NCJ Number
193284
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 68 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 29-35
Date Published
2001
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines the use of an integrated pre-employment roundtable by the Washington State Patrol (WSP).
Abstract
A roundtable is a group discussion of an applicant’s employment packet before making the final hiring decision. The WSP has three goals: to hire the best applicant by decentralizing the final hiring decision from one person to a team; to reduce agency risk of litigation; and to continually update the hiring process and the decision makers. The commander of human resources and the staff assigned to the cadet unit within human resources comprise the bulk of the roundtable. Pre-employment testing includes three phases: written tests, an oral board, and polygraph/background investigation. The scores of each are combined to yield a cumulative score. By the end of phase three, the human resource division (HRD) staff members have an extensive profile of each applicant. Applicants whose cumulative scores exceed the minimum cutoff are the ranked on a hiring register. Once a decision has been made to hire an applicant, the applicant is given an offer contingent on successful completion of psychological and medical interviews. The psychological evaluation consists of written psychological tests and an interview with the WSP department psychologist. The roundtable process was created to provide a comprehensive review of applicants who have been identified, though psychological testing, as potential risks if employed as a trooper cadet. The risks include anger management, risk-taking behaviors, potential for substance abuse, problems with authority and inflexible thought patterns. The roundtable personnel review all information on the applicant and formulate a comprehensive employment decision. The roundtable panel considers four possible outcomes: hire, hire with reservations, need more information, and do not hire. The article includes case examples of applicant psychological assessments. The roundtable panel was developed to ensure that a consensus opinion from knowledgeable people is reached concerning employment of an applicant when psychological testing shows potential concerns. This increases the likelihood that the best candidates will be hired and decreases the likelihood of negligent hiring.