Chapter Four

1. Chapter Four From Citizen to Officer: Preparing for the Street

2. Recruiting Qualified Applicants • Applicants typically come from lower-middle-class or working class backgrounds • High school education and history of employment • Primarily motivated by the need for job security

3. Recruiting Qualified Applicants • More psychologically healthy • Generally less depressed and anxious • More assertive and interested in making and maintaining social contacts • A more homogeneous group • Females are more assertive and have higher energy level than male applicants

4. Recruiting Problems and Successes • Recruitment is one of the top problems facing police agencies • State of the economy may have an influence • Needing college credits may be another issue • Salary matters may be an issue

5. Recruiting Problems and Successes • Retaining women in police service • Gender bias and sexual harassment • About 60% of female officers who leave their agency do so during their second to fifth years on the job

6. Recruiting Officers in Northern Ireland • Current practice is for 50% of officers to be Catholic and 50% to be non-Catholic • 18 to 52 years of age and in good physical and mental health • Very supportive of community policing philosophy

7. Testing: The Hurdle Process for New Personnel • Criminal records checks, background investigations, driving record checks, personal interviews, psychological evaluations, written aptitude tests, physical agility tests, personality inventory, drug tests, and medical exams are commonly used

8. Written Examinations Four types of written tests 1. Cognitive tests 2. Personality tests 3. Interest inventories 4. Biographical data inventories

9. Written Examinations • General intelligence tests • Psychological screening tests • Stability and suitability • Tests of suitability are the MMPI and the California Personality Inventory (CPI) • It has been found that 2 to 5 percent of applicant pool may be eliminated due to severe emotional or mental problems

10. Physical Agility Test • Select job-related physical agility tests • Police must perform three basic functions • Getting to the problem • Resolving the problem • Removing the problem • Using job-related tests do not discriminate on basis of gender, race, height, age, or physical condition

11. Personal Interview • Used by 98% of all police agencies • Assess aspects of the candidate that cannot be measured on other tests • Can be used to allow the candidate how they would respond given certain scenarios

12. Character Investigation • Nearly all departments use background checks or character investigations • Will be one of the most time-consuming and costly elements of the process • Checking references • Will find any skeletons buried in the applicant’s background

13. Polygraph Examination • 25 percent of the nation’s agencies use the polygraph

14. Medical Examination and Drug Screening • Policing is no place for the physically unfit • Unfit personnel are thought to have lower energy levels, to give less attention to duty, and to take more sick days • More and more often, police agencies are requiring drug testing

15. Assessment Center • May include interviews; psychological tests, in-basket exercises, management tasks, group discussions, role-playing, fact-finding exercises, oral presentation exercises, and written communication exercises • Individual and group role-playing provides a hands-on atmosphere

16. Assessment Center • During each exercise, several assessors or rates analyze the performance • Give some type of score • Investing the money now can help the agency make the best hiring decisions and save problems for years to come

17. Academy Training • Types of academies • In-house police academies • State and regional academies • Preservice model • Civilians attend police academies at their own expense, hoping to be hired after graduating

18. Curriculum • Weighted toward technical aspects of police work • Three types of academies • Stress academy • Emphasize physical, mental, and emotional activities that transform the recruit into a disciplined officer

19. Curriculum • Technical training model • Teaches useful operational skills and the use of equipment • College system • Occurs in college setting and stresses professionalism • Focus on discussion and problem analysis

20. New Demeanor and Uniform • Recruits adopt new identity and system of discipline • Learn how to approach situations • Beginning of the officer’s working personality • Image is everything

21. Suspicion: The “Sixth Sense” • Suspicion is important to the street officer • Be able to physically sense when something is wrong or out of the ordinary • Cannot approach every situation with the holster unsnapped • Cannot be prejudicial in their actions or speech

22. Computer-Based Training (CBT) • Becoming increasingly popular and very effective • Simulates real-life situations • Virtual reality • May be used in pursuit driving, firearms training, critical-incident management, and crime-scene processing

23. Postacademy Field Training • Field training officer (FTO) program • Protective arm of a veteran officer • Four identifiable phases of FTO • Introductory phase • Training phases • Evaluation phase • Final phase

24. Police Training Officer (PTO) Program • Takes traditional FTO to a higher level • Covers two primary topics • Substantive topics • The most common policing activities • Core competencies • The required common skills which officers engage in and are required in the daily performance of duties

25. Police Training Officer (PTO) Program • New officers must pass 15 core competencies, specific skills, knowledge, and abilities that are essential for good policing • Learning matrix demonstrates interrelationship between daily policing activities and core competencies

26. New Technology • ADORE (Automated Daily Observation Report and Evaluation) • Allows FTO to take computerized notes • Reduces paperwork • Pursuit simulation

27. Working Personality: Having the “Right Stuff” • One study found the average officer to be more intelligent, assertive, dependable, straightforward, and conscientious than civilians • Studies have also found conservatism and high degree of cynicism • These traits also found in society at large

28. Working Personality: Having the “Right Stuff” Broderick’s view of working personality • Enforcers • Idealists • Realists • Optimists

29. What Traits Make a Good Cop? • Enthusiasm • Good communication skills • Good judgment • Sense of humor • Creativity • Self-motivation • Knowing the job and the system

30. What Traits Make a Good Cop? • Ego • Courage • Discretion • Tenacity • Thirst for knowledge

31. Roles, Functions, and Styles of Policing Who defines the police role? • Private citizens • Legislative bodies • Courts • Executives • Police officers themselves

32. Roles, Functions, and Styles of Policing Four basic policing functions • Enforcing the laws • Performing services • Preventing crime • Protecting the innocent

33. Roles, Functions, and Styles of Policing James Q. Wilson maintained there are three distinctive policing styles • Watchman style • Legalistic style • Service style