U.S. Department of Justice 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Service 

Innovations 
in Police 
Recruitment 
Hiring 
Hiring in the 
Spirit of Service 

By 
Ellen Scrivner, Ph.D. 


This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement # 2001-CK-WX-K094 by the U.S. 
Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Points of view or 
opinions contained in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent 
the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 
Hiring in the Spirit of Service 

Cover Design by Ayonna Johnson, Northrop Grumman contractor to U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office 


Contents

Executive Summary .................................................................. 1 

Acknowledgements ................................................................... 5 

Introduction ....................................................................... 7 

Chapter One 

Objectives of the Report ............................................................9 

History of the Project ............................................................ 10

Five Demonstration Sites .......................................................... 11
HSS Initial Project Objectives .................................................... 12

Chapter Two 

Overview of Law Enforcement Selection History ..................................... 15

Recruiting and Selecting Police Candidates ......................................... 15
100,000 New Cops on the Beat ....................................................... 17
Objectives of HSS as Major Change Effort ........................................... 17 
HSS Implementation Strategies ...................................................... 18

Chapter Three 

Selecting and Supporting Demonstration Sites ....................................... 21

Case Studies of Sites: Real-World Stories .......................................... 22

Sacramento Police Department: A Call to Serve ...................................... 22

Burlington Police Department: Work that Matters .................................... 30

Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office: 

Could you answer the Call? ......................................................... 36 
Detroit Police Dep rtment: Give Back. Get More ..................................... 43 
King County Sheriffs Office: Accept the Challenge ................................. 50

Chapter Four 

Commonalties Across HSS Sites ...................................................... 59


Chapter Five 

HSS Lessons Learned ................................................................ 65

Menu Of Promising Practices ........................................................ 71 

About the Author ................................................................... 75 

About the Community Policing Consortium ............................................ 77

About the Cops Office .............................................................. 79

Appendices 

Appendix A: California Commission on POST

Patrol Officer Psychological Screening Dimensions. 
Sacramento Police Department ....................................................... 81 

Appendix B: Report on Findings from Focus Groups

of Sacramento Female and Minority Police Officers. 
Sacramento Police Department ....................................................... 91

Appendix C: Community Focus Group Discussion Guidelines 
Sacramento Police Department ....................................................... 99 

Appendix D: Performance Appraisal of Police Officers 
Sacramento Police Department ...................................................... 103 

Appendix E: Use of Hilson Job Analysis Questionnaire (HJAQ) 
for Identifying Desired Characteristics of Community 
Oriented Police Officers 
Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office .............................................. 120 

Appendix F: A Plan for Community Inclusion 
Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office .............................................. 127 

Appendix G: Recruiting Ambassadors Program 
Detroit Police Department ......................................................... 147 

Appendix H: Focus Group Report. 
Detroit Police Department ......................................................... 149 

Appendix I: Site Contact Information .............................................. 152


Executive Summary 

Executive Summary 

Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS) is federally funded project that reflects major change in policing. In designated 
communities, HSS-participating agencies re-enlisting the community to help them carry out one of the most significant 
and fundamental processes in law enforcement agencyrecruiting and hiring of service-oriented law enforcement 
personnel. This report presents findings from the HSS project. It was supported by cooperative agreement awarded to 
the Community Policing Consortium (CPC) by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Police 
Services (the COPS Office). 

Under the agreement, the CPC undertook full examination of law enforcements best practices to recruit and hire 
officers and deputies who have the skills and abilities necessary to be effective as community police officers. The CPC 
set out to examine the components of traditional screening procedures and to create innovative ways to revise traditional 
practices to make them consistent with the principles of community policing. As such, the CPC was particularly 
interested in strong emphasis on community engagementthe core of community policingwhich enables the 
building of trust, the development of collaborative problem-solving partnerships, and greater accountability to the 
community. These emphases set community policing part from the professional model of policing and have been 
instrumental in introducing change to the police culture. 

