Question 1 on Importance of psychological evaluations in police recruitments
The case of John, a young military veteran, who joined peace police after working in low-ranking positions, is a clear indication of why psychological evaluations are essential. Prior psychological evaluations indicated that John had moderate emotional detachments and low levels of empathy. The agency decided to take him to the police academy without going through the psychological tests again. As a result, he was fired a few years after that for unreported cases of abuse of power. This outlines the usefulness of psychological evaluation and why all stages must be completed. It is at this point for the assessment that the agency determines whether an individual is emotionally and psychologically moral to uphold the rule of law and respect other people’s liberty and rights. The psychological evaluation ensures that a person has ethical standards required to take specific responsibilities. The psychologist working for the agency helps them in determining whether the person they are looking to hire must possess the necessary attributes to succeed as a police officer. The fact that John did not qualify for the position of a peace officer as per the first psychological assessments is evident that the agency erred in taking him to the academy without taking another test. One can conclude that someone who has not gone through psychological evaluations before joining the academy is not qualified for that position. Qualified is defined as someone who has completed physical requirements for the position applied for, polygraph information, and criminal background check. These tests help in collecting background information about an applicant, research knowledge, and making sure that legal standards of employment are followed as stipulated. When a psychological evaluation is completed, then all these details are available.
Question 2
Yes, a psychological evaluation is necessary even if a person had served police successfully as a non-sworn officer.
All jobs have requirements and standards that determine whether a person is qualified. When psychological evaluations have not been administered, then it is not possible to realize whether a person has empathy or psychopathology problems. The psychological assessment help in unearthing the morals and emotional stability of a person to undertake police roles effectively. Personality measures like Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), California Psychological Inventory (CPI), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Revised (MMPI-2), Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire-Fifth Edition (16PF) are all used in psychological personality measures to determine whether a person is qualified for a job. In this case study, John is proof that even if a person has served a police agency in the non-sworn capacity, he or she must go through the psychological evaluation tests again. It was evident that John had psychological issues from the beginning, but his seniors ignored that when they decided to take him to the academy without conducting the tests again. After a few years, he was dismissed for using excessive force, something that might have affected the reputation of the agency. Skipping psychological evaluations proved expensive for the department. Besides, the agency allowed someone who was not qualified to go up through the ranks, a move that could have affected the morals of other officers working with him.
Question 3
The use of psychological evaluation in police recruitments started as early as the 1950s. By 1954 the Los Angeles Police Department was successfully using psychological testing when selecting police. The LAPD also used these tests in determining the probability of an officer(s) being successful in police agencies. The subjective measures were used to corroborate information about an applicant’s character, psychopathology, personality traits, personality disorders, and attitude tests. Since then, many personality measures have been adopted and used by all police departments across the chttps://studygroom.com/biopsychosocial-model-for-social-workers/ountry.
Question 4
Use of personality instruments in police selection
Personality measures are tools for psychological evaluation of police job applicants. Personality traits are used in conjunction with other details to determine the attitude of an applicant, provide personal attributes information, psychopathology and characteristics, and discover personality disorders. These details provide information about a person’s psychological profile. However, the tests must be conducted by a licensed practitioner for the reliability and validity of the information provided. For example, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Revised (MMPI-2) accurately assesses psychopathology and personality characteristics, which help in predicting problematic behaviors that might lead to termination of an officer from the law enforcement authority. The California Personality Inventory (CPI) helps in assessing usual personality features in an applicant through the use of 462 false-true report questions. The Inwald Personality Inventory, on the other hand, determines the personality and behavioral characteristics of a person. Thus, all personality measures are essential in unearthing specific attributes of a person. These characteristics are used to select the best candidate for the job.
Question 5
A psychological assessment should be conducted before employment. This is possible through the use of pre-employment interviews. Before a person is employed, he or she should be assessed to determine whether they are fit for the job and that why psychological assessment is essential before offering applicants an opportunity. The best candidate to succeed as a police officer is someone who demonstrates emotional stability, cultural sensitivity, sound ethical reasoning, psychological health, and moral intelligence. These qualities must be identified before offering an applicant the opportunity to be a police officer. Through psychological assessments, it is also possible to determine whether an individual can work under stress, making rational decisions, effectively communicate with others, and capable of making sound judgments. It is only through a before employment psychological assessment that a police agency will be in a position to determine whether an applicant is fit for a police job.
Question 6 on the Importance of pre-employment psychological interview
The purpose of pre-employment interviews is to analyze best practices in police profession, behavioral history, applicant’s attributes as well as job analysis. After a personality test, the meetings allow the evaluators a chance to do a follow-up. The follow-up helps in addressing questions on decision making, judgment, relational or financial problems, rule-breaking habits, substance abuse, employment problems, and coworker conflict. Depending on the evaluator’s assessment, a decision is made on whether to hire a candidate. Behavioral patterns are discovered during this crucial stage. A person might have no psychopathology cases but have little desire to work in the agency, and that why the role of evaluator through pre-interview questions is essential. A one-on-one engagement between an evaluator and selected applicants helps in understanding a person better by asking personal items that might not have been covered in personality tests. The indicative of symptoms that might cause a problem at the workplace are must be critically looked at by the evaluator before making the final decision.