DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF SUPERVISORY AND PEER SCALES FOR POLICE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL (FROM POLICE SELECTION AND EVALUATION, 1979, BY CHARLES D SPEILBERGER - SEE NCJ-59208)

• NCJ Number: 59212
• Author(s): J L FARR; F J LANDY
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-71-063-6; NI-73-99-0036-6
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Hemisphere Publishing Corp
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIORALLY ANCHORED SCALES (BAS) FOR RATING THE JOB OF POLICE PATROL OFFICER ARE DISCUSSED; IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BAS SYSTEM ARE EXPLORED.

Abstract

BEHAVIORALLY ANCHORED SCALES (BAS), AS STRUCTURED BY SMITH AND KENDALL, ATTEMPT TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES FOUND IN TRADITIONAL SCALES. THE BAS SYSTEM PROVIDES FOR RATINGS ON SPECIFIC DIMENSIONS OF JOB PERFORMANCE, USES MULTIPLE SOURCES OF RATING INFORMATION, AND IS BEHAVIORALLY BASED. EMPLOYING THE BAS FRAMEWORK, A TOTAL OF 58 POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN 28 STATES PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BAS FOR THE POLICE OFFICER POSITION. PERFORMANCE DIMENSION IDENTIFICATION AND DEFINITION FOR THE JOB OF MUNICIPAL POLICE OFFICER OCCURRED IN A SERIES OF CONFERENCES INVOLVING 15 POLICE DEPARTMENTS. IN TWO CONFERENCES ATTENDED BY SUPERVISORY OFFICERS, EIGHT PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS WERE IDENTIFIED INCLUDING JOB KNOWLEDGE, JUDGMENT, INITIATIVE, DEPENDABILITY, DEMEANOR, ATTITUDE, RELATIONS WITH OTHERS, AND COMMUNICATION. IN TWO CONFERENCES ATTENDED BY OFFICERS (PEERS) PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS NAMED WERE JOB KNOWLEDGE, JUDGMENT, USE OF EQUIPMENT, DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC, RELIABILITY, DEMEANOR, COMPATIBILITY, COMMUNICATION, AND WORK ATTITUDE. SPECIFIC INSTANCES OF JOB BEHAVIORS THAT EXEMPLIFY THE PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS IDENTIFIED AT THE CONFERENCES WERE IDENTIFIED BY MAIL FROM CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS. SEVERAL HUNDRED SAMPLES WERE OBTAINED, AND WERE EMPIRICALLY EVALUATED FOR USEFULNESS AS PERFORMANCE DIMENSION ANCHORS USING BAS METHODOLOGY. USING THE PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE SCALES, 2,545 PATROL OFFICERS IN 48 DEPARTMENTS WERE RATED ON THE SUPERVISORY SCALES, AND 2,030 OFFICERS IN 37 DEPARTMENTS WERE RATED ON PEER SCALES. THE SCALES WERE EXAMINED FOR RATING ERRORS SUCH AS HALO, CENTRAL TENDENCY, AND LENIENCY. ON A ONE TO NINE SCALE, AVERAGE PEER SCALE RATING WAS 6.60 AND 6.45 FOR THE SUPERVISORY SCALE. CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THE BAS AND OTHER MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS NUMBER OF ARRESTS, ARREST-CONVICTION RATIOS, WERE POSITIVE. THE DATA AS A WHOLE SUGGEST A CONVERGENCE BETWEEN THE BAS MEASURE OF PERFORMANCE AND OTHER PERFORMANCE EVALUATORS. THE BAS EVALUATION PROCEDURES CANNOT BE PROPERLY IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT PRIOR CONSIDERATION OF THE DEPARTMENT'S ADMINISTRATIVE, COUNSELING, AND PERSONNEL RESEARCH FUNCTIONS; HOWEVER, THE SYSTEM HAS MANY CHARACTERISTICS WHICH CAN MAKE IT A USEFUL TOOL IN ALL THREE AREAS. REFERENCES AND GRAPHS ARE PROVIDED. (LWM)