NCJ Number
179745
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 47 Issue: 10 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 42-45
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Police agencies throughout the United States were surveyed to determine the screening methods used to select police applicants and the percentage of applicants who passed each of the various testing methods.
Abstract
The survey was sponsored by the Portland Police Department to determine the best practices for selecting the best applicants from those meeting the minimum State standards. The survey gathered information from a random sample of municipal police agencies, including the largest agency in each State, and from a random sample of additional agencies. Responses came from 55 of the 87 agencies surveyed. The five most common screening methods were a written test, used by 98 percent of agencies; medical examination (96 percent); background investigation (96 percent); psychological examination (94 percent); and physical fitness test (90 percent). Methods used less often included oral interviews, polygraphs, a chief's or command interview, a writing test, and other tests. The average pass rate for the 32 agencies providing data was 15 percent; the standard deviation was 9.8 percent. Agencies with fewer than 250 officers had much higher average pass rates than did larger agencies. Findings suggested that the quality of the testing method and not the testing method was crucial. The survey was not large enough to be statistically significant for application. However, it indicated that agencies with reasonable criteria and at least the top five methods of selection should expect a passing rate in the low teens. In addition, the better designed the test is, the less risk exists that the agency will hire someone who will betray the trust placed on the officer by the agency and society. Tables, photograph, and 1 reference