Police recruitment problem solved? Myrtle Beach buys and customizes a Jeep Gladiator
The Myrtle Beach police Jeep Gladiator is hard to miss.
The vehicle is bright blue, has customized lights on every side of the vehicle and features a loud wrap on the hood.
It also has one word printed multiple times: “recruiter.”
As police departments across the country attempt to modernize recruiting tactics for a younger generation, Myrtle Beach hopped on an expensive bandwagon: Purchasing and customizing a vehicle.
Records show Myrtle Beach Police purchased the Jeep Gladiator last July and debuted it in the spring, department spokesperson Randolph Angotti wrote in an email. Recruiters bring the Jeep to various recruiting events, including job fairs across the country, and to community events.
Recruiting new officers is important for Myrtle Beach police, as the department is down 50 officers, said Chief Amy Prock during a press conference at the end of April.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department spent $59,851 on the customized Jeep Gladiator, Myrtle Beach Police receipts show. This includes $47,174 on the vehicle itself, about $11,500 in modifications and $1,200 on first aid kits.
Various police departments across the country have begun using a flashy car to gain recruits, Angotti wrote in an email. He listed Orlando and Los Angeles as examples, and various news reports show more cities also adopting the strategy.
The Sun News requested an interview with a Myrtle Beach Police employee involved with the recruitment but was not granted one.
“The City of Myrtle Beach and the Police Department maintain an annual budget for vehicle acquisitions, upgrades, and maintenance. This includes investing in technology, improving safety features, enhancing visibility, and replacing aging units. The Jeep Gladiator was one of the vehicles budgeted in the current fiscal year as a multi-purpose asset. While it supports our recruitment and community engagement efforts, it is also equipped to serve in operational roles that standard patrol cars cannot fulfill,” Angotti wrote in an email.
The Jeep has the potential to go over beach terrain or through high waters if needed, Angotti wrote, although it has not been used in this way yet.
Despite the hefty price tag, it is difficult to gauge the Jeep’s efficacy as a recruitment tactic, said Sam Blonder, the CEO of Epic Recruiting.
“In recruiting, like any kind of marketing, sometimes the return on investment is less tangible and less hard,” Blonder said.
The Sun News asked if the Jeep Gladiator has caused anyone to apply or if it has helped with recruiting efforts but Angotti did not respond to the questions.
However, Blonder said departments like Myrtle Beach Police are “doing the right thing” by trying to engage with a new audience. Too often Blonder sees police agencies trying to recruit in traditional ways, such as job fairs and postings, which do not work with younger recruits.
Epic Recruiting show police how to leverage social media and marketing to entice Gen Z and millennials to join the police force, Blonder said.
“What agencies are starting to understand is that they need to modernize their recruiting outreach. That’s what my company does, helps them do that,” Blonder said.
Blonder said a decked out recruitment vehicle could get applicants and recruiters excited about working with the police department.
“If the team is motivated and (the vehicle) gets people excited about the brand, then I’m all for it,” Blonder said.
