1. Chapter Five Police Officers I: Entering Police Work
Police in America
Chapter Five
Police Officers I: Entering Police Work

2. The Changing American Police Officer
More female, African American, and Hispanic officers compared to 40 years ago
Many college educated or hold masters’ degrees
Openly gay and lesbian officers

3. Aspects of the Personnel Process
A Career Perspective
Many departments have personnel problems because:
1. Don’t train recruits properly
2. Don’t supervise officer adequately
3. Poor evaluation systems
4. Failure to discipline
5. Failure to provide career opportunities
6. Don’t promote the best officers

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. 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

6. Recruitment Minimum Qualifications Criminal record Residency
Most departments - 21 years of age
Height and Weight
Education
63% high school diploma
37.1% require some college
4.8% require four-year degree
Educational incentive pay
Criminal record
No felony—Drug offenses major problem
Misdemeanor?
Residency
About 25% of departments require living within the city limits

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

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

9. Screening Methods Used by Local Police Depts. (2003)
Method % Dept Using
Personal interview 98
Criminal record check 99
Background investigation 98
Driving record check 96
Medical exam 85
Psychological screen 67
Drug test 73
Written aptitude test 43
Physical agility test 50
Polygraph exam 25

10. Predicting Police Officer Performance
The difficulty of predicting good police performance:
Screening Methods
Measuring Police Performance
Screening Efforts vs. Actual Job Performance

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
Replace Picture

12. “Not Your Father’s Police Department”: Diversity in Policing
Employment of Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Reflect the composition of the community it serves
Hispanic and Latino officers
Fastest growing population
Spanish-speaking officers recruited
Women
More seriously underrepresented than racial or ethnic minorities
Concentrated in lower ranks
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

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

14. The Police Academy Provides formal training
Preservice training
Process for weeding out unqualified recruits
Field training
Rite of passage that socializes recruits
State training and certification

15. Training Police Academy Field training
Big departments have own academy
Small departments use state-run academies
Field training
FTO program
2/3 of departments use this process

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
Preservice training not adequate
Classroom training alone is not adequate

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