Waning Perceptions of Public Safety: Are Military-Experienced Law Enforcement Recruits the Answer

This study was developed to explore public service motivation (PSM) amongst military and nonmilitary millennials. This population is of interest to the criminal justice field as the majority of law enforcement officer applicants are comprised of millennials. Little to no research was identified that explored millennials' motivation to seek public safety careers. Three research questions provided the basis for analysis: (a) Was there a difference in PSM (as indicated by overall scores on the Public Service Motivation Scale) between millennials with military service experience and those without military service experience? (b) Was PSM (as indicated by overall scores on the Public Service Motivation Scale) between millennials with military service experience and those without military service experience influenced by gender? (c) Was PSM (as indicated by overall scores on the Public Service Motivation Scale) between millennials with military service experience and those without military service experience influenced by higher education? This study used a quantitative, nonexperimental, causal comparative approach that employed survey methodology to collect data to explore these questions. The independent variables included military service, gender, and postsecondary education. The dependent variable for this project was PSM. The study participants were of the millennial age group (18-34 years of age at the time of the study). Of those that responded, 86 reported no military service whereas 83 did. Results showed that there was a significant statistical difference between millennials who experienced military service and those who did not, reflecting higher levels of PSM for those who did experience military service. PSM was also higher among females than males. No significant interaction effects were identified.