Information in this report shows how HSS takes community policing to new level and expands beyond the familiar 
tasks of information sharing and problem solving to include major change effort in fundamental org nization 
processes that have significant policy implications. It tells the real-world stories of the five law enforcement agencies 
that were selected through competitive process to serve as demonstration sites. These sites represent the gamut of 
law enforcement in the country. They range from small department seeking to represent growing multicultural 
community (Burlington, Vermont), to state capital recovering from mass retirements and concerned about the impact 
on its community policing mission (Sacramento, California), to large urban department with an increasing incidence 
of violence and all of the challenges of big city policing (Detroit, Michigan), to two full-service sheriffs gencies 
(Hillsborough County, Florida and King County, Washington) that saw HSS as a vehicle to expand community policing 
initiatives and to take sheriffs deputies to broader dimension of performance. 

The report details how these sites went to great lengths to involve citizens in substantive ways and how the communities 
influenced strategies and outcomes. It describes how the sites used community input to create new recruitment methods 
and marketing initiatives to reach service-oriented candidates, particularly those from diverse communities, and how 
they revised selection procedures based on this input. These revisions re-institutionalizing hiring practices that are 
based on the identified personal characteristics and required competencies necessary to perform the community policing 
function. These same competencies will become increasingly critical as law enforcement takes on expanded roles that are 
collateral to greater involvement in the homel and security mission. 

The report highlights unique ccomplishments and challenges faced at each site and reports on commonalties 
experienced across all sites as well as the lessons learned from their experiences. It concludes with menu of best 
practices that can be explored by other law enforcement agencies who seek to implement recruitment and hiring practices 
that will advance their community policing mission. It also shows that the HSS project evolved into much more than 
federal grant focused on hiring. Within this context, HSS became value-added initiative that is influencing other 
organizational practices in the agencies involved in the project. 


As a result of HSS, there is better definition of community policings law enforcement ctivities and the required 
behaviors, personal characteristics, and competencies needed to perform as a community policing officer. One of 
the most compelling features of the spirit of service orientation, as reflected in this body of work, is the recognition 
that community policing appears to have tapped into what may be an underlying motivation of law enforcement 
officers nationwide: the drive to make difference and to give something back to their communities. 

NOTE: 

Despite the best of intentions there are sometimes unforeseen circumstances that may negatively impact efforts 
underway. After the conclusion of this project, the Detroit Police Department was confronted with one such 
challenge. A budget crisis forced the department to lay off approximately 150 recruits and officers. This will impact 
efforts to advance minority recruitment and hiring service-oriented officers. However, what was accomplished 
through HSS can still be utilized once the city is in a better financial position to resume its officer recruitment 
efforts. 


Acknowledgements 


Acknowledgements 

The author acknowledges the pioneering work of the Community Policing Consortium (CPC) in undertaking project 
to further the advancement of community policing. Special thanks to the CPC project partners who worked tirelessly 
to bring Hiring in the Spirit of Service to conclusion despite many unanticipated setbacks. The following individuals 
represent the CPC partnership and are acknowledged for their efforts: 

 David Bostrom, International Association of Chiefs of Police 
 Thomas Rhatigan, National Sheriffs Association 
 Karen Amendol , Ph.D., Police Foundation 
 Raquel Manso, Police Foundation 
 Drew Diamond, Police Executive Research Forum 
 William Harrison, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives 

The steady leadership provided by CPC Executive Director William Matthews helped overcome obstacles. A longtime 
advocate of developing trust with, and accountability to, the community and ensuring that community policing is 
fully supportive of the civil liberties of citizens, Mr. Matthews provided the stewardship that brought the project to 
successful conclusion. 

The author also acknowledges the cooperation of the five demonstration sites. Project staffs were continuously 
accessible, answered an unending number of questions, and willingly shared their experiences and frustrations in an open 
and direct manner, but not without humor. They submitted to long interviews and provided documents in manner that 
created transparent grant process. Recognizing that the successful completion of the project was the result of the efforts 
of many people at each site, the glue that held the project together was the untiring efforts and dedication of the site 
project managers. The author acknowledges the efforts of the following individuals: 

 Samantha Brinkley, Sacramento Police Department, Sacramento, California 
 Lorelei Bowden, Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, Hillsborough County, Florid 
 Deputy Chief Stephen Wark, Burlington Police Department, Burlington, Vermont 
 Ralph Cady, King County Sheriffs Office, King County, Washington 
 Elsie Scott, Ph.D., Detroit Police Department, Detroit, Michigan 

All worked diligently to advance the project and see it through to completion. 

