Most police departments have the same problem right now. Open positions and a thin stack of applicants. Academy classes that do not fill. Officers retiring faster than new ones come in. The civilian applicant pool keeps shrinking. Many who do apply wash out in the first year.

There is a pool that fits law enforcement work almost out of the box. Transitioning military veterans. They are trained to operate under stress. They follow a chain of command. Many already hold a security clearance. They show up on time and they finish what they start.

The catch is that most departments do not have a real plan to find them. They post a job to a city careers page and wait. Veterans do not search that way. This guide shows how a police department or sheriff's office can source, screen, and keep military veterans. It is written for the recruiter or chief who wants to fill seats with people who last.

Why Do Veterans Fit Law Enforcement Work?

Start with the obvious. Police work runs on discipline, judgment, and the ability to stay calm when things go bad. That is what the military builds.

The Department of Justice has said this directly. Through its Vets to Cops program, the COPS Office points to a veteran's "strong work ethic, and the ability to work in teams and in challenging situations." That is not a sales pitch. It is the federal office that funds local police hiring telling you who to look for.

Break it down into what shows up on the job:

• Decisions under pressure. A veteran has made fast calls with real stakes. A traffic stop that turns tense will not be their first hard moment.
• Chain of command. Rank structure is second nature. They take direction and they give it. Field training goes smoother.
• Report writing and procedure. The military runs on documentation and standard operating procedures. The paperwork side of policing does not scare them.
• Physical readiness. Most pass the fitness test on the first try. Many have already done shift work and long hours.
• Clearance and trust. A veteran who held a clearance has already passed a federal background check. That signals a clean record and good judgment.

None of this means every veteran is a fit. Some are not. But the base rate of strong candidates is high. The traits you screen hardest for are the ones the military already drilled in.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 62,200 police and detective openings each year through 2034. Most come from people leaving the field, not new positions. That replacement churn is exactly the gap a steady veteran pipeline fills.

What Military Jobs Map to Police Work?

You do not need a candidate who was literally a cop in uniform. But some military jobs line up almost one to one with law enforcement. Knowing the codes helps you spot a strong applicant fast.

The closest matches are the military police and security roles:

• Army 31B Military Police. Patrol, traffic enforcement, investigations, detainee operations. See the full 31B Military Police civilian career guide for how these skills translate.
• Navy MA Master-at-Arms. The Navy's police force. Patrol, force protection, K-9, investigations. Their Master-at-Arms transition page covers the overlap.
• Air Force 3P0X1 Security Forces. Base law enforcement and security. Patrol, response, weapons handling. The Security Forces career guide shows the path.
• Marine Corps 5811 Military Police. Same core mission as the Army version. Law and order, patrol, investigations. Their 5811 Military Police page has the details.

These candidates often arrive with patrol experience, weapons quals, and even prior arrest or detention work. Some have done investigations. A few may already hold a state law enforcement certification from a prior role.

But do not stop at the MP codes. Plenty of strong officers come from other fields. A combat medic brings trauma care and a steady hand. An infantry team leader brings tactical judgment and leadership. An intelligence analyst brings investigative thinking. Read the duties, not just the job code. For more on this, our guide on mapping a military career field to your open reqs goes deeper.

Where Do You Find Transitioning Veterans?

This is where most departments lose the game. Veterans do not browse your city's job portal. You have to go where they are, before they are even out.

Start with the transition window. Service members can begin planning their exit up to a year out. The earlier you reach them, the better. By the time someone is fully separated, they may have already taken another offer.

Here are the channels that work:

That last channel is where BMR fits. We add over 1,000 new veteran profiles every month. More than 60,000 resumes have been built on the platform. Many come from military police, security forces, and combat arms backgrounds. These are people already in job-search mode. You are not cold-calling. You are reaching candidates who want the next role.

Our guide on where to post jobs to reach veteran candidates covers the full channel mix in detail.

How Does Veterans' Preference Work for Police Hiring?

Veterans' preference is a real edge in public-sector hiring. Most departments are governed by it whether they think about it or not.

The rules vary. Federal veterans' preference applies to federal jobs. But most states and many cities have their own veterans' preference laws for public safety hiring. These can add points to a civil service exam score, move a veteran up the eligibility list, or break a tie in their favor.

If you run a civil service process, check your state and local statute. The preference may be larger for service-connected disabled veterans. Some jurisdictions extend it to spouses or surviving spouses. Know your own rules before you build your list, because applying them wrong can get a hire challenged.

