NCJ Number
219809
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 76 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 10-16
Date Published
August 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the purpose and importance of formal psychological fitness-for-duty evaluations (FFDE) for police officers as well as how they should be conducted and reported.
Abstract
Through a FFDE, law enforcement agencies hope to determine an officer's psychological capability of remaining on the job and to identify measures that can improve the officer's effectiveness or provide reasonable accommodations that allow the officer to continue working with identified disabilities. The FFDE functions, in part, to provide a basis for recommendations regarding an officer's education, retraining, counseling, or treatment. Ideally, agencies will use the evaluation to help find ways to rehabilitate officers. The FFDE combines elements of risk management, mental health intervention, labor law, and departmental discipline. A licensed psychologist or board-certified psychiatrist with law enforcement experience should conduct the evaluation. The referring supervisor should provide specific statements about the officer that warranted the referral for a psychological FFDE. Since the validity of the FFDE depends on the accuracy of the information officers provides, they must provide honest and accurate information in the course of the testing. Ultimately, the examiner will prepare a report that will first go to the referring department. The report should contain basic information about the officer and the evaluation, the reason for the evaluation, background information on the officer, a review of pertinent records, results of the clinical interview and behavioral observation, findings for collateral interviews with other people who have relevant information, psychological test findings, conclusions, and recommendations about how the officer can be helped so as to improve his health and job performance. 10 notes