PSYC 3120: Forensic Psychology - Module 2 (Police Psychology)

True

T/F: the police selection process varies greatly across police departments

I) Screening out (bad features)

II) Selecting in (good features)

What are the 2 typical ways police departments select officers?

• Physical fitness

• Cognitive abilities

• Personality

• Integrity

• Job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)

What are police applicants assessed for?

IQ Tests

What unique method was used for officer selection in 1917?

Temperament scales used to predict job success

What methodology was implemented between 1917-1950 to aid in officer selection?

Psychological and psychiatric screening

What was the standard for officer selection in the 1950s?

• Background checks

• Medical exams

• Selection Interviews

• Cognitive tests

• Personality assessments

What is the standard for police selection today?

Medical exams & Background Checks

Although there are provincial/territorial differences , which two criteria are consistent across all agencies?

I) Job analysis

II) Construction & Validation

What are the two stages in the police selection process?

Job analysis

Defining what KSAs make a good officer (e.g., problem-solving, physical fitness, decision-making)

Conducted by a psychologist and police organization:

• Surveys, interviews, focus groups

• Observation

• stability of KSAs over time for same rank → may change over an officer’s career

• Different KSAs required for different jobs

• Agreement on KSAs required for ranks differ across ranks

What are the issues with defining what KSAs make a good officer?

Construction and Validation

Stage in the police selection process where instruments used to measure KSAs are developed and ensured they are related to performance

• Predictive validity & Performance Measures

Predictive Validity

The ability of an instrument to predict how well an applicant will perform on some outcome measure (e.g., job performance)

• Punctuality

• Complaints

• Commendations

• Academy Exam Scores

• Peer Ratings

• Supervisor Ratings

• Awards During Training

What are the 7 potential performance measures?

False

T/F: Training performance predicts on-the-job performance

None; no evidence that one measure is better than another.

What performance measure is best?

• Very Common

• Consistent of semi-structured questions

• Goal is to determine if applicant has the applicable KSAs

• Problems

  • Research on predictive validity is mixed

  • Low agreement between two different interviewers

What are the 4 qualities of selection interviews?

• Research on predictive validity is mixed

• Low agreement between two different interviewers

What are the 2 common problems with selection interviews?

• Memory

• Logic

• Observation

• Comprehension

What features/process do cognitive tests assess?

RCMP Police Aptitude Test (RPAT)

What cognitive test is commonly used in Canada?

Moderate predictive validity → better at predicting training performance rather than on-the-job performance

What is the average predictive validity of cognitive tests?

• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)

• Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI)

What are the two main personality tests used in police selection?

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)

A personality test used to identify psychopathology (e.g., depression, paranoia, schizophrenia); often used as a screening out tool during police selection → moderate predictive validity

Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI)

A personality test developed specifically for police selection

• Measures personality & behaviour (e.g., stress reactions, interpersonal difficulties, alcohol/drug use)

• Better predictive validity than MMPI-2

Example questions:

• “I have never cheated on an exam”

• “I have been suspended from school”

False

T/F: Physical Tests have high predictive validity

• Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE)

• Police Officers Physical Abilities Test (POPAT)

• Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (PREP)

• Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (A-PREP)

What are the 4 main physical tests used in officer selection?

• The yard missing other important physical elements (e.g., handcuff simulator

• Most police work is actually sedentary

• There are more important skills

• People can do their job safely without it (most officers not required to re-take tests)

What are the criticisms of using physical tests in officer selection?

Situational Tests

Tests that simulate real world police tasks

• Applicant Behaviour Assessed by Multiple Observers

• Work-simulation exercise

• Domestic disturbance exercise

• Homeowner-complaint exercise

• Witness probing exercise

Moderate predictive validity

What are 4 key situational tests? What is the predictive validity of situational tests?

Integrity evaluations

A specialized, often psychometric assessment designed to measure a person's propensity to be honest, trustworthy, and dependable

• Polygraph evaluation

• Drug tests

What are the 2 main integrity tests used in officer selection?

Police discretion

The freedom allocated to police officers that allows them to decide what should be done in any given situation. Involves knowing when to abide by the law and when to allow some latitude

• Enforcing all laws → would never get other work done

• Some laws are minor or vague

• Public would feel alienated and persecuted

• Would overwhelm the justice system (courts, prisons, etc).

• Many duties and limited resources

Why do we allow police officers to have discretion?

Police can only apprehend someone experiencing a mental illness when they “pose a danger to self or others” OR are “causing serious disturbances”

Three options:

• Informal resolution: e.g., de-escalation or leaving the person with a caregiver)

• Escort to psychiatric facility

• Arrest

What is the policy surrounding police discretion with mental illness?

True; People with mental illness arrested/charged 10% more often than those without mental illness & police often not trained in PSYC and don’t know how to handle these situations

T/F: police discretion with mental illness leads to criminalization of those affected by mental illness/disorders

Old Taser policy

Use tasers when person is not cooperating

New taser policy (Braidwood Inquiry)

Use tasers when an individual is exhibiting active resistance and causing (or will likely cause) bodily harm

Canada’s Use of Force Model

Guideline for needed level of force. Instructs officer to consider:

• Situational factors (e.g., number of people around, weapons)

• Subject’s behaviour (e.g., out of control, intoxicated, able to be reasoned with)

• Tactical considerations (supports available, options available to control situation)

Police may go one step higher than suspect

1. Cooperative (no resistance, compliance)

2. Non-cooperative (no physical resistance, verbal defiance)

3. Resistant (pulling away, running away)

4. Combative Threats/Applying Force (punching, kicking, etc.)

5. Showing potential to cause grievous bodily harm or death

What are the 5 levels of resistance?

1. Officer Presence

2. Dialogue

3. Empty Hands (handcuffing, joint lock — no weapons)

4. Compliance Tools (pepper spray, baton, etc.)

5. Lethal Force

What are the 5 levels of Use-of-Force Response?

Occupational stressors

Shift work, human suffering, using lethal force

Intra-organizational stressors

Excessive paperwork, lack of advancement, lack of resources

Inter-organizational stressors

Jurisdictional isolation, lack of cooperation across detachments

Criminal justice stressors

Frustration at court systems, correction systems

Public stressors

Distorted views of police, ineffective referral agencies

Organizational stressors

What type of stressors are reported as being the most impactful on police officers?

• Occupational stressors

• Intra-organization stressors

• Inter-organizational stressors

• Criminal justice stressors

• Public stressors

What are the 5 types of stressors that police officers experience?

Susceptibility to:

• Cancer

• Cardiovascular disease

• Digestive disorders

What are the common physical consequences of police stress?

• Depression

• PTSD

• Substance abuse

What are the common psychological/personal consequences of police stress?

• Absenteeism

• Early retirement

What are the common job-related consequences of police stress?

Resiliency Training

Used to proactively minimize harmful psychological effects of police work

Psychological debriefings

Psychologically oriented police intervention delivered after exposure to a psychologically distressing event

• Physical Fitness Programs

• Professional Counseling Services

• Family Assistance Programs

• Critical Incident/Psychological Debriefings

• Adaptive/Effective Coping Strategies

• Resiliency Training

What programs are used to manage police stress?