Police Psychology
Chapter 13
Recruitment and Selection
The process by which police agencies select
police officers
 Either by screening out those with
undesirable qualities or selecting in those
with desirable qualities
 Applicants are assessed for physical fitness,
cognitive abilities, personality, and jobrelated abilities/qualities

History of Police Selection
Used since the early 1900s
 1917: IQ tests used to select officers
 1950s: psychological and psychiatric
screening procedures were standard in many
agencies
 Today: background checks, medical exams,
selections interviews, personality
assessments, and psychometric tests

Police Selection in Canada
There are some Provincial and Territorial
differences (e.g., whether or not a polygraph
is required)
 All agencies conduct background checks
and require medical exams
 Most use cognitive ability tests and
personality tests

The Police Selection Process

Involves two stages:


Job analysis: Define what knowledge,
skills, and abilities make a good police
officer
Construction and validation: Develop an
instrument to measure these qualities and
ensure these qualities are related to
performance (predictive validity)
Selection Instruments
Selection interview
 Psychometric/Psychological tests:
 Cognitive ability tests
 Personality tests

Selection Interview

Selection interview:
One of the most common selection procedures
 Goal is to determine if applicant has the relevant
characteristics


Problems:


Research on predictive validity is mixed
Low level of agreement between interviewers
Psychometric Assessments
Measure a variety of characteristics (e.g.,
personality traits, skills, values, interests,
aptitudes, personality style, intelligence)
 Reflects personal strengths & weaknesses
& may identify certain disturbances

a lack of resources or self-care
 wealth of emotional intelligence (emotional selfmanagement, empathy, compassion, selfawareness)

Psychological Tests

Cognitive ability tests:
 Measures aptitude (memory, logic,
observation, comprehension)
 Used frequently in Canada (e.g., RCMP
Police Aptitude Test)
 Moderate predictive validity (slightly
higher for success during training)
(continued)
Psychological Tests

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory 2 (MMPI-2)
Designed to evaluate thoughts, emotions,
attitudes, & behavioural traits that comprise
personality
 10 basic clinical scales:



Paranoia; hypomania; psychopathic deviate; social introversion
Moderate predictive validity
(continued)
Psychological Tests

Personality tests:
 Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI)
 Measures personality and behaviour
 Developed specifically for police
selection
 Better predictive validity than the MMPI
Stress and Police Work
Policing involves high levels of stress on
officers and their families
 Perception, responses, and coping
strategies regarding stressors varies from
officer to officer

Sources of Police Stress




External stressors (Public & CJ stressors):
 Negative public opinion, bad media coverage, frustration
with court system
Internal stressors (Organizational):
 Dissatisfaction with training & pay level
Task stressors (Occupational):
 Having to use a gun & nature of police work (abuse etc.)
 Unpredictable & uncontrollable events
Individual stressors:
 Concerns regarding competence, success & safety
Consequences of Police Stress
Physiological
 Psychological
 Behavioural

 Job-related
Consequences of Stress:
Physiological
Police officers may be at an increased risk of
developing cardiovascular disease and
digestive disorders
 High blood pressure, ulcers, weight gain, and
diabetes are other ailments that may develop
 However, it is hard to distinguish if the causes
are stressors or lifestyle

Consequences of Stress:
Psychological and Behavioural

While some research indicates the following
problems are especially problematic for
police officers, other studies do not:
 Apathy, irritability
 Drinking and substance abuse
 Depression, anxiety, suicide
 Violence, marital problems
Consequences of Stress:
Job-Related
Consequences include poor morale,
absenteeism, reduction in effectiveness,
turnover, and early retirement
 These problems may result from physical,
psychological, or personal consequences of
stress

Preventing and Managing Police Stress

Many programs are in place to prevent and manage
police stress. These include:



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
Physical fitness programs
Professional counseling services
Family assistance programs
Critical Incident Debriefings
Teaching adaptive coping strategies
Do they access the resoureces? Or do they continue
to keep it “in-house?”

Adaptive Coping Strategies
Attempt to change maladaptive coping (e.g.,
substance abuse)
 Teach adaptive coping skills (e.g., better
communication)
 Has been shown to result in general health
improvements and increased work
performance
