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CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
► Know the historical roots of police psychology.
► Appreciate the sources and nature of stress prevalent in police work.
► Understand the basic elements of pre-employment psychological screening.
KEY TERMS
Burgher Guard Hugo Munsterberg
Police psychology Martin Reiser
Lewis Terman Authoritarian
LECTURE NOTES
Law Enforcement and Police Psychology
What Makes a Good Police Officer?
In 1971 Hogan reported that supervisors described their best officers as being functionally
intelligent, sociable, and self-assured. The police in this country are the major representatives of
Does Police Work “Change People?”
There are many indications that being a police officer does in fact change people. The working
conditions in police work can be atrocious, including the need to work in every possible weather,
Police Stress
Stress and frustration in police work result from the very nature of the job and also from internal,
bureaucratic rules and procedures. Stress is inherent in all police work, but it is the cumulative
interactive stressors that do the most damage (Carter and Radelet, 1999).
Police Suicide
In 1994, 11 New York City police officers committed suicide. However, only two officers were
Psychological Pre-employment Screening of Police Applicants
In general, psychologists have designed pre-employment psychological screening
Components of Pre-employment Psychological Screening
The Interview and Background Information
Interviews performed by a psychologist usually pursue information about an applicant’s
childhood, adolescence, and family life, work history, military history, education, and
interpersonal relationships. Specific attention is usually paid to how well the individual deals
Psychological Testing
Cognitive Tests
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III), the WAIS-IV, the Wonderlic Personnel Test
(WPT), the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and the Shipley Institute of Living Scale are all used to
assess cognitive functioning in police applicants, and there are others as well.
Personality Tests
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI and MMPI-2) is the most commonly-
used personality test in police screening. Police officers as a group tend to fall within the
The Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) differs from the MMPI and the CPI in that it was
designed specifically to assess the suitability of personality attributes and behaviors of police
applicants. There has been research to suggest that the IPI predicts police functioning better than
the MMPI, and that that combining the IPI and MMPI scales increase the overall accuracy of
classification (Shusman, Inwald, & Knatz, 1987).
Fitness for Duty Evaluations
A fitness-for-duty evaluation (FFDE) is an ordered evaluation performed by a psychologist or
psychiatrist on a current officer to determine his/her present suitability for law enforcement
functioning (e.g., to carry a weapon). The evaluation usually involves an extensive interview
and mental status examination, review of background information (including relevant internal
affairs files), speaking with third parties if needed, and possibly the administration of
psychological tests.
Training and Consultation
Some of the police training programs which psychologists can help design or implement as far as
teaching methodology include, but are certainly not limited to: The Criminal Justice System,
Law, Abnormal Behavior, Patrol and Investigations; Traffic; Report Writing, Proactive Patrol;
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
A critical incident is any event that has a stressful impact sufficient to overwhelm the usually
effective coping skills of an individual. To help police officers in dealing with such symptoms
that are generally associated with exposure to trauma, psychologists have developed critical
incident stress debriefing (CISD). Such debriefing allows the officer to process the event,
Multiculturalism and Law Enforcement
In contrast to the past, today law enforcement must pay significantly more attention to race,
class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, and other demographics in our complex
multicultural society. In an effort to become more responsive to our new diverse citizenry, the
police are working to become more closely connected in direct relationships with all aspects of
SUMMARY
This chapter has presented the historical development of police psychology from Hugo
Munsterberg in 1908 through the present. This includes the nature of police work and the stressors
that are inherent in the job. The potential legal liability faced by police departments ranging from
negligent hiring to negligent entrustment was discussed. Pre-employment psychological screening
most often consists of the administration of cognitive and personality assessment instruments, and
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is “police psychology” and who were some of the psychologists involved in its origin?
2. Why do police officers tend to suffer from stress-related conditions such as hypertension,
heart disease, stomach disorders, psychosomatic illnesses, and alcohol and substance abuse?
3. What are some of the ways a citizen can pursue legal action against a law enforcement
agency?
11. What is meant by “cultural competence” and why is it so important in a modern law
enforcement agency?
