Personnel - Considerations in Relation to Police Field Procedures - Definition and Scope of the Area

• NCJ Number: 72071
• Author(s): Anonymous
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 63 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The paper examines general standards of practice and problems which occur in the area of police personnel, focusing on recruitment, selection, training, and administration.

Abstract

Since all aspects of personnel directly affect field tactics, it is necessary to examine those aspects of personnel which contribute to effective police departments. Minimal personnel standards include active recruitment campaigns with heavy emphasis on direct contacts with groups of young people who are potentially desireable recruits, scientifically-based selection devices, training in the specifics of police procedures and in human relations, and administration attitudes open to change. Difficulties have been noted in all the above areas, but especially in recruitment and administration. Recruitment problems center on public attitudes toward the police. Recruitment problems center on public attitudes toward the police. Administrative concerns center on administrative rigidity, inadequate funding, personnel resource preservation (keeping the police on the police on the job and effective), police ethics, inadequacy of the civil service system, and coordination of police services. A review of personnel practices across the U.S. finds recruitment, selection, assignment, and management below standard in many departments, with few innovative recruitment and selection programs, and no innovations in organization and personnel management. Some programs recommended for general adoption include continuous school contact programs, library programs, revised selection procedures to eliminate inadequate civil service written exams, coordinated selection programs with local universities and community mental health services, and internship programs. Other programs recommended for field testing include personnel exchanges, personnel ratings based on customer satisfaction, special effort programs for minority recruitment, development of a variety of police auxiliary groups, aid to administrators, and departments, and pilot projects to develop techniques for change. Research is needed concerning recruit initiation, neighborhood participation in police planning and work, ethics standards, and management selection and development programs.