The ridgefield police department, a rural agency in southwest washington, proposes a new, multifaceted recruitment project to attract more candidates to their growing police department

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services awarded the City of Ridgefield $175,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants program (CFDA 16.710) to fund a police recruitment initiative for the Ridgefield Police Department.

The project delivers digital recruitment strategies including production of recruitment videos, development of a recruitment-specific website, and targeted social media advertising. Current police officers will conduct personal outreach at community and higher education recruitment events across Washington and Oregon. Deliverables include shareable videos, a website, recruitment pamphlets, and a report documenting key takeaways and lessons learned; these outputs are designed to support recruitment efforts in other rural police departments.

The City of Ridgefield, a municipality in southwest Washington, is the recipient. Performance occurs in Ridgefield, Washington, with officer outreach activities in Washington and Oregon. The period of performance runs through September 30, 2027.

The project will include digital recruitment strategies such as producing recruitment videos, a recruitment-specific website, and targeted social media advertising. Additionally, current police officers will attend community and higher education recruitment events in washington and oregon in order to provide personal outreach to potential candidates. Project deliverables will include shareable videos, a website, recruitment pamphlets, and a report that includes key takeaways and lessons learned, all of which can help other rural police departments in theirrecruitment efforts.