ABSTRACT
The research in pre-employment assessment/selection of police officers was developed within the disciplines of industrial/organizational and clinical psychology, albeit without evidence of significant interdisciplinary interaction. Pre-employment assessment of police officers is a high stakes activity for all involved. In addition to research documenting the validity of psychological tests in pre-employment settings and guidelines reflecting best practices to include research and validation, a number of specialized tests and new scales of existing tests designed for specific use in police pre-employment screening emerged during the period. Psychological assessment of candidates for employment as police officers has become a widespread practice in the United States and most, if not all, police psychologists are either familiar with or directly involved in this practice. Most objective psychological tests yield statistical data, while interviews yield observational data, and personal history questionnaires yield descriptive data. A test battery including objective, job-related, validated psychological instruments should be administered to the applicant.
