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7

Chapter Seven

SELECTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Key Terms

Andragogy Peace Officer Standards and

BFOQ Training (POST)

Career growth Pedagogy

Cognitive learning Police training officer (PTO)

Deescalation of force Problem based learning training

Disparate impact methods

Education Procedural justice

Field training officer (FTO) Screening in

Four-fifths rule Screening out

In-service training Specialized training

Job task analysis Training

Lateral entry

Chapter Outline

I. Recruitment

a. Recruitment Methods

b. Targeting Females and Minorities

c. Targeting the Service Oriented

II. Selection

a. Pre-employment Standards

b. General Suitability

c. Pre-employment Testing

d. Recruit Screening Methods

e. Americans with Disabilities Act

III. Development

a. Recruit Training

b. Program Orientation

c. Philosophy and Instructional Methods

d. Curriculum Development and Content

e. Curriculum Updates

f. Effectiveness of Recruit Training

g. Field Training

h. Career Growth

IV. Summary

V. Critical Thinking Questions

VI. Notes

VII. References

VIII. Suggested Website for Further Study

Lecture Outline

I. Recruitment

a. The initial step in the selection process

b. Recruiting methods

i. Newspaper ads

ii. Career fairs

iii. Internet

c. Targeting females and minorities

i. Strategies needed to increase the number of female and minority applicants

ii. Jordan et al. (2009)

a. 18 percent of agencies used a targeted recruitment strategy

b. a positive relationship found between the annual recruiting budget and the number of applications from women and minorities and the number hired

c. special entry conditions

d. starting pay

e. higher education

d. Targeting the service oriented

i. Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS)

II. Selection

a. Validity

i. The degree to which a measure actually assessed the attribute it is designed to measure

b. Reliability

i. Measures ability to yield consist results over time

c. Title VII

i. Prohibits discrimination in the workplace

ii. Griggs v. Duke Power Company (1971)

a. held that an employer’s requirement of a high school diploma and two standardized written tests for a position disqualified a higher percentage of blacks and could not be shown to be related to job performance

b. disparate impact

c. four-fifths rule

a. selection method can be considered to have legally disparate impact when the selection rate of a group is less than 80 percent of the most successful group

iii. Albemarle Paper Company v. Moody (1975)

a. selection and promotion tests or standards must be shown to be related to job performance

iv. Davis v. City of Dallas (1985)

a. upheld the department’s requirement of 45 college credits

v. Bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ)

a. permissible under Title VII

d. Job task analysis

i. Identifies behaviors necessary for adequate job performance

e. Preemployment standards

i. Age

ii. Height and weight

a. Vanguard Justice Society v. Hughes (1979)

a. Found this as evidence of gender discrimination

iii. Vision

a. relaxed over the years

iv. Physical agility and strength

v. Residency

vi. Education

f. General suitability

i. Background investigation

a. candidate’s criminal history and history of drug use

a. Davis v. City of Dallas (1985)

i. Upheld the department’s requirement that applicants cannot have recent or excessive histories of marijuana use

b. Shield Club v. City of Cleveland (1986)

i. Upheld drug-testing requirement and the rejection of applicants who tested positive for narcotics, amphetamines, or hallucinogenics

ii. Polygraph examination

a. some jurisdictions have made such testing illegal

iii. Psychological condition

a. has become more common over the past decade

iv. Psychological testing to screen in candidates

v. Medical condition

a. virtually all departments have certain medical requirements

g. Preemployment testing

i. Written exam

ii. Validity of written exams

iii. Written exams and performance

iv. Too smart for policing

v. Personal interview

vi. Americans With Disabilities Act

a. prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with a disability

b. blanket exclusions of individuals with a particular disability are not permissible

h. Recruit Screening Methods

i. A variety of methods are employed

a. criminal records checks

b. background investigations

c. driving record checks

d. personal interviews

e. medical exams and drug testing

f. physical agility tests

g. written aptitude tests

h. polygraph examination

ii. Selection of candidates is time-consuming and expensive

i. Americans with Disabilities Act

i. Purpose is to eliminate barriers to equal employment opportunity and to provide equal access to individuals with disabilities to the programs, services, and activities delivered by government entities

III. Development

a. Recruit training

i. Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)

ii. Program orientation

a. stressful training

a. like military boot camp or basic training

b. nonstressful training

a. more of an academic environment

iii. Philosophy and instructional methods

a. training

a. the process of instructing the individual how to do the job

b. education

a. the process of providing a general body of knowledge on which decisions can be based as to why something is being done

c. pedagogy

a. the art and science of teaching children

d. andragogy

a. the art and science of helping adults learn

b. recruits would benefit from such an approach with respect to topics that are relevant to community policing

e. cognitive learning

a. focuses on the process that establishes valid thinking patterns

iv. Problem-based learning (PBL)

a. incorporates adult learning principles in attempting to help students develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and self-directed skills

b. occurs in a collaborative environment where communication skills are stressed

v. Curriculum development and content

a. mission statement and ethical considerations

b. job task analysis

c. median number of hours of recruit training was 761 hours

vi. Diverse nature of subject matter

a. firearm skills

b. self-defense skills

c. health and fitness

d. patrol investigations

e. emergency vehicle operations

f. first aid/CPR

b. Program Orientation

i. Whether training should be stressful or non-stressful

a. basic training versus academic environment

ii. Training environments tend to vary by type of academy

a. county police

b. state police

c. sherriff’s office

d. municipal police

c. Philosophy and Instructional Methods

i. Philosophy revolves around two primary approaches

a. training

a. the process of instructing the individual how to do the job by providing relevant information about the job

i. deals with specific factors and procedures

b. education

a. the process of providing a general body of knowledge on which decisions can be based as to why something is being done while performing the job

