NCJ Number
59213
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
ISSUES AND POLICIES PERTAINING TO EVALUATION OF POLICE APPLICANTS FOR BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL SUITABILITY AT ENTRY AND PERFORMANCE DURING TRAINING ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
OVER THE YEARS PSYCHOLOGY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO POLICE SCREENING DECISIONS, BUT HOW THIS INPUT CAN BE BEST UTILIZED DEPENDS ON THE PHILOSOPHY UNDERLYING THE SELECTION PROCEDURE. ALTHOUGH SUITABILITY AT ENTRY AND PERFORMANCE DURING TRAINING HAVE BEEN SEPARATE IN THE PAST, RECENT CONCERNS OVER NONDISCRIMINATORY EFFECTIVE SCREENING AND JOB-VALID ACADEMY TRAINING SUGGEST THAT PREEMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING EVALUATION PROCEDURES COULD BE MERGED INTO A SINGLE, CONTINUOUS SYSTEM. A FURTHER DISTINCTION IS MADE WITHIN THE PREENTRY ASSESSMENT PROCESS, ACCORDING TO THE UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY OF THOSE PARTIES CONCERNED WITH HIRING, AND THE SCREEN-OUT SELECT-IN DISTINCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, THE GOVERNMENT, CONCERNED PRIMARILY WITH CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES, MAY BE SAID TO LEAN TOWARD THE FORMER, IN WHICH THE MOST UNSUITABLE APPLICANTS ARE ELIMINATED; MUNICPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS, IN CONTRAST, FOLLOW THE SELECT-IN PHILOSOPHY, UNDER WHICH ONLY THE BEST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS ARE SELECTED. ANOTHER PROBLEM ARISES WHERE IN THE SCREENING AND EVALUATION PROCESS THE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGY IS BEST IMPLEMENTED. BECAUSE INTENSIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION CAN BE EXPENSIVE, MAKING IT THE FINAL STEP MAY SEEM APPEALING, BUT THIS CAN CREATE TIME PROBLEMS IF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STAFF IS SMALL AND THERE IS A LARGE POOL OF APPLICANTS. ONCE THE DECISION IS MADE TO ADMIT AN APPLICANT TO THE TRAINING ACADEMY, THE EVALUATION ISSUES SHIFT FROM CONCERNS WITH POLICY AND LEGALITY TO PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. THE SAME CONFLICTS ARISE, HOWEVER, REGARDING THE ATTEMPT TO BALANCE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES AND EFFECTIVE POLICE BEHAVIOR. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION DURING TRAINING HAS CHANGED GREATLY EVER THE LAST DECADE TO INCLUDE THE BEHAVIORAL SPECIFICATION OF TRAINING GOALS, THE USE OF PERFORMANCE AND SITUATIONAL TESTS IN EVALUATION, AND INDIVIDUALIZED CURRICULA INCORPORATING PROGRAMMED TEXTBOOKS, BEHAVIORAL SITUATIONS, AND VIDEO AND AUDIO TAPE PRESENTATIONS. TO EFFECTIVELY RESOLVE THE CONFLICTS IN THE PRESENT IMPLEMENTATION OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCREENING AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION METHOD, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE SEPARATED FUNCTIONS OF SCREENING, TRAINING, AND PROVIDING FIELD PERFORMANCE EVALUATION BE COMBINED INTO AN INTEGRATED SET OF SITUATION TEST EXERCISES, CONDUCTED THROUGH POLICE ASSESSMENT CENTERS. REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (LWM)