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How to hire a law enforcement specialist

Law enforcement specialist hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring law enforcement specialists in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a law enforcement specialist is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per law enforcement specialist on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 19,911 law enforcement specialists in the US and 8,021 job openings.
  • Cedar Falls, IA, has the highest demand for law enforcement specialists, with 4 job openings.
  • Alexandria, VA has the highest concentration of law enforcement specialists.

How to hire a law enforcement specialist, step by step

To hire a law enforcement specialist, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a law enforcement specialist:

Here's a step-by-step law enforcement specialist hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a law enforcement specialist job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new law enforcement specialist
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a law enforcement specialist do?

In the military, a law enforcement specialist is in charge of preventing and investigating crimes within the military bases. Although the extent of their responsibilities highly depends on their area of assignment, it usually includes patrolling different places, responding to distress and other emergencies, conducting interviews on witnesses and suspects, and monitoring security systems. There are also instances when they must keep guard of facilities and properties. Moreover, as a law enforcement specialist, it is essential to be proactive and alert in dealing with different situations due to the nature of the job.

Learn more about the specifics of what a law enforcement specialist does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your law enforcement specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a law enforcement specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a law enforcement specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a law enforcement specialist that fits the bill.

    The following list breaks down different types of law enforcement specialists and their corresponding salaries.

    Type of Law Enforcement SpecialistDescriptionHourly rate
    Law Enforcement SpecialistPolice officers protect lives and property. Detectives and criminal investigators, who are sometimes called agents or special agents, gather facts and collect evidence of possible crimes.$16-76
    RangerA ranger is responsible for protecting and conserving natural resources and environmental conditions. Rangers coordinate with environmental institutions and landowners to identify land conservation strategies to prevent destructible threats of wildfires and calamities... Show more$11-21
    Community Services OfficerCommunity service offers or CSO support in crime response, investigation, and prevention where police powers are not necessary. The community service officers assist the police officers in terms of upholding order and law in the community... Show more$12-25
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Physical Security
    • Patrol
    • Field Training
    • Data Entry
    • Public Safety
    • Emergency Calls
    • Law Enforcement Agencies
    • Criminal Law
    • Vehicle Accidents
    • Subpoenas
    • Various Training
    • Child Support Cases
    • Government Agencies
    • Incident Reports
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Develop and manage firearms training programs, including weapons selection and qualification standards.
    • Provide security via law enforcement patrol and investigate violations of military and federal law and traffic accidents.
    • Complete non-commissioned officers training and necessary certifications for law enforcement patrol, honor guard and desk sergeant duties.
    • Provide tactical operations, port readiness, weapons familiarization and qualifications, coastal security, anti-terrorism, and force protection.
    • Provide additional security for ceremonies, bank escorts, VIP visits, local festivals, and special events.
    • Provide successful dignitary and VIP security.
    More law enforcement specialist duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the law enforcement specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A law enforcement specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a law enforcement specialist in Arkansas may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level law enforcement specialist. Additionally, a law enforcement specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average law enforcement specialist salary

    $75,567yearly

    $36.33 hourly rate

    Entry-level law enforcement specialist salary
    $35,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 5, 2025

    Average law enforcement specialist salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New York$121,370$58
    2District of Columbia$111,616$54
    3New Jersey$100,460$48
    4Massachusetts$98,541$47
    5Illinois$96,292$46
    6Washington$95,567$46
    7Texas$83,074$40
    8Indiana$75,871$36
    9California$75,045$36
    10Nevada$72,513$35
    11Iowa$71,750$35
    12Arizona$69,924$34
    13Virginia$69,156$33
    14Florida$66,413$32
    15Alabama$65,386$31
    16Georgia$62,692$30
    17Colorado$59,302$29
    18Wisconsin$56,989$27
    19Hawaii$55,378$27

    Average law enforcement specialist salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Simpson Thacher & Bartlett$196,859$94.64
    2Dentons$151,361$72.77
    3Google$139,987$67.30
    4Iowa State Association of Counties$82,830$39.82
    5Live Nation Entertainment$81,884$39.372
    6Siegel$79,027$37.99
    7Epiq$72,857$35.03
    8Federal Reserve$70,247$33.77
    9San Bernardino County$66,452$31.95
    10Richards Kibbe & Orbe$65,945$31.70
    11University of Colorado Boulder$65,066$31.28
    12Coconino Community College$62,039$29.83
    13University of Wisconsin System$55,486$26.682
    14Amazon$55,368$26.6222
    15Iowa Department of Transportation$54,749$26.32
    16Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs$53,776$25.85
    17Liberty Healthcare$52,871$25.4214
    18State of West Virginia$48,732$23.4314
    19Indiana State Police$43,615$20.97
    20Texas State Teachers Association$35,810$17.22
  4. Writing a law enforcement specialist job description