i. broader in scope and is concerned with theories, concepts, issues, and alternatives

b. andragogy and pedagogy

i. pedagogy is the art and science of teaching children

ii. andragogy it’s the art and science of helping adults learn

c. cognitive and problem-based learning

i. training that goes beyond learning a specific skill or task and instead focuses on the process that establishes valid thinking patterns

ii. problem-based learning incorporates adult learning principles in attempting to help students develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and self-directed skills with respect to subject matter

d. Curriculum Development and Content

e. Curriculum updates

i. Ethics and integrity

ii. Deescalation of force

a. non-aggressive behavior that reduces violence

b. anger management and conflict resolution

iii. Communication

iv. Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs)

a. commonly referred to as Tasers

b. used as a means to deescalate force

v. Juveniles

a. nearly all departments include training on juveniles

b. focuses on how interacting with teens may need to differ from interacting with adults

a. Importance of perceived treatment

c. Connecticut and training on youth

a. Effective Police Intervention with Youth

vi. Mentally ill

a. an increasingly important issue that few departments have training for

b. study suggested that methods ranked highest by police as effective training methods for dealing with this population was videos and use of small group discussions

a. Role playing was rated significantly lower

vii. Effectiveness of recruit training

a. organizational culture

f. Effectiveness of Recruit Training

g. Field training

i. FTO program

ii. PTO program

a. utilizes problem based learning

h. Career growth

i. Individual development as well as for a specific position with the department

ii. In-service training

a. primary purpose is the regular updating of all members of the department in a wide variety of subjects

b. generally last 1–2 weeks and offer relatively limited coverage of their subject matter

iii. Specialized training

a. attempts to prepare officers for specific tasks

b. essential if officers are to perform outside the role of a patrol officer

iv. Promotion and assessment centers

a. promotion based on one or more criteria

a. seniority or time in rank

b. past performance

c. written examinations

d. oral interviews

e. college hours or degrees

b. assessment center

a. a process that attempts to measure a candidate’s potential for a particular managerial position

v. Lateral entry

a. the ability to transfer from one department to another, usually without losing seniority

Chapter Summary

The initial step in the selection process is recruitment. In recruiting potential applicants, the police image often displayed in advertising is one of a positive self-image. This may not be an accurate depiction of reality. Once the recruit discovers this, the recruit may become disenchanted with policing.

The police department must recognize that different recruitment strategies may be necessary. It was discovered that the top reasons for both males and females entering policing were to help people and job security. Ethnic groups may differ in their reasons for entering policing.

The next step in the process is selection. The selection processes must be valid and reliable. In making the selections, the department must also be aware of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Title VII prohibits discrimination in the workplace. The case of Griggs v. Duke Power Company held that an employer’s requirement of a high school diploma and two standardized written tests for a position disqualified a higher percentage of blacks than whites and could not be shown to be related to job performance.

The case of Albemarle Paper Company v. Moody stated that selection and promotional exams must be shown to be related to job performance. In the case of Davis v. City of Dallas, the Court upheld the Dallas Police Department’s requirement of 45 college credits. Bona fide occupational qualifications are permissible under Title VII, even though it may exclude members of a protected group.

Police agencies are not permitted to have age restrictions and height and weight requirements, other than proportional. Standards related to vision have relaxed over the years although departments still maintain certain vision requirements. Physical agility and strength tests are not used by all departments. In many cases, the standards required on these tests are not related to job standards and may be seen as discriminatory. Further, health-based screening is done to examine the general physical fitness that may have an impact on the employee levels of physical and mental health.

Some departments have residency requirements. The recruit must either live in the area or move to the area within a certain time. Those that oppose residency requirements cite that the pool of applicants is restricted because the best candidates may not live in the area.

As part of the selection process, the applicant may be subjected to a background investigation. These investigations appear to be a good indicator of future police behavior. The investigation will look for any previous criminal history and/or drug use. The presence of criminal record does not automatically exclude a potential candidate. Previous drug use does not automatically exclude the applicant either but there is case law supporting departmental standards concerning drug use.

The applicant may also be subjected to a polygraph examination. Some jurisdictions will not use the polygraph because of the false positives that may result. More departments have gone to psychological testing of the applicants. There has been controversy surrounding this practice. Criticism centers on the research that indicates the exams are racially biased or not job related.

Part of the selection process may involve a written examination. It appears that these examinations test the educational level of the applicants and may discriminate against minorities. Part of the process may also include an oral interview.

Another issue in the development of the recruit is the instructional method. Pedagogy is a one-way delivery of knowledge whereas andragogy is a mutual involvement of both instructor and student in the learning process. It appears that andragogy would be better suited for topics related to community policing. Even though andragogy may improve the learning experience, it may be difficult to implement.

The course content of the training should be based upon what an officer does on a daily basis. Since policing is constantly changing, the course curriculum should respond accordingly. The hours spent on the different topics may change with changes in procedures and laws. New topics may be added to the curriculum or more hours added to existing topics.

Once the classroom training is completed, the recruit enters the field. The recruit is assigned to a field training officer for a determined amount of time. The field training officer is one that has experience and will work with the recruit directly.

The Reno model is a more recent type of field training program. The focus is on the principles and concepts of community policing. The model also utilizes andragogical learning methods. Greater emphasis is placed on problem-solving, communications, conflict resolution, and ethics.

Upon completion of the field training, the new officer begins his or her career path. With more time on the job, the officer will continue with training. This is necessary to stay current with the changes in the laws and procedures. This is covered under in-service training. The officer may also be involved in specialized training that will prepare the officer for different jobs throughout the department. The officer may also be interested in supervisory training in preparation for management and promotion. Assessment centers attempt to measure a candidate’s potential for a particular managerial position.