NCJ Number
14300
Date Published
1972
Length
73 pages
Annotation
FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF POLICE OFFICER ASSESSMENT TO IDENTIFY OFFICERS WHO PROVED TO BE HIGH RISK AND SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN SELECTED AND THOSE OFFICERS WHOSE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE INDICATES RAPID ADVANCEMENT POTENTIAL.
Abstract
THIS FOLLOW-UP STUDY ALSO ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY VARIABLES WHICH PROVE TO BE VALID PREDICTORS OF SUCCESSFUL OR UNSUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE AND PREDICTIONS MADE ON THE BASIS OF INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP INTERVIEWS. THE SUBJECTS FOR THIS PORTION OF THE STUDY WERE THE 249 RECRUITS WHO HAD ENTERED OR WERE READY TO ENTER TRAINING IN THE POLICE ACADEMY FROM THE PERIOD JANUARY, 1970 THROUGH JUNE, 1971. PREDICTOR VARIABLES USED INCLUDED BIOGRAPHICAL DATA FORMS, STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS, AND SEVERAL PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS (STRONG VOCATIONAL INTEREST BLANK FOR MEN), THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY, TEST OF SOCIAL INSIGHT, STRUCTURED-OBJECTIVE RORSCHACH TEST, AND INTELLECTUAL SKILLS TESTS. THE PREDICTOR VARIBLES ARE COMPARED WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THREE IDENTIFIED CRITERION VARIABLES - THE SUPERVISOR RATING FORM, PAIRED COMPARISON FORM OF EVALUATION ADOPTED FROM THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT STUDY, AND CONTINUED SERVICE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THREE MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF TESTING. OF 246 POLICE OFFICERS WHO ACTUALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY, 16 WERE IDENTIFIED WHO WERE NO LONGER WITH THE DEPARTMENT THREE MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF TESTING. IN CORRELATIONS OF PREDICTOR VARIBLES, ONE CORRELATION, DEPENDENCY-INDEPENDENCY CONFLICT, REACHED THE LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR THIS HIGH RISK GROUP. IN ASSESSING SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE ON THE POLICE FORCE, TWO VARIABLES, OCCUPATIONAL LEVEL AND FOREST SERVICEMAN CAME CLOSEST TO THE LEVEL NEEDED FOR STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE.