NCJ Number
57561
Date Published
1975
Length
33 pages
Annotation
A SERIES OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS COMPLETED BY 376 MICHIGAN STATE POLICE OFFICERS WERE USED TO DEVELOP A LIST OF PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES ESSENTIAL FOR THE JOB. THESE REQUIREMENTS WILL APPLY TO MALE AND FEMALE APPLICANTS..
Abstract
THE OLD PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND AGILITY TESTS USED TO SELECT RECRUITS FOR THE STATE POLICE FORCE WERE NOT NECESSARILY JOB RELATED. THEY ALSO DISCRIMINATED AGAINST WOMEN BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THAT TARGETED TRAINING SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED A WOMAN'S PERFORMANCE LEVELS ON SUCH TESTS. TO DEVELOP NEW STANDARDS, RESEARCHERS ASKED EACH PATROL OFFICER TO ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF TIMES A WEEK OR A MONTH A CERTAIN TASK WAS PERFORMED; THEY ALSO ASKED FOR DATA ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TASK AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE TASK. CERTAIN TASKS, SUCH AS SAVING A DROWNING PERSON, WERE PERFORMED INFREQUENTLY BUT WERE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION WAS THEN REDESIGNED AND BROKEN DOWN INTO TWO PARTS. THE FIRST PART MEASURES TASK-RELATED SKILLS WHICH COULD NOT BE REASONABLY EXPECTED TO IMPROVE WITH TRAINING AND THE SECOND PART TESTS SKILLS WHICH CAN BE ACQUIRED THROUGH TRAINING; IT IS GIVEN BEFORE THE NEW PATROL OFFICER GOES ON DUTY. BOTH LIFESAVING AND A NUMBER OF PHYSICAL STRENGTH ITEMS HAVE BEEN MOVED FROM THE INITIAL TEST AND ARE BEING TAUGHT DURING THE TRAINING PHASE. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IS STRENGTH HAVE BEEN RECORDED, ESPECIALLY FOR FEMALE RECRUITS. THE REPORT CONTAINS CHARTS SHOWING THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND TASK RATINGS, TABLES SHOWING PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE, AND REFERENCES. (GLR)