Program for Psychological Assessment of Law Enforcement Officers: Initial Evaluation

Abstract

For the initial evaluation of Tennessee's Law Enforcement Candidate Assessment Program, groups of metropolitan and non-metropolitan candidates for police certification were studied and compared with respect to their scores on the MMPI, Kuder Preference Record-Vocational, Form CH, and Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test-Form J. The mean profiles for each group individually, as well as the profiles for the groups combined, were calculated. The results showed that the non-metropolitan applicants were older and had lower IQ scores than the metropolitan group. Both groups approached the MMPI in a “faking good” manner. These profiles, nevertheless, were relatively flat and hovered around the mean. In terms of interests both groups showed peaks in the social service area with the metropolitan sample scoring somewhat higher than the non-metropolitan group, who also showed a strong interest in outdoor activities. Their other interests appeared to be approximately equal. Although caution is suggested in interpreting the results, the data indicated that, if psychopathology is present in police officers, it will most commonly be manifest as a character disorder as described by the 4-9 or 4-3 MMPI profile code type.

Parameters in the prediction of police officer performance.

“…For example, Saxe and Reiser (1976) maintain that in spite of statistically significant relationships between applicant subgroups and successful job performance, most officers score within the normal range on the various scales, and this fact limits the value of predictions that are based solely on pathodeviant measurement scales. In contrast, other authors (e.g., Gottesman, 1976; Saccuzzo, Higgins, & Lewandowski, 1974) argue that although police applicants produce MMPI profiles that are often within the “normal range,” both the pattern and elevation are sufficiently distinguishable from nonpolice persons that they can be predictive of meaningful variations in job adjustment. These controversies have led some researchers (Burkhart, 1980; Shealy, 1977; VanMannen, 1975) to propose that wider samples of behavior need to be included, including assessments of officers' attitudes, moral constraints, and stress tolerance.…”

Psychological Assessment of Airline Pilot Applicants With the MMPI-2

“…The reasons for the broad use of the MMPI in these programs include its relative ease of administration, objective scoring and interpretation procedures, and external validity for characterizing personality and clinically relevant symptomatic behavior of individuals from the general population. In spite of the fact that the MMPT was originally developed for use in medical and psychiatric 32 BUTCHER screening, a number of studies have documented the utility of the MMPI in personnel screening (Azen, Snibbe, & Montgomery, 1973;Bernstein, 1980;Bernstein, Schoenfeld, & Costello, 1982;Bernstein, Teng, Grannemann, & Garbin, 1987;Beutler, Nussbaum, & Meredith, 1988;Beutler, Storm, Kirkish, & Gaines, 1985;Costello, Schoenfeld, & Kobos, 1982;Fulkerson, Freud, & Raynor, 1958;Fulkerson & Sells, 1958;Geist & Boyd, 1980;Goorney, 1970;Murphy, 1972;Saccuzzo, Higgins, & Lewandowski, 1974;Schoenfeld, Kobos, & Phinney, 1980;Scogin & Beutler, 1986;Scogin & Reiser, 1976). Nevertheless, the interpretation of MMPI profiles in personnel screening requires some modification, because the manner in which job applicants respond to personality items is different from the way in which other nonclinical subjects respond.…”