NCJ Number
81356
Date Published
1972
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This document presents the executive summaries of the three volumes comprising a study of the police recruitment and selection system in Massachusetts.
Abstract
The study was conducted at the request of the Division of Civil Service and the Civil Service Commission of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The findings have implications not only for Massachusetts but also for other States' systems and for civil service recruitment and selection procedures in general. An analysis of the patrol officer's job was based on a literature review, interviews with police personnel, and data collected on a task analysis questionnaire. Patrol officers' functions were divided into the categories of order maintenance, law enforcement, and public service. Using a description of the model police officer, positive selection criteria for entry level positions were developed and compared with existing criteria. The police entrance examination received special attention. Among recommendations for selection criteria were that age requirements be open and flexible, weight and height requirements be proportional rather than absolute, good character be determined on the basis of positive evidence, and that high school graduation or an equivalency certificate be the only acceptable educational requirement. Reordering of selection procedures and a revision of several forms and applications were also recommended to produce an orderly and simplified selection system. The report concluded that the recruitment system is inadequate and that active recruitment should be a localized activity meeting definite personnel needs. Recruitment campaigns should identify the target population to determine motivating factors, consider the communication channels to deliver the message most effectively, and use such communication methods as recruitment teams and posters. Footnotes are included.