Finally, the author acknowledges Thomas Frasier, past Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
(COPS), who brought the idea of hiring in the spirit of service, rather than adventure, to the COPS Office; current 
Director of COPS, Carl Peed, for his support of grant program that enhances COPS hiring programs by ddressing 
the requisite skills of the officers recruited and hired through those initiatives; Kenneth M. Howard, the COPS Project 
Manager, who assiduously managed and approved all details of this initiative; and Amy Schapiro from the COPS Office 
who assisted in seeing this project to completion. The potential to change the quality of law enforcement has been 
substantively advanced by this COPS Office value-added initiative. 

 

Introduction 


Introduction 

Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS) is bringing major change to policing in designated communities. In five HSS 
demonstration sites, law enforcement agencies have enlisted the community to help them carry out one of the most 
significant and fundamental processes in law enforcement agencyrecruiting and hiring law enforcement personnel. 
These five agencies are asking their communities to help shape how public safety services are delivered and to assist 
them in hiring the right people to carry out the policing function. This fundamental change is the outcome of the 
federally funded HSS project, undertaken by the Community Policing Consortium (CPC), which provided support to 
examine critical baseline tasks that are essential to recruiting and hiring law enforcement personnel. 

The goal of the HSS examination involved developing recruitment and selection methodology that is consistent with 
requirements of community policing. As such, it placed heavy premium on increasing community involvement in 
all facets of these processes. It came at a  particularly critical time because law enforcement agencies nationwide had 
adopted the community policing philosophy with little guidance to ensure that the officers and deputies who were being 
hired were indeed capable of carrying out the community policing role. 

There is little question that the quality of policing services is linked directly to the individual behavior of officers and 
deputies and to the organizational philosophy that supports their behavior. When the organization l philosophy shifts, 
however, it calls into question whether the traditional models that have been used to recruit and hire are sufficient 
to support the requirements of the new community policing model. Therefore, different selection models need to be 
explored. Such was the HSS mission undertaken by the CPC. 

The CPCs long history of providing support for community policing positioned the organization to initiate 
comprehensive examination of all elements of accepted law enforcement selection processes and to introduce 
fundamental change, where possible, in the five law enforcement agencies that were selected as demonstration sites. The 
goal clearly has been realized: all five sites have adapted innovations in their recruitment and hiring models, innovations 
that are consistent with their community policing philosophy. 

As the HSS project unfolded, it was clear that it was evolving into much more than a grant simply focused on hiring. 
Rather, it began to influence other organizational practices in the agencies involved in the project. HSS heightened 
awareness throughout the organizations that ensuring public safety involves more than law enforcement catching 
bad guys and making good arrests. It also involves commitment to providing service and that realization brings 
renewed appreciation for what law enforcement service really means. In essence, that appreciation may be the driving 
force that motivates law enforcement officers nationwidethe drive to make difference and give something back to 
their communities. 


History of 
the Project 
Chapter One 

HIstory of the Project 

Objectives of the Report 

This report tells the story of each site and describes the real-world issues that emerged when implementing significant 
change in existing processes designed to recruit and select law enforcement officers. It also discusses how each site 
progressed to meet its goals of hiring service-oriented law enforcement recruits, and it describes the challenges encountered 
long the way. 

At the outset, it acknowledges that recruiting and hiring quality candidates has become a larger problem for law 
enforcement than it has been in the past. For many years, concerns about gender and racial biases against protected classes 
dominated the hiring landscape. Yet law enforcement agencies had the luxury of meeting affirmative action goals while 
making their selections from long lists of willing and eager candidates and hiring only those who met rigid criteriawhat 
many referred to as the cream of the crop. 

