NCJ Number
46586
Journal
Journal of Applied Psychology Volume: 61 Issue: 6 Dated: (1976) Pages: 750-758
Date Published
1976
Length
9 pages
Annotation
SUPERVISORY AND PEER RATING SCALES FOR MUNICIPAL POLICE OFFICERS ARE DEVELOPED, AND THEIR USE WITH RATERS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCALES IS DEMONSTRATED.
Abstract
FIFTY-EIGHT POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN CITIES WITH POPULATIONS GREATER THAN 40,000 COOPERATED IN CONSTRUCTING AND FIELD TESTING SUPERVISORY AND PEER RATING SCALES. A TOTAL OF EIGHT SUPERVISORY AND NINE PEER SCALES WERE DEVELOPED. THE PSYCHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCALES INDICATED THAT THEY WERE SUITABLE FOR USE IN EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF PATROL OFFICERS. PRINCIPAL-COMPONENTS ANALYSES INDICATED THAT THREE LINEAR COMPONENTS DESCRIBED THE VARIATION IN RATINGS FOR BOTH SUPERVISORY AND PEER SCALES. INTERPERSONAL ORIENTATION OR APPLIED INTERPERSONAL SKILLS WAS FOUND TO BE ONE COMPONENT; TECHNICAL ADEQUACY IN DAILY FUNCTIONING, A SECOND COMPONENT; AND DEMEANOR OR PROFESSIONAL BEARING, THE THIRD. WHILE THESE COMPONENTS APPARENTLY REPRESENTED SIMILAR CONSTUCTS, THEY WERE REPRESENTED BY PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS SPECIFIC TO THE LEVEL OF OBSERVATION, THUS INDICATING THE IMPORTANCE OF USING SEPARATE PEER AND SUPERVISORY SCALES FOR MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF PATROL OFFICERS. THE DATA SUGGESTED THAT MANY AGENCIES WERE ABLE TO USE THE SCALES EFFECTIVELY EVEN THOUGH RATERS FROM THOSE AGENCIES WERE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RATING SCALES. A TABLE OF SCALE LABELS AND DEFINITIONS FOR BOTH THE PEER AND SUPERVISORY SCALES IS INCLUDED, ALONG WITH TABLES OF DATA DERIVED FROM THE STUDY. (RCB)