    A good law enforcement specialist job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a law enforcement specialist job description:

    Law enforcement specialist job description example

    If you need assistance during the recruiting process due to a disability, please reach out to our Recruiting Accommodations Team through the Accommodation Request form. This form is used only by individuals with disabilities who require assistance or adjustments in applying and interviewing for a job. This form is not for inquiring about a position or the status of an application.
    Policy Enforcement Specialist:

    Are you interested in helping people achieve their dream vacations by providing Trust, Health & Safety support? Vrbo, a part of Expedia Group is an exciting, international company that is redefining the market to become the world's leading vacation rental marketplace. We are seeking a highly motivated Policy Enforcement Specialist to join our Trust, Health & Safety Operations Team.

    The team is responsible for helping to reduce revenue leakage and policy violations on our site by educating customers on our marketplace standards and policies. The Trust, Health & Safety Operations Team responsibilities span from marketplace operations policy enforcement to identifying and limiting marketplace risk to create a safe environment for our customers to find, list, and reserve vacation rentals.

    What You'll Do:

    * Assist partners and travelers and educate them on Expedia Group's policies, Terms and Conditions and Marketplace Standards

    * Stay up-to-date on product changes in order to provide accurate and thorough support

    * Carrying out investigative work based on monitoring traveler reviews, complaints, incidents and media reports also covering weekends to ensure continuous monitoring and timely response.

    * Implementation of clear communication to peers, collaborators, and leadership

    * Advocate for customer needs by suggesting improvements to marketplace offerings or experience

    * Effectively deal with job stress and sensitive subject matter

    * Build positive rapport and communicate appropriately with different personality types

    * Apply the accurate service etiquette to satisfy various customer situations

    * Help to analyze and identify issue severity levels and follow appropriate procedures for various types of customer situations

    * Assist with process and knowledge base documentation as needed to help further the team's overall knowledge in support of customers

    * Analyze and draw conclusions to bring efficiency to the business

    * Take on various tasks that require critical thinking; be comfortable with becoming Subject Matter Expert on specific use cases

    * Demonstrates initiative to handle most tasks independently

    * Collaborate closely with outsource vendors to ensure delivery of agreed SLAs, including targeted auditing program and key system development projects, within set deadlines.

    * Responsible for data entry and database maintenance.

    Who You Are:

    * Experience related to Marketplace Trust, Health and Safety/Investigative / Auditing/travel operations environment a plus

    * Demonstrate intermediate MS Office skills, particularly Excel (pivot table/VLookup/VBA macros). CRM systems (Salesforce)

    * Speak a second language (examples, but not limited to Spanish, French, Portuguese, German)

    * Feel comfortable taking the lead on new policy / process creation and enforcement (spot needs for adapting/ maintenance)

    * An enthusiastic and capable administrator.

    * Demonstrate experience of learning new technical skills in a busy, demanding and constantly evolving environment.

    * Understanding of technology with focus on e-commerce, ability to learn quickly.

    * Accurate data entry skills.

    * Good interpersonal ability.

    * Strong communication skills, both written and oral, phone and face to face.

    # LI-LM1

    About Expedia Group

    Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) powers travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Expedia Group's family of brands includes: Brand Expedia , Hotels.com , Expedia Partner Solutions, Vrbo , trivago , Orbitz , Travelocity , Hotwire , Wotif , ebookers , CheapTickets , Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert , CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™.

    © 2021 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50

    Employment opportunities and job offers at Expedia Group will always come from Expedia Group's Talent Acquisition and hiring teams. Never provide sensitive, personal information to someone unless you're confident who the recipient is. Expedia Group does not extend job offers via email or any other messaging tools to individuals to whom we have not made prior contact. Our email domain is @expediagroup.com. The official website to find and apply for job openings at Expedia Group is careers.expediagroup.com/jobs.

    Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's I-9 to confirm work authorization.
  5. Post your job

    To find law enforcement specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any law enforcement specialists they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level law enforcement specialists with the right educational background.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your law enforcement specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit law enforcement specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit law enforcement specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new law enforcement specialist

    Once you've decided on a perfect law enforcement specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new law enforcement specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a law enforcement specialist?

Hiring a law enforcement specialist comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting law enforcement specialists involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of law enforcement specialist recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

Law enforcement specialists earn a median yearly salary is $75,567 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find law enforcement specialists for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $16 and $76.

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