The federal side also helps fund this. The DOJ COPS Hiring Program gives extra consideration to agencies that commit to hiring or rehiring military veterans. If you are applying for a CHP grant, a veteran-hiring commitment can strengthen your application. Under the program, a qualifying veteran served on active duty for more than 180 consecutive days. At least part of that service fell on or after September 11, 2001. They left under honorable conditions.

How Should You Screen and Interview a Veteran?

A veteran's resume can read like a foreign language if you do not know the codes. Do not screen them out for that. Screen for the work underneath.

When you read a military resume, look past the acronyms. "Conducted dismounted patrols" means foot patrol. "Served as squad leader" means they supervised people and were accountable for them. "Maintained 100% accountability of sensitive items" means they handled weapons and gear with zero loss. Translate the duty, then judge it.

For a deeper screening framework, our recruiter's checklist for screening veteran applicants breaks down exactly what to look for.

In the interview, a few things will help you read them right:

• Ask about a specific incident. "Tell me about a time a situation went sideways and you had to act." Veterans answer this well because they have lived it.
• Watch for the team-credit habit. Many veterans say "we" when they mean "I." That is humility, not weakness. Follow up. "What was your part in that?"
• Probe judgment, not just rules. Policing needs discretion. Ask how they would handle a gray-area call. Their answer tells you more than any quiz on procedure.
• Check the transition mindset. Some veterans miss the structure of service. Ask why they want this role. The good ones want the mission, not just a paycheck.

One thing to keep in mind. Some veterans undersell themselves. They will not brag about a deployment or a commendation. Pull it out of them with follow-up questions. The strongest candidate in the room is sometimes the quietest.

How Do You Get Veterans Through the Academy and POST?

Hiring is only half the job. A veteran still has to pass your state's academy and certification, usually run through a Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, board.

The good news is that veterans tend to do well in academy. The structure is familiar. Physical training is not a shock. The classroom discipline is already there. Most clear the academy without trouble.

Where you can help is on the front end. A few moves smooth the path:

Be honest with candidates about the gap, too. Military law enforcement and civilian policing are not identical. Use of force rules differ. Constitutional law and civil rights training will be new ground for some. Set the expectation early and the academy will fill the gap.

How Do You Keep Veterans After You Hire Them?

Recruiting a veteran is wasted effort if they leave in year two. Retention is where the real return shows up.

Veterans stay for a clear set of reasons. They want a real mission, a path forward, respect for their background, and steady leadership. Departments that get this right keep their veteran hires longer than their civilian ones.

A few practical moves:

• Give structure early. A defined field training program with clear milestones plays to a veteran's strengths. Vague onboarding frustrates them.
• Show the promotion path. Veterans understand rank. Lay out how someone moves from patrol to detective, K-9, SWAT, or supervisor. Ambition is a retention tool.
• Use their leadership. A former NCO led people for years. Give them training, mentorship, or field-training-officer roles. Wasting that experience pushes them out the door.
• Respect Guard and Reserve service. Some hires still drill. Honor their obligations cleanly and they will stay loyal to your department.

The leadership point matters most. For more on the specific strengths to build around, see our piece on the leadership skills veterans bring that few candidates can.

What About Sheriff's Offices and Other Public Safety Roles?

Everything here applies to a sheriff's office, a corrections department, a state patrol, or a campus police unit. The pool is the same. The sourcing channels are the same. The screening logic is the same.

Sheriff's offices in particular often run jail and patrol operations together. A veteran with detainee or force-protection experience fits the corrections side cleanly. The same MP and security forces backgrounds carry over.

One line to draw. This guide is about public, sworn law enforcement. If you are hiring for private corporate security or in-house safety teams, the pool overlaps but the role is different. We cover that separately in our guide on hiring veterans for corporate security and public safety teams. And if your agency also runs disaster response, our guide on hiring veterans for emergency management roles covers that crossover.

Building a Veteran Hiring Pipeline That Lasts

You do not need a giant program to start. A midsize department can build a veteran pipeline with a few deliberate steps.

Pick one or two sourcing channels and work them consistently. Build a relationship with a nearby base transition office. Train your recruiters to read a military resume. Apply your veterans' preference correctly. Then back it up with onboarding that keeps people.

The veterans are out there, and many of them want exactly the work your department offers. The agencies that win are the ones that reach them first and treat the hire like it matters.

If you want a faster way to reach transitioning service members already searching for their next role, BMR can help. We add over 1,000 new veteran profiles every month, with more than 60,000 resumes built on the platform across military police, security forces, combat arms, and dozens of other fields. Reach out to access BMR's veteran talent pool and start filling your academy classes with people who will last.