust in terms of our effort to recruit officers.
3:08:56
We have evaluated how we can onboard staff members.
3:09:01
One of the things I can tell you just being at the department going into my tenth year, the main individuals who are responsible for recruitment are people who work at the department right, because that is a core group of people who would encourage their family members to come onto the job.
3:09:17
One of the challenges with DOC, NYC DOC, is just mirroring throughout the country how hard it is to recruit correction officers.
3:09:27
And so
Vickie Paladino
3:09:28
Okay.
3:09:29
Let me just interrupt you there.
3:09:31
Why do you think it's so difficult to recruit off a a good job?
3:09:36
Being a correction officer is a good job.
3:09:38
It's a proud job.
3:09:40
Being a police officer is a good job.
3:09:42
And yet we cannot find anybody to do these jobs.
3:09:45
We cannot The insight what is the incentives other than their lives being put at risk in the confines of Rikers.
3:09:56
We have our cops on the street that are tied up.
3:09:58
So I'm just looking for new and inventive ways to create some glamour around being a correction officer.
3:10:06
It's a dangerous, dangerous job.
3:10:08
I think my colleague here and our chairwoman had the perfect exam about hitting up this the younger kids in high school getting out of first two years of college is a good way to go about it.
3:10:20
We need to make it so this is a place where they wanna work.
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:10:24
I agree with you and one of the things that we've done is just encouraging even high school tours.
3:10:29
We just recently had a tour of students from a high school in Long Island, but it it is actually socializing being a correction officer from the beginning, from in school.
3:10:40
Like a lot of things are done for NYPD or firefighters, but correction officers, it's not the same.
3:10:46
So we are trying to create sort of pilot programs where people know and they're exposed to corrections at a younger age and it provides a pathway to becoming a correction officer.
3:10:57
Because that's really how we're going to be successful.
3:11:00
A lot of people, there's no they don't know what happens behind the gates.
3:11:05
They don't know what happens in a facility and how challenging it can be.
3:11:09
But I think we as a team here what we've decided to do is to make sure we're being intentional and letting people know how it is to become a correction officer And also just being more vigilant, being more present in the communities like our recruitment team.
3:11:25
Having them present at all job fairs, having them present at colleges, letting people know the opportunities.
3:11:31
Because a lot of people just don't know.