NCJ Number
81919
Date Published
1981
Length
182 pages
Annotation
The current use of police selection requirements among U.S. agencies having 100 or more sworn personnel is analyzed.
Abstract
The threefold goal of the study was (1) to provide a summary of current police selection requirements and procedures; (2) to identify any trends in the use of selection criteria through an analysis of requirements used during the past decade; and (3) to determine whether a cooperative, multiagency selection approach would complement current law enforcement needs, agency characteristics, and the selection requirements used. Type of agency (municipal departments, county sheriff departments, and State departments of public safety) were found to account for significant variance in the use of four selection requirements: (1) the intelligence test requirement, (2) the psychological test requirement, (3) the physical agility examination, and (4) the residence requirement. Department size accounted for significant differences in the use of minimum age requirements and the use of the intelligence test requirement. The geographic location of the agency was the most powerful characteristic affecting selection requirements. Findings show that over the past decade, there has been a decline in the use of physical requirements, along with a simultaneous adoption of more general body-proportion guidelines and an increase in the use of psychological and intelligence tests. Study findings support the continued and expanded use of the cooperative law enforcement selection model between municipal, county, and State law enforcement agencies in close geographic proximity. The use of cooperative assessment centers would be a model for this type of selection. Future research is recommended, and tabular data are provided. A total of 30 footnotes and about 120 bibliographic listings are provided. For other volumes in this series on the Criminal Justice Human Resources Planning Project, see NCJ 81727, NCJ 81914-18, and NCJ 81920-21.