Abstract
The paper discusses necessity of conducting psychological examinations for police officers during the process of recruitment. The issue of psychological exams for law enforcement officers has been a critical topic with some people claiming that it is used to further discrimination in employment. However, the research argues that screening is a necessity for police officers since the exercise assists in the recruitment of suitable candidates that are in the right frame to undertake duties that are related to the job. The psychological examinations help in analyzing the psychological state of mind of the candidates. They are used to measure the cognitive competence of the police applicants. It aims at determining the psychological fitness of the applicant in relation to their future job performance. The officers chosen are thus able to handle the high stress levels associated with the job without using excessive force or engaging in maladaptive practices.
Introduction
Psychological testing for police officers before their employment has become a hotly debated issue in the United States of America. Despite the controversies that surround the conversation, an estimated 90 percent of law enforcement agencies require that applicants for their vacancies are screened before they are absorbed into the organizations as employees (Corey & Borum, 2012). Many agencies are placing their trust on the psychologists’ opinion when hiring. However, many would be officers do not understand why the issue of psychological tests is problematic within the profession. There are a lot of benefits that are connected with conducting psychological tests, especially when it is used in hiring police force. Therefore, the use of psychological examination for police officers is a necessity because it aids in selecting candidates that are in the right frame to undertake the duties that are related with the job.
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Discussion
There are various personnel practices that are have been used over years, particularly when recruiting law enforcement candidates. The methods of recruitment incorporate the ways of assessing the potential of the police officers. The emphasis on more extensive methods of hiring candidates helps in eliminating the impact of having candidates that are unqualified. There is currently a greater emphasis on psychological testing in the police force. The increased emphasis was as a result of misconduct that included excessive use of force (Lowmaster & Morey, 2012). Therefore, a commission established by the president recommended using psychological testing for police officers in order to determine their suitability for the job through an analysis of their state of mind. Screening of police officers using psychological examinations helps in weeding out officers that are emotionally unfit to hold such positions. A series of psychometric and behavioral measures are employed to help in the election of officers that are psychologically and mentally stable and thus able to cope up with high levels of stress that are associated with police tasks (Annell, Lindfors & Sverke, 2015). The effectiveness of psychological testing has thus made it a crucial tool in conducting police recruitment. It has ensured that most officers that are absorbed into the service are mentally stable.
Psychological examinations are important to the hiring process of the police force because they help in demonstrating a reasonable measure of job performance. The use of the tool has been previously challenged in the legal arena under the argument that it is utilized to promote discrimination in the employment of police officers (Annell, Lindfors & Sverke, 2015). However, the courts have been able to determine the screening measure has standards that are connected to the job. Therefore, the government and other private organization for law enforcement can administer the psychological tests to determine the capacity as well as the fitness levels of the candidates that are seeking to be absorbed into the jobs. The various court cases have served to validate the use of psychological examinations in conducting police recruitment practices because they are job related. Therefore, proper use of psychological screening tests is aimed at ensuring the creation of an effective police department.
Psychological examinations in the police recruitment process are used to measure the cognitive competence of the police applicants. Reviews of psychological testing measures have been conducted to determine their validity. Common instruments that have been used in the past such as the Binet-Simon test and modern instruments such as the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Revised have been reviewed for validity and reliability in terms of their psychometric measure of intelligence and have been found to be theoretical and empirically sustained (Corey & Borum, 2012). Through the psychological tests, the recruiters are able to determine intellectual performance of individuals both at school and while on the job. According to Corey and Borum (2012), intelligence is considered a good predictor for future job performance, especially for law enforcement officers. Besides, general intelligence of the police recruits is associated with their ability to be successfully trained while in the police academy. The complexity of police work makes it necessary to include psychological testing as part of the application process.
Therefore, the application of the psychological examinations in the police recruitment process is mainly aimed at determining the psychological fitness of the applicant in relation to their future job performance. Examination of police officer performance on their tasks has shown a positive correlation between police officers that performed considerably high in their intelligence tests, sociable scales and self-confidence (Tarescavage, Corey & Ben-Porath, 2015). Therefore, the main purpose of psychological testing is the elimination of police candidates that have been determined to have undesirable traits. It helps in diminishing the legal liability that is connected to the hiring of candidates in the police department. Cases of police use of excessive violence or handling of criminals in unjustified ways are reduced. Therefore, the force does not have to handle many legal cases related to unprofessional conduct of their officers.
The use of psychological examination in the recruitment of police officers is crucial for both organizational effectiveness and for the protection of the police officers. The community also benefits when the officers that are hired are intelligent and have emotional stability. Given the nature of their jobs, police officers have the authority to lawfully confront, question, search and detain citizens (Annell, Lindfors & Sverke, 2015). They can also make use of deadly force when it is justified. Therefore, officers that are selected to serve must have the capability of assessing the environment in an objective way. They must also be able to exercise sound judgement when making decisions on their use of authority. The officers have to also execute their tasks in an efficient and effective manner. When officers are recruited on the basis of their intelligent and emotional stability, they are able to cooperate with other officers and are also capable of withstanding different levels of stress in their work environment without resorting to use of excessive force or using maladaptive defense mechanisms (Tarescavage, Corey & Ben-Porath, 2015). They are also able to resist temptations that include taking or soliciting bribes or personalizing confiscated illegal substances. The psychological examinations are an important tool of testing the cognitive intelligence of the officers as well as their emotional and behavioral maturity. Unsuitable candidates should thus not consider the use of psychological screening as discriminative because their efficiency and effectiveness have been both theoretically and empirically proven.
Conclusion
Using psychological testing in the recruitment practices of police officers is of great necessity in assisting selection of candidates that are in their right frame of mind to undertake duties that are related to the job. Psychological screening of candidates is important because it helps in determining the cognitive intelligence of the candidates as well as their mental and psychological state. Candidates that do not display the required features are left out of the force thus limiting the amount of legal cases that are associated to the recruitment process. The officers that are selected are in their right frame of mind to handle the various types and levels of stress that are related to the job of a police officer. The officers are thus able to handle community members without engaging in excessive use of force or maladaptive practices that include personalizing illegally confiscated goods.
References
Annell, S., Lindfors, P., & Sverke, M. (2015). Police selection–implications during training and early career. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management , 38 (2), 221-238.
Corey, D. M., & Borum, R. (2012). Forensic Assessment for High‐Risk Occupations. Handbook of Psychology, Second Edition , 11 .
Lowmaster, S. E., & Morey, L. C. (2012). Predicting law enforcement officer job performance with the Personality Assessment Inventory. Journal of Personality Assessment , 94 (3), 254-261.
Tarescavage, A. M., Corey, D. M., & Ben-Porath, Y. S. (2015). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) predictors of police officer problem behavior. Assessment , 22 (1), 116-132.
