NCJ Number
9884
Date Published
1973
Length
110 pages
Annotation
REPORT BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE SOURCES, COMPILED WITHOUT POLICE DEPARTMENT COOPERATION, FOUND EMOTIONALLY UNQUALIFIED POLICE APPLICANTS WERE NOT SCREENED OUT.
Abstract
A CRITIQUE OF THE PRESENT SELECTION PROCESS AS WELL AS A HISTORY OF THE SELECTION PROCESS UNDER O.W. WILSON IS PRESENTED. THE REPORT SHOWS THAT THE DEPARTMENT, UNDER SUPERINTENDENT JAMES B. CONLISK, HAS SYSTEMATICALLY DISMANTLED THE MODEL PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING PROGRAM OF FORMER POLICE SUPERINTENDENT ORLANDO W. WILSON. THE RESULT, ACCORDING TO THE FINDINGS OF THE REPORT, IS A PROGRAM OF HIRING AND SELECTION THAT IS ELABORATE AND EXPENSIVE BUT DOES LITTLE TO INSURE THAT THE MOST WELLQUALIFIED APPLICANTS ARE SELECTED TO BE CHICAGO POLICEMEN. IN ADDITION, IT FOUND THAT NEW RECRUITS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING POOR PERFORMANCE POTENTIAL ARE SYSTEMATICALLY ASSIGNED TO HIGH-CRIME, GHETTO DISTRICTS 'WHERE THE MOST SENSITIVE AND SEASONED PATROLMEN SHOULD BE ASSIGNED.' THE STUDY GROUP ALSO FOUND THAT THE SCREENING PROCESS DOES NOT TEST FOR QUALITIES RELATED TO JOB PERFORMANCE AS A POLICE OFFICER AND DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MINORITIES BY UNJUSTIFIABLY DISQUALIFYING THEM IN HIGH NUMBERS.