NCJ Number
53347
Date Published
1976
Length
92 pages
Annotation
A NONDISCRIMINATORY PHYSICAL ABILITIES TEST BATTERY FOR PHEONIX, ARIZ., POLICE RECRUITS WAS DEVELOPED USING RESULTS OF A JOB ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL TEST GIVEN TO CURRENT OFFICERS TO SELECT BASIC REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.
Abstract
THE JOB ANALYSIS CONSISTED OF OBSERVING MALE AND FEMALE POLICE OFFICERS ON PATROL FOR 80 HOURS AND INTERVIEWING OFFICERS AND THEIR SUPERVISORS IN EACH DISTRICT. THE OBSERVATIONS AND THE INTERVIEW RESPONSES WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE POLICE OFFICER PHYSICAL ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE. THAT QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DISTRIBUTED TO 16.5 PERCENT OF MALE PATROL OFFICERS AND 100 PERCENT OF FEMALE PATROL OFFICERS. THEIR RESPONSES WERE CROSS-TABULATED AND ANALYZED ACCORDING TO SEX, PERFORMANCE, DISTRICT, AND SHIFT OF EACH OFFICER AND BY ACTIVITY. ACTIVITIES THAT WERE MENTIONED BY AT LEAST 50 PERCENT OF THE OFFICERS WERE ADOPTED IN SOME FORM TO AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST BATTERY ADMINISTERED TO A SAMPLE OF 66 OFFICERS. PERFORMANCE ON THE EXPERIMENTAL TEST BATTERY WAS ANALYZED USING A VARIETY OF MEASURES AND THE OFFICERS WERE RANKED ACCORDING TO TEST PERFORMANCE. THEN A FINAL PHYSICAL TEST BATTERY WAS DEVELOPED USING FORMS OF ACTIVITIES THAT DID NOT APPEAR TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN PERSONS SEXUALLY OR RACIALLY, BUT DISCRIMINATED BETWEEN PERSONS WHO PERFORMED NECESSARY PHYSICAL SKILLS. THE FINAL BATTERY CONSISTED OF THESE ACTIVITIES: A 5-FOOT DITCH JUMP, A 106-YARD RUN, AND A 30-YARD ROUGH TERRAIN RUN. THE MINIMUM STANDARDS WERE ESTABLISHED USING INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY ACADEMY INSTRUCTORS ON ACADEMY-ACQUIRED PERFORMANCE ABILITY. THE QUESTIONNAIRE, TESTS, AND TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED ALONG WITH A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. (DAG)