Intro to Law Enforcement Quiz 3

Wilson and McLaren’s principle for police selection

Only the best-qualified candidates should be selected and promoted.

Selection decisions when there is doubt

They should favor the department.

Selection certainty required by Wilson and McLaren

Selectors should act only when certain that a candidate will be an effective police officer.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

The agency responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

The first federal legislative action prohibiting discrimination in employment.

Disparate treatment

Discrimination against individuals belonging to protected classifications.

Disparate impact

Discrimination against protected classes or groups resulting from the interpretation of Title VII.

Griggs v. Duke Power Co.

The case that established new standards for judging discrimination in agencies.

Primary method for establishing discrimination: disparate rejection rates

Comparing rejection rates among different groups.

Primary method for establishing discrimination: population comparisons

Comparing an agency’s personnel composition with the relevant population.

First African-American police officer in the United States

An officer employed in Washington, D.C., in 1861.

African-American representation among police officers and firefighters in the early 1900s

About 2.7%.

African-American representation among U.S. police officers by 1940

Less than 1%.

Racial and ethnic minority representation among full-time sworn personnel in 2013

About 27%.

Current percentage of African American police officers

About 12%.

Hispanic representation in the American population in 1970

4.5%.

Hispanic representation in the police force in 1970

2.7%.

Current Hispanic representation in U.S. police forces

About 11.6%.

Gender ideology

A system of beliefs that attempts to justify differential treatment of women.

Gender bias

Stereotypical beliefs about individuals based on sex, especially regarding differential treatment of females and males.

First female police officer in the United States

A woman appointed in Los Angeles in 1910.

Initial role of women in police departments

They were segregated and not allowed to perform mainstream duties.

Evidence about women’s effectiveness as police officers

There is no indication that women are inferior to or less effective than men.

Quid pro quo sexual harassment

Sexual harassment involving tangible economic detriment after refusing sexual advances.

Hostile work environment

Unwelcome sexual conduct that unreasonably interferes with work performance or creates an intimidating environment.

First factor in determining a hostile work environment

Whether the conduct was physically threatening or humiliating rather than merely offensive.

Police recruitment

The development of a pool of sufficiently qualified applicants from which to select officers.

Importance of recruitment in hiring

Recruitment is a key component of the hiring process.

Personnel planning

Constantly monitoring officer qualifications and determining the personnel types required by the department.

Minimum training standards

Standards usually regulated by a state agency.

State role in police training

Ensuring that officers meet minimum standards and that the curriculum meets state requirements.

Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission

The commission that performs the minimum-training-standards function in most states.

Basic or academy training

The first phase of police officer training.

Field officer training

The second phase of police officer training.

In-service training

The third phase of police officer training.

Performance appraisal

The process of evaluating how well employees perform compared with standards and communicating that information to them.

Performance standards

A requirement of an effective performance evaluation system.

Performance measurement method

A requirement of an effective performance evaluation system.

Performance feedback

A way to provide officers with information about their performance.