In todays world, gender and race remain as critical issues but candidate lists are much shorter because competition from 
other sectors of the economy provides broader opportunities for quality candidates. These opportunities can make positions 
in public safety seem less attractive. Moreover, negative media accounts of rogue officers, as well as those tha t describe 
the substantial challenges faced by professional law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs, may discourage many 
from considering law enforcement career opportunities. Further, potential candidates from diverse communities, the very 
people whom law enforcement seeks to attract, may shy away from these opportunities because history of acrimonious 
relationships may present a skewed picture of what law enforcement is all about; potential candidates may fear active 
disapproval from community peers for joining up with the perceived enemy. 

The longstanding gender and race issues have become further complicated by the need to ensure that the countrys 
burgeoning immigrant populations are represented in law enforcement. Law enforcement agencies across the country are 
struggling to attract officer and deputy candidates who can respond to, and communicate with, multi-cultural communities. 
With Hispanic communities estimated to be the fastest growing segment of the population, bilingual candidates are 
becoming priority and many agencies now provide Spanish lessons for tenured officers. However, equally important 
to language skills are candidates who understand the ethnic complexities of Hispanic and Asian populations as well as 
the unique strains experienced by Middle Eastern communities. Consequently, the capacity to bridge cultural gaps with 
communities of color is becoming important for law enforcement and adds a new dimension to the candidate competencies 
sought by law enforcement. 

Accordingly, major issues that need to be confronted in recruitment and hiring include law enforcement looking like the 
communities they serve and getting the right people into the job while avoiding attracting the wrong people, particula rly 
those who abuse authority. Abuse of authority is antithetical to effective policing and particularly so for community 
policing, which places a premium on developing trusting relationships with the community. 

The information contained in this report sets out to show how the five law enforcement departments met the challenges 
inherent to this major change effort that was designed to bring innovation to selection processes. It also describes how each 
site engaged the community in reshaping recruiting and hiring practices, and how they sought community input to create 
powerful messages that tell the story of what policing is all about. These messages became their brand, the image they 
seek to convey to the community and to potential candidatesmessages that reflect the spirit of service that is integral to 
the philosophy and values of community policing. 


History of the Project 

Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Community 
Policing Consortium (CPC) proposed to examine recruitment and hiring practices in five sites cross the nation. It sought 
to explore methods and practices for hiring police candid tes who were motivated by the spirit of servicein contrast 
only to the spirit of adventurecandid tes who could develop dynamic and working partnerships with the community 
and work collaboratively to solve community problems. This emphasis evolved following the unprecedented infusion 
of hiring and training funds that were provided by the COPS Office to promote proactive law enforcement, and the 
realization that to advance community policing, the COPS Office needed to go beyond the traditional selection models 
that hired incident-driven, command-and-control officers. Rather, there needed to be focus on recruiting officers who 
were representative of the community and who brought the skill sets, competencies, and personal characteristics that 
were necessary to fully implement community policing. 

Fully cognizant of the complexity of community policing, the CPC saw the need to identify the critical balance of 
knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as the traits, characteristics, and background experiences that would ensure 
requisite blend of effective enforcement, service orientation, and officer safety. Collaterally, the CPC also looked 
at how to attract individuals of interest, how to hire and retain them, and how to engage the community to help them 
achieve these goals. Within this context, the CPC encouraged sites to elicit community feedback through focus groups 
and subsequent participation in facets of the screening process. 

The CPC also encouraged sites to explore the use of marketing techniques, as though selling a product, and to develop 
brands that would uniquely signify what their community policing organization stands for. Borrowing from the 
corporate world, the concept of branding typically involves use of logo that presents vibra nt image that signifies 
universal recognition of an organizations dedication to their product. In the world of law enforcement, the brand 
and/or logo should communicate simila r message and illustrate departments dedication to their mission. Further, the 
message needs to be communicated in such way that each departments service orientation uniquely resonates with the 
community. Within this context, each site is marketing product an interesting and challenging career that presents an 
opportunity to make difference in the community. 

