Unit 2 Discussion 1 PSY8360
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Capella University *
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Jan 9, 2024
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Hello Dr. Loehrer and class,
Describe the current trends in the selection and hiring of law enforcement personnel.
Approximately 765,000 sworn police officers were employed by local and/or state agencies, and 120,000 were employed by the federal law enforcement agencies, in 2008. Some of the agencies included; county sheriff’s departments, state police agencies, etc. Federally speaking, some agencies included are; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Air Marshals, etc. Also, during this same year, almost 300,000 correctional officers were staffed within the nation’s
jails and/or prisons. In regard to the current trends in the selection and hiring of law enforcement personnel, it is reflective of community needs and expectations, and leans towards recruiting both men and women from culturally diverse backgrounds. These individuals generally have some education at the college level, and are considered, based on their behavioral profile, not excessively aggressive or too passive. Generally speaking, law enforcement agencies require individuals seeking a law enforcement position to complete; (1) an employment application, (2) an entry-level examination, (3) an initial job interview, (4) a physical agility test, (5) a background investigation, (6) a medical examination, (7) a polygraph test, and (8) a psychological evaluation. Recently, some new additions have been made to the background check section and may include; criminal history, driving records, financial history, work experience, personal association, and even online social networking. (Harmening & Gamez, 2016).
Identify and explain two psychological tests that you would administer if conducting a pre-employment psychological evaluation on a police officer candidate. Justify your test selection.
Agencies are responsible for protecting the communities in which they serve, therefore, having systems in place in regard to the selection and recruitment of officers is a must. Hence, why law enforcement agencies are recognizing the necessity of selecting the psychologically healthy applicants, and not selecting those applicants with various psychopathology markers. Law enforcement officers whom are selected “must be free of any psychological conditions or characteristics that would interfere with their duties” (Harmening & Gamez, 2016. p. 22). Two psychological evaluation in which could be administered during the pre-employment screening are;
Inwald Personality Inventory-2 (IPI-2)
; predicts the behaviors and/or attitudes in which are
likely to result in on-the-job failure within high-risk law enforcement, corrections, and security occupations. The IPI-2 is the only assessment in which was “created to post-offer selection of public safety candidates” (PSI Services LLC., 2019. Para. 2). The IPI-2 measures
personality characteristics, behavioral patterns, and can determine between individuals whom
express socially deviant attitudes and those whom act on them. A few key features include; fewer test items, new/updated scales, contemporary norm samples, personality profile graph, field training officer ratings, suitability, narrative interpretation for every scale, and critical items for follow-up evaluations. (PSI Services LLC., 2019). Matrix-Predictive Uniform Law Enforcement Selection Evaluation (M-PULSE); The M-PULSE inventory is a pre-conditional and post-conditional offer screening instrument designed for law enforcement selection and is very effective. This type of inventory can be utilized either pre-offer in order to identify a candidate’s liability potential or post-offer in order to serve as a total assessment in which includes historical, interview, and observational
data. Also, the M-PULSE inventory encompasses 18 liability scales that are predictors of officer misconduct, 16 empirical scales in which gauge attitude, value, and belief; and 10 California POST scales which measure personality facets specifically those related primarily related to police work. Likewise, there are 2 validity scales in which asses response biases and one supplementary scale in which assess for potential substance abuse issues. A few key features are; saves time, improves efficiency/accuracy, assesses from anywhere, and is user-
friendly for both parties involved. (Robert D. Davis, Ph.D., M.P., & Cary D. Rostow, Ph.D., M.P., 2019). Thank you, Drew Bales
Reference
Davis, R.D., Ph.D., M.P., & Rostow, C.D., Ph.D., M.P. (2019). M-PULSE Inventory: Matrix-
Predictive Uniform Law Enforcement Selection Evaluation. MHS Assessments. Retrieved from https://www.mhs.com/MHS-Publicsafety?prodname=mpulse
.
Harmening, William M., & Gamez, Ana. (2016). Forensic psychology. Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://capella.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780133913477/cfi/6/6!/4/2/40@0:0
.
PSI Services LLC. (2019). Inwald Personality Inventory-2 (IPI-2) Report. Retrieved from https://www.16pf.com/en_US/product/inwald-personality-inventory-2-ipi-2-report/
.
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