Post by Shuftin on Jul 20, 2006 13:59:18 GMT -5
The most important asset to any law enforcement agency is its personnel. Selection of candidates who are compatible with the intense demands of law enforcement requires information from varied sources. Many, if not most, federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies require or recommend psychological assessment as one component of overall pre-employment screening selection procedures. The Pauquette Center for Psychological Services has provided pre-employment psychological evaluations to law enforcement and public safety agencies for over fifteen years.
These screening evaluations are useful in assessing personal characteristics that are important in law enforcement settings, improve the quality of employment decisions, provide a degree of assurance that an individual is free from problems that might adversely affect job performance and can be a valuable component of a comprehensive screening and selection process. These evaluations allow for greater reliability in predicting an employee’s suitability for high-risk and high-stress work, success on the job and adequate adjustment to policing activities. The evaluation procedures are intended to identify both those individuals who may be psychologically unsuited for work in law enforcement but also to identify some of the personal strengths that might predict successful job performance.
Assessment procedures can be tailored to meet the needs of the law enforcement or public service agency requesting the evaluation and to address specific issues related to the specific position under consideration. Assessment procedures include a comprehensive clinical interview as well as extensive psychological testing using standardized and widely used instruments with demonstrated reliability and validity. A range of personality attributes is assessed including emotional adjustment and stability, psychopathology, integrity, self-control, interpersonal skills and stress-tolerance. An effort is made to determine those psychological factors that may render an officer unsuitable for sensitive work. Efforts are made to assess the individual’s ability to work with people in high stress situations, to respond appropriately to supervision, and to work well with others. Additionally, specialized evaluations are available to assess supervisory potential.
A narrative report is provided to the referring agency, a report that summarizes available information, that includes an interpretation of the psychological test data, and provides conclusions and recommendations.
These screening evaluations are useful in assessing personal characteristics that are important in law enforcement settings, improve the quality of employment decisions, provide a degree of assurance that an individual is free from problems that might adversely affect job performance and can be a valuable component of a comprehensive screening and selection process. These evaluations allow for greater reliability in predicting an employee’s suitability for high-risk and high-stress work, success on the job and adequate adjustment to policing activities. The evaluation procedures are intended to identify both those individuals who may be psychologically unsuited for work in law enforcement but also to identify some of the personal strengths that might predict successful job performance.
Assessment procedures can be tailored to meet the needs of the law enforcement or public service agency requesting the evaluation and to address specific issues related to the specific position under consideration. Assessment procedures include a comprehensive clinical interview as well as extensive psychological testing using standardized and widely used instruments with demonstrated reliability and validity. A range of personality attributes is assessed including emotional adjustment and stability, psychopathology, integrity, self-control, interpersonal skills and stress-tolerance. An effort is made to determine those psychological factors that may render an officer unsuitable for sensitive work. Efforts are made to assess the individual’s ability to work with people in high stress situations, to respond appropriately to supervision, and to work well with others. Additionally, specialized evaluations are available to assess supervisory potential.
A narrative report is provided to the referring agency, a report that summarizes available information, that includes an interpretation of the psychological test data, and provides conclusions and recommendations.