The core domains of proficiency within police psychology
Police psychology refers to a branch of professional psychology that aims at ensuring that law enforcement officers go about their work with safety, efficiently and effectively, ethically, and concerning the law (Miller 4). It is sometimes referred to as police and public safety psychology and was recognized officially as an area of study by the American Psychological Association in 2013. Police psychology is a distinct area of academic study in psychology. Roesch et al., (244) provided four general domains of study in police psychology comprising of assessment domain, intervention domain, operational domain, and consulting domain.
The assessment domain is the first domain in this study. It is an appraisal area that includes activities and exercises related to advancement, usage, assessment, and strategies for assessing people. The main people that are focused on in this category are law requirement candidates, officials, and high-rank officers such as administrators. The procedures of evaluation in this category include self-report questionnaires, a review of performance history, especially specific case studies, and performance tests. These evaluation procedures inform the assessors on how to hire, deploy, and promote the officers. Examples of proficiency in this domain include the job analysis that comprises identification of knowledge, specific skills, and abilities that could be useful for a particular category of the law enforcement department.
Another domain addressed by Roesch et al. (244) is the intervention domain. This domain is concerned with the health welfare of law enforcement officers. It is set in place to address the variety of mental and physical challenges that police officers could encounter in their field of operation. Such issues could include gunshot wounds, trauma, and depression. The intervention domain is specifically comprised of a variety of clinical services that are given to the officers.
An example is the employee assistance counseling that is concerned with personal, psychological, or behavior-based problems that could interfere with how they deliver their jobs. Another example of an intervention program is critical incident counseling. This sort of intervention deals with traumatic events that an officer is likely to encounter or has encountered in the course of duty, such as the death of a case colleague in the course suit of a gang of robbers.
The operational domain is composed of the activities that are put in place to ensure police work (Roesch 244). This includes enhancing investigation success and incident management capabilities. Specific areas in this domain include criminal profiling and threat assessment. Criminal profiling includes studying the demographic properties of criminals, such as their personalities, behavioral patterns, the characteristics and features of particular crimes, and the trends. The understanding of these properties, which are, in most cases, saved in databases is essential in kicking off and concluding an investigation successfully. Threat assessment is concerned with evaluating and controlling personas that may be a threat to property or activity.
Finally, the consulting domain is concerned with supporting and enhancing the administration of law enforcement systems. The field comprises activities such as organizational development that is focused on designing implementing and evaluating strategies for ensuring the smooth running and success of a law enforcement unit.
Police psychology is a core part of forensic psychology’s understanding since it covers the patterns of addressing the inherent challenges encountered by law enforcement officers in the course of their duty. The assessment and operational domains are vital in interpreting the fusion of the law and police work. It concerns itself with the legal parameters of hiring vis-à-vis the specific requirements for employment and deployment in the law enforcement unit.
Significant findings or conclusions from the effectiveness of applicant screening procedures in law enforcement agencies.
The most significant problem associated with the screening procedures in law enforcement hiring is the increased struggle by law enforcement agencies to recruit and retain officers. As the calls to duty increase, so does the number of applicants turning out for the application process to reduce. Kringen & Kringen (20) suppose that this phenomenon has been associated with the agency’s rigorous recruitment procedures that turn off most potential officers. Additionally, the lack of faith in the support systems compounded with a stressful work environment demotivates existing officers. The acuity tests, health, and fitness examination and extensive background research also lock out potential officers. They are thrown off the eligibility desk with details such as the history of drug use.
Another notable observation of a problem associated with the rigorous recruitment procedures in the police force is the associated expenses. Some departments lack the human resources and financial budget capabilities to enforce the required processes for hiring. The hiring process consists of a series of exams, counterchecking of information, probation, and other labor-intensive operations before an officer is approved for training (Kringen & Kringen 16). This is because the process is meant to exclude and pick out only the potentially best for the job. As such, there is a strain on the available resources, as most officers are required to work overtime to meet the standards since the process can take months. This could lead to a stressful working environment for the existing officers.
Another finding that emanates from the applicant screening procedures is that it has little to do with the actual problems that law enforcement officers go through (Stefan et al.). The officers are tested for physical endurance and mental acuity. Their emotional intelligence is also gauged to understand how they could deal with potentially stressful situations in the future. However, the field of operation poses challenges that are intrinsic to people, such as stressful working environments due to understaffing and underfunding. In as much as background checks on issues such as drug abuse are conducted, the situations in the future could lead officers on duty to start using drugs. Police reform should thus focus on the issues that the officers experience in the field of work.
The implementation of the police recruitment procedures that require excessive screening was put in place to control rogue officers. Addressing bad policing by changing the recruitment procedures is one way of correcting the existing problems. The implementation of new applicant screening regulations should go hand in hand with internal workplace reforms because poor police conduct has been found to emanate from the workplace environment pressure. Additionally, the procedures should be reviewed to encourage more people to join the force. Understanding the effectiveness of applicant screening enables forensic psychologists to interpret the background of problems associated with the police department. This way, it is easier to tell the sources of workplace complications in the police department.
Works cited
Kringen, Anne Li, and Jonathan Allen Kringen. “Identifying barriers to black applicants in police employment screening.” Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice 9.1 (2015): 15-25.
Miller, Laurence. Practical police psychology: Stress management and crisis intervention for law enforcement. Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2006.
Roesch, Ronald, Patricia A. Zapf, and Stephen D. Hart. Forensic psychology and law. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
Annell, Stefan, Petra Lindfors, and Magnus Sverke. “Police selection–implications during training and early career.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management (2015).