NCJ Number
125378
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 95-122
Date Published
1990
Length
28 pages
Annotation
Information from interviews with police managers in 8 police agencies, a survey of police officers in 19 police agencies, and a literature review formed the basis of this analysis of the hiring and promotion practices of Canadian police forces.
Abstract
Findings showed that the most frequently used hiring and promotion procedures have not kept pace with advances in the technology of personnel selection. Thus, personality tests are widely used despite the lack of evidence regarding their validity in predicting future job performance. In addition, the low cutoff score set for cognitive ability tests limits their effectiveness. Moreover, few police agencies provide their supervisory staff with standardized guidelines regarding performance assessment. Furthermore, promotion boards rarely use systematic, behavior-specific questions in their interviews. Results suggested the need for the use of background checks for police applicants, more effective use of cognitive ability tests, and the increased use of work samples as a method of assessment. Tables and 19 references.