2. The Changing American Police
Officer
More female, African American, Hispanic
officers compared to 40 years ago
Many college educated or hold masters’
degrees
Openly gay and lesbian officers
5-2
3. Aspects of the Personnel Process
A Career Perspective
Many departments have personnel problems
because:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t train recruits properly
Don’t supervise officer adequately
Poor evaluation systems
Failure to discipline
Failure to provide career opportunities
Don’t promote the best officers
5-3
4. Beyond Stereotypes of Cops
Stereotypes can be either positive or
negative
Positive: Heroic saints, risking their lives
Negative: Uneducated, untrained, prejudiced,
brutal or corrupt
These stereotypes can discourage women
from becoming police officers
5-4
5. The Personnel Process: A Shared
Responsibility
Shared with other governmental agencies
(civil service system)
Attracting a pool of applicants:
Minimum qualifications
The recruitment effort
Applicant’s motivations to apply
5-5
6. Recruitment
Minimum Qualifications
Most departments - 21 years of age
Height and Weight
Education
• 82% high school diploma
• Educational incentive pay
Criminal record
No felony—Drug offenses major problem
Misdemeanor?
Residency
About 25% of departments require living within
the city limits
5-6
7. Choosing Law Enforcement as a
Career
Applicants motivations
Help people
Job security
Fight crime
Excitement
Prestige
Barriers to recruitment
Negative image of officers
Traditionally male occupations
5-7
8. Selecting Officers from the Recruit
Pool
Selection tests
Oral interviews
Written and medical exams
Background Investigations
Previous employment, possible criminal
record, interviews with neighbors
Educational background, financial status,
home visit
5-8
9. Screening Methods Used by Local
Police Depts. (2003)
Method
Personal interview
Criminal record check
Background investigation
Driving record check
Medical exam
Psychological screen
Drug test
Written aptitude test
Physical agility test
Polygraph exam
% Dept Using
99
100
99
99
89
72
83
48
60
26
5-9
10. Predicting Police Officer
Performance
The difficulty of predicting good police
performance:
Screening Methods
Measuring Police Performance
Screening Efforts vs. Actual Job Performance
5-10
11. Equal Employment Opportunity
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
Race, color, religion, sex, or national
origin
Protected class
1972 Equal Employment
Opportunity Act
1990 Americans With Disabilities
Act
Bona Fide Occupational
Qualification
5-11
12. “Not Your Father’s Police
Department”: Diversity in Policing
Employment of Racial
and Ethnic Minorities
More seriously
underrepresented than
racial or ethnic minorities
Concentrated in lower
ranks
Reflect the composition of
the community it serves
Hispanic and Latino
officers
Fastest growing population
Spanish-speaking officers
recruited
Women
Gay and Lesbian officers
Increasingly open over the
last 20 years
African American Officers
Previously underrepresented in the police force
Employment discrimination litigation has helped to increase
number of African American officers in the police force
5-12
13. Achieving Diversity in Police
Employment
U.S. Supreme Court held that diversity is a
“compelling state of interest”
Three basic goals
Ensure employer is not discriminating
Improve police service
Improve image of police department
Employment Discrimination Suits
Controversy over affirmative action
The question of quotas
Reverse discrimination
5-13
14. The Police Academy
Provides formal training
Pre-service training
Process for weeding out unqualified
recruits
Field training
Rite of passage that socializes recruits
State training and certification
5-14
15. Training
Average number of hours
1,000,000
Police Academy
Big departments
have own academy
Small departments
use state-run
academies
Field training
FTO program
2/3 of departments
use this process
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
500,000999,999
250,000499,999
100,000249,999
50,00099,999
25,00049,999
10,00024,999
2,5009,999
under
2,500
5-15
16. State Training and Certification
Every state has some form of mandated pre-service
training for certification
State-required content of training
Decertification
Shortcomings of current police training:
Don’t cover important subjects like discretion and
ethics
Pre-service training not adequate
Classroom training alone is not adequate
5-16
17. The Probationary Period
Can range to six months to two years after
being sworn in as an officer
Officer can be dismissed without cause
during this period
Rules for this process determined by local
civil service regulations
Average of 7 percent of all recruits
dismissed during this period
5-17