Psychological Evaluations — State Statutes and Rules

Requirements for preemployment psychological screening of police candidates are informed by professional practice guidelines and, in some U.S. states, laws regulating police officer certification or entry to the police academy. Knowledge of these laws, both individually and collectively, serves important purposes, including interjurisdictional practice, aiding legislative and regulatory staff when proposing new legislation or updating regulations, and identifying adherence to standards of practice in the field of police and public safety psychology. This presentation will outline the current standard of practice for conducting preemployment psychological assessments of police candidates and then examine the extent to which they are represented in statewide mandates throughout the U.S. It will focus specifically on the extent to which mandates articulate (a) the criterion standard for determining psychological suitability of police candidates; (b) who is qualified to conduct these assessments; (c) whether written testing is required and, if so, what types of tests; (d) whether use of collateral information is required and, if so, what type; and (e) whether a psychological interview is required and, if so, with what parameters. There remains a remarkable lack of cross-jurisdictional uniformity in preemployment psychological evaluations of police candidates and most jurisdictions fall short of the standard for conducting such assessments. This presentation will review ways to address this challenge.