Unit 7: Communication Skills

Tests Based on Law Enforcement Officer Profiles

A few law enforcement agencies have taken an approach to psychological screening which tries to match applicants to the personality profile of people who are already law enforcement officers. Psychological screening based on this sort of search for a particular type of police personality is likely to ask questions about attitudes and interests. Interests include leisure activities. If people who are already law enforcement officers do not spend time in libraries but do like to go hunting and fishing, then the candidate who likes hunting and fishing scores this point towards being selected for the job. This sort of test automatically favors any candidate from a law enforcement family or from a similar kind of family background. The candidate who is coming from a totally different kind of family or cultural background might want to go through this kind of screening bearing in mind how typical law enforcement officers might answer the questions. When answering, think of some particular law enforcement officers, even if they are only TV characters of the admirable sort.

Of course, a candidate should not blatantly lie. An examiner would not recommend the appointment of a candidate who lies. But questions often are ambiguous enough to allow for some interpretation. You may answer that you do have an interest in some activity even if the interest is rather slight, occasional, or limited in terms of your opportunities. Indeed, many of the interests of law enforcement officers depend on having the kind of income which law enforcement officers have; a candidate who cannot afford the leisure activities of a law enforcement officer may still answer on the basis of interests he or she might have if the opportunities were available. Interests like fishing, hunting, skiing and sailing all require a fairly good income. Being poor or from a different cultural background should not disqualify anyone from becoming a law enforcement officer.