Pathways to Policing Targets Disciplined, Team-Oriented Candidates
A new recruiting campaign focuses on candidates from service backgrounds to improve recruitment quality, support transitions and build a stronger, more prepared police service
For Staff Sergeant Amy Saunders of the Outreach Unit, recruitment isn’t just about filling positions. It’s about finding people who already live the values policing demands.
Staff Sergeant Saunders and her team attend job fairs and community events throughout the year, encouraging people to consider a career in policing. The Outreach Unit also hosts informational sessions, fitness sessions and special events for potential recruits.
To take on a more focused approach and find the strongest possible candidates, Staff Sergeant Saunders turned to her colleagues in the Training and Education Bureau, asking them to identify top-performing recruits and describe what set them apart. Some patterns quickly emerged.
“They were strong leaders, they understood teamwork and they had discipline,” Staff Sergeant Saunders said. “And again and again, they came from similar backgrounds.”
Several backgrounds and previous professions were identified: Athletes, security professionals, military personnel and veterans, and emergency service workers (firefighters and paramedics). Each group brought a team-first mindset, resilience, discipline, leadership and the ability to perform under pressure.
“These individuals often transition more effectively into policing because their previous experience aligns closely with the realities of the role,” Staff Sergeant Saunders said.
Instead of waiting for these individuals to find policing, Staff Sergeant Saunders decided to go directly to them. This idea became the York Regional Police Pathways to Policing initiative in 2025, designed to proactively engage individuals from service-oriented backgrounds and introduce them to policing as a meaningful and viable career path.
The program provides structured, interactive information sessions tailored to each group. These sessions offer insight into the profession, career progression and organizational culture. They also incorporate scenario-based discussions, practical demonstrations and presentations by subject matter experts from various areas of our police service, to give participants a realistic understanding of policing.
Beyond hosting information sessions, members of the Outreach Unit meet potential recruits at sector-specific events, workplaces, fitness facilities and even sports arenas.
When it comes to recruiting athletes, the Outreach Unit gets particularly creative.
“We organize weight lifting events, spin workouts, and we’ll play team sports at community events or through our own initiatives,” Staff Sergeant Saunders said. “We’ll put a YRP team together or embed our recruiters on different teams. Then we’ll chat with the participants after.”
“It’s about building trust,” she continued. “Not just telling people about the job, but showing them what it’s like and getting to know them.”
The Outreach Unit, along with the rest of the Recruiting and Staff Management Bureau, is also building strong partnerships with universities and colleges (in their athletics, police foundations and security departments) and private security firms to build a pipeline of potential candidates.
“We get recommendations from these organizations and start mentoring candidates,” Staff Sergeant Saunders explained.
In the past, our recruitment efforts cast a wide net. Now, the focus is sharper, guided by feedback and ongoing refinement. Events are interactive, tailored and continuously adapted based on participant input.
The result is not just more candidates, but better aligned ones, since, according to Staff Sergeant Saunders, candidates from Pathways to Policing events already possess the key competencies to excel in policing.
The impact is starting to show. Candidates who first connect through the Pathways initiative often reappear months later applying, training and, in some cases, excelling at the top of their class.
The Outreach Unit is currently developing tracking metrics to better measure the success of the Pathways to Policing program and fine-tune the event structures and strategic partnerships based on these numbers.
