Question

is it necessary for police officers to have psychological testing? Why or why not?

Answer 1

One of the requirements in hiring people for the criminal justice system is a psychological assessment. It is the last step in the hiring process. From the statistics, we can estimate that almost 90 percent of law enforcement agencies in the US use the psychological assessment in hiring police officers. One must note that the psychological testing is not used to discriminate against an individual or claim that the person who fails the test is mentally ill. The psychological assessment is used as a hiring tool which tests whether a person is fit for the role of a law personnel and failure of the test indicates that the role may not be best suited for the individual.

The psychological test evaluates the individual on multiple traits required for the job. The traits usually measured include honesty, integrity, lack of personal bias, ability to handle stress, judgement, courageous, dependability, attitude towards sexuality and prior drug use. The law enforcements officers are held at a high ethical standard and by assessing such traits, one can rule out individuals who do not possess these qualities. The tests that are usually administered are Minnesota Multiphasic inventory. This test is considered to be an effective tool in predicting various job criteria for officers (e.g., Bartol, 1991; Inwald & Knatz, 1988; Scogin, Schumacher, Howland, & McGee, 1989 ). Several psychological measurement tools also measure the extent to which an individual responds in a manner that is considered socially desirable as applicants have a tendency to maximize their strengths and minimize their flaws. The most commonly used psychological tests are personality tests in order to assess the individual’s traits. This includes (MMI), 16 PF, CPI and EPQ. These tests have proved to have psychometric properties such as reliability and validity.