I’m getting old, and so is the police department for which I work. Personally, I’m not thrilled about it. Sure, some things get better with age. My stiff joints, not so much. I guess the only thing I can do is adjust and do my best to remain healthy. Our department is also trying to adjust and remain healthy, with 40% of our sworn police force eligible for retirement over the next five years. We are hiring like crazy, and we aren’t the only ones. An influx of young new hires, smartphones in hand, are positioning themselves to be the future of law enforcement in our country. And isn’t the culture clash between “the future” and those who represent the 40% described above a little fun to watch sometimes? Pass the popcorn! But seriously, I view this clash as an existential threat to the future of the labor organization I lead as we struggle to remain relevant to these younger officers.

We aren’t alone. The next time you’re at one of your labor organization’s meetings, have a look around. You’ll likely see a board so friendly with Father Time that they could all be golf buddies. And the attendees? Are you seeing fresh, youthful energy? Probably not. I’m guessing you’re seeing retirees and Gen Xers with stoic faces weathered by a career’s worth of trying to fix everything wrong in society. And make no mistake, LEO labor organizations need the guiding experience and wisdom of more seasoned members who know that a Crown Vic on the rocks is a pursuit gone bad, not a fancy cocktail. But here’s the problem: We won’t be around forever. The challenge is to get the next generation involved, engaged and energized to continue building from the foundations we have set. And who is this next generation to whom I refer? Introducing Generation Z.

Generation Z

Gen Z is composed of individuals born after 1996. Essentially, these are your members who are in their 20s. As a 51-year-old LEO labor leader who remembers pink “messages while you were out” slips on a spike, this group strikes me as different. Not different in a bad way, just different. While I can barely manage to keep up with my email from a traditional computer, these technology enthusiasts can navigate email, social media, text messaging, a music playlist and a myriad of other applications from a smartphone … seemingly all at once. They get tech. They also tend to be well-educated. In fact, Gen Z is viewed as the most educated generation ever. They are, statistically speaking, more likely than any other generation to have some college education and/or college-educated parents. 

Gen Z’s desires in life are not foreign. As you begin spending time with them (and you should be), the mysteriousness of this group begins to dissipate. They are energetic, funny and ambitious. They want success. Many are shaping up to be incredible cops. The bottom line is this: We can’t afford to let our labor organizations time out with the status quo. We must break through to Gen Z.

Is your organization also struggling to remain relevant to this growing younger membership base of Gen Zers? I’m betting so. You want them engaged, and the sooner the better. But how? Look, I don’t have all the answers. Truthfully, our meetings and events trend toward “the 40%” and some retirees. But slowly and surely, we are beginning to move the needle. I’ll share a few things we have learned about this group and some of the approaches we have taken to build Gen Z engagement within our LEO labor organization.

Leadership that represents Gen Z

Want your organization to remain relevant to your Gen Z members? Give them a reason to know that their leadership is paying attention to their interests. Start identifying young officers with leadership potential. Be intentional about this. Get out in the field and begin speaking with your line-level folks about who these leaders are. LEO labor leaders should constantly be thinking about succession planning anyway, but the challenge with Gen Zers is to get them plugged in as soon as possible. 

As leadership openings occur, initiate serious conversations with your board about the importance of getting some of these fresh faces in positions to guide your organization. Answer this question: Is the goal of succession planning to politically advance those who have “done their time,” or to develop a board that is relevant to all of your members? In our case, we had two openings on our executive board and we wanted to become as relevant as possible to our entire membership. We recruited strong young officers for those positions, including a four-year patrol officer who is now our lodge treasurer. I love explaining to my Gen Z members how a four-year officer is in a position to shape the future of our organization. 

Beyond your board, think about conferences, committees, sponsored trainings, events planning and other opportunities to develop Gen Z leadership. This process must be driven by your organizational leadership. Don’t sit around hoping that your talented Gen Zers will show up and get involved. Go get them.

Communicating with Gen Z

I sat down with a group of our Gen Z officers at an annual training. During break, they pulled out their smartphones and began using an app to play a card game — no physical cards, all electronic. Aside from that, it was  what you might expect from cops playing cards: good conversation, banter, jokes and laughs. These Gen Zers are a crackup. They had this 40 percenter rolling!

As they digitally reshuffled, I suavely pulled out my three-generations-ago Android and showed one of them a video. It was a great segment showing an officer using textbook tactics to subdue a very bad person. The young officer gave it about five seconds before he told me it was cool, turned away and carried on with the group. I only had him for about five seconds. He wasn’t being disrespectful. It’s just that he needed only a few seconds to process the information before moving on. This is typical of Gen Zers. They process information at lightning-fast speeds. It’s no coincidence that the average Instagram video is 6 to 10 seconds long. And by the way, almost all of your Gen Z members will be on Instagram, so you should consider an organizational account. Need someone to run it? I can’t think of a better way to get a Gen Z member plugged in and working on social media to benefit your organization. 

It’s important to remember that Gen Zers grew up scrolling social media, so knowing that they process information quickly should guide us as we communicate with them. They won’t read long, rambling emails. Give them the information concisely. Use bullet points if possible. Newsletters may be consumed by your retirees and those who wax longingly about the best police vehicle ever made (Crown Vic, of course), but good luck getting a Gen Zer to sift through one of those. If you want them to watch a video, keep it short. Hit them with relevant information quickly. Many website providers are offering group text-messaging features. This is perhaps the most promising method of getting information out to your Gen Z members that will actually be consumed by them consistently.

Gen Z events and functions

Social events and functions can help create strong team bonding within any group, LEO labor organizations included. Want to get your Gen Z members to show up? We are finding that they aren’t drawn to traditional booze-based parties. I’m not saying that they never have a desire for a drink or two; it’s just that they prefer to have them while doing something else, as opposed to an event where drinking is the only purpose. They prefer experiential events and/or family events. They’re active, so sports-themed events, like softball tournaments, have been a big draw for our Gen Z members. We are also planning pickleball events and some kickball league involvement.

How do we know these are the types of events they like? They tell us so. We have two Gen Z members on our social committee. We sought them out and asked them to get involved, and they jumped in. They are planning events everyone can enjoy. I mean, who doesn’t at least like watching coed cops bean each other in the ass with a rubber ball?

Ask them

The best strategy for breaking through to your Gen Z members may be the simplest: Ask them. Ask them how your organization can better communicate with them. Ask them what kind of social events and functions they prefer. Ask them what it takes to get them engaged. These conversations will remind them that your organization values their involvement. 

We must break through to Gen Z — lest our labor organizations go the way of the Crown Vic.