NCJ Number
81442
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 51 Issue: 2 Dated: (February 1982) Pages: 10-15
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from a study of the validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in predicting police performance in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (California).
Abstract
All applicants had previously passed written civil service and oral examinations, background investigations, and physicals. The MMPI was group administered and was a requirement but not a disqualifier in the application process. Two phases were used to demonstrate the MMPI's validity in predicting police performance. The first phase sought to identify MMPI scores predictive of success at three stages: academy acceptance, academy graduation, and field employment. The second phase was a longitudinal study to identify personality dimensions measured by the MMPI that might relate to effective police job performance. It studied a sample of police officers who had graduated from the academy 5 years before and were currently working in custody, civil, patrol, and technical services divisions. Supervisory ratings, absences, internal investigations, and injuries on duty were used as measures to determine successful performance. A comparison of successful and unsuccessful groups at all three stages (entry, academy, and field) showed no useful differences in MMPI scores; thus, the use of the MMPI as a prime predictor in police screening or selection was not upheld. Psychologists should be limited to screening out pathological applicants. The subsequent months of intensive training and observation by the training academy and the continual evaluation during the officers' probationary year provide a more appropriate context for making final judgments about a person's capacity to handle various requirements of policing. Twenty-three footnotes are listed.