JOB ANALYSIS OF ENTRY-LEVEL PEACE OFFICERS IN GEORGIA PHASE 1 REPORT - PROJECT CAREERS

• NCJ Number: 50128
• Author(s): D N RANNEFELD; R L LOWE JR; K R COOK
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 156 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76A-20-005
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Georgia Peace Officer Standard and Training Council
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

JOB ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES WERE EMPLOYED TO DETERMINE THE DUTIES OF AND RELATED TASKS PERFORMED BY PEACE OFFICERS IN GEORGIA.

Abstract

THREE METHODS OF JOB ANALYSIS WERE APPLIED: TASK INVENTORYING, A POSITION-ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE, AND A JOB-ELEMENT APPROACH. A LIST OF 119 TASK STATEMENTS WAS DEVISED TO DESCRIBE THE CORE OR ESSENCE OF THE JOB OF PEACE OFFICER. THESE TASKS WERE RATED BY ENTRY-LEVEL JOB INCUMBENTS ACCORDING TO THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH THEY WERE PERFORMED AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING A JOB. THEY WERE ALSO ANALYZED BY SUBPOPULATION GROUPINGS, SUCH AS SIZE AND TYPE OF AGENCY, AND TYPE OF JURISDICTION SERVED, TO DETERMINE IF ANY STATISTICAL DIFFERENCES EXISTED AMONG PEACE OFFICER DUTIES. THROUGH THE USE OF THE POSITION-ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY MENTAL AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH PEACE OFFICER DUTIES. THE JOB-ELEMENT ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT 45 PERCENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES OF PEACE OFFICERS WERE USUALLY ACQUIRED WHILE ON THE JOB AND THAT 44 PERCENT WERE ACQUIRED DURING BASIC TRAINING. THREE MAJOR CONCLUSIONS WERE REACHED AS A RESULT OF THE JOB ANALYSIS PROJECT: (1) THE JOB OF PEACE OFFICER IN GEORGIA IS DIFFICULT AND COMPLEX, REQUIRING THE PERFORMANCE OF A WIDE VARIETY OF TASKS AND WITH ABOVE AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE, DECISIONMAKING ABILITY, NUMERICAL AND VERBAL APTITUDE, AND MANUAL DEXTERITY PREREQUISITE; (2) WHILE CRITICAL TASKS PERFORMED BY PEACE OFFICERS ACROSS THE STATE VARY, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME; AND (3) ONLY 11 PERCENT OF THE REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES IDENTIFIED FOR PEACE OFFICERS IS USUALLY POSSESSED AT THE TIME OF SELECTION OR EMPLOYMENT. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MORE ANALYSIS AND THE COLLECTION OF JOB-RELATED DATA ARE OFFERED THAT ARE INTENDED TO MEET THE PERSONNEL NEEDS OF GEORGIA'S LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY. STUDY INSTRUMENTS, FORMS USED IN THE ANALYSIS, SUPPORTING DATA, AND PROCEDURAL INFORMATION ARE APPENDED. AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, GLOSSARY, AND BIBLIOGRAPY ARE PROVIDED. (DEP)