NCJ Number
129025
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 38 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1990) Pages: 66-69
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Stanard and Associates, an industrial psychology firm that specializes in testing police candidates, recommends a 4-step selection process that includes a basic skills test, a physical-agility test, a psychological assessment, and a background information sheet.
Abstract
The basic skills test is a paper-and-pencil test that determines if potential candidates can read, solve arithmetic problems, and handle writing assignments of the type police officers are required to perform in training and on the job. The next step in the testing process, the physical-agility test, recreates actual situations an officer would routinely perform so as to determine a candidate's physical fitness to handle officer duties. The third step in the testing, the psychological assessment, measures cognitive abilities (judgment and reasoning) pertinent to officer job tasks and personality characteristics; the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is used for the latter evaluation. The personality evaluation focuses on whether the candidate has integrity, is conscientious, is able to take commands as well as give them, has good judgment, and is able to relate well with coworkers. The fourth step involves completion of a background information sheet that includes questions on educational background, job experience, personal strengths, career objectives, and characteristics the person looks for in a supervisor. A one-on-one interview is used to confirm test results and resolve any conflicting qualification measures.