Traditionally, there have been limited resources applied to marketing in law enforcement agencies. As a result, the 
stories of police and sheriffs are told through media accounts that typically focus on incidents of brutality, corruption, 
ineptness, or notorious actions described as abuse of the innocent. In these accounts, it has been rare to find focus on 
the service aspects of policing or on the courage and bravery of law enforcement personnel. Consequently, Hiring in the 
Spirit of Service (HSS) provided the sites with an opportunity to tell their own stories and to use methods that pushed 
the envelopenot typical occurrence in law enforcement agencies that are known to be largely conservative. This facet 
of the project provoked new ways to talk about law enforcement. Moreover, it clearly drove innovation in the five sites 
selected to participate in this hallmark project. 
 

Five Demonstration Sites 

The five sites that became the centerpiece of HSS were selected through competitive process. They were 
charged with developing models that had the potential to become promising practices for recruiting and hiring law 
enforcement candidates who have strong community service orientation. The criteria for selection included the 
following: 

 First and foremost, there needed to be strong commitment to the community policing philosophy. 

 Potential site candidates also needed to be engaged in an ongoing recruitment process wherein there 
was an available applicant pool to fill open positions. 

 They needed to be willing to adjust an existing multiphased recruitment and selection strategy. 

 They needed to have collected baseline data in earlier selection efforts so that they could assess the 
impact of HSS. 

 Most critical was their willingness to include the community in the hiring process and concurrence 
that this involvement would mount to considerably more than passive particip tion. 

 An added requirement was an absence of current litigation involving hiring practices. 

 Finally, the law enforcement chief executive officer (CEO) and local governing body needed to be 
willing to accept the monitoring processes developed by the CPC. 

At the outset, it was agreed that the site sample should be representative of the national spectrum of law 
enforcement agencies and include both police departments and sheriffs agencies. Although numerous sites 
expressed interest in being considered for funding, their interest diminished when they learned that the project 
plans called for more than tweaking current systems. Also, some felt they were unable to devote the resources 
that would be needed to bring the project to completion. Others were uncertain because of concerns about 
collective bargaining greements, and still others were not prepared to take on the required level of community 
engagement. Consequently, though numerous sites competed, for v arying reasons many were unable to satisfy 
all criteria . 

The five sites that met the CPC criteria and were selected to participate included the following three police 
departments and two sheriffs agencies: 

 Sacramento Police Department, Sacramento, California 
 Burlington Police Department, Burlington, Vermont 
 Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, Hillsborough County, Florida 
 City of Detroit Police Department, Detroit, Michigan 
 King County Sheriffs Office, King County, Washington 

As it turned out, meeting the selection criteria was the first of several challenges encountered by these five 
sites in what came to be very complex project. Others included satisfying the requirements of an Institutional 
Review Board, confronting a range of professional issues relative to the use of valid assessment tools for 
applicant screening, leadership changes in the CEO position in each agency, and accomplishing objectives 
within the timelines specified by the grant. 


HSS Initial Project Objectives 

Five project objectives framed the task for the CPC and became the ground rules for site participation. The 
five objectives are as follows: 

1. Identify methods of service-oriented recruitment and selection for use in the field. 

2. Modify existing screening processes or develop new screening techniques that are compatible with the 
HSS mission. 

3. Identify methods to ensure that elements of the screening process such as oral interviews, background 
information, and occupational and psychological testing are capable of identifying service-oriented 
candidates. 

4. Engage the community to assist in these efforts. 

5. Field-test revised processes in the selected law enforcement agencies. 

These objectives are compatible with the interests of community policing, the organizing philosophy of both 
the COPS Office and the CPC. Further, they bring community policing values and expectations directly into 
the recruitment and selection process. Finally, they support the capacity for officers and deputies to engage in 
problem-solving methods and collaborate with citizens to effectively deter crime and improve the quality of 
life in their communities. 

These objectives also endorse change in direction that has implications for the multiple-hurdle selection 
strategies, the methods traditionally used in the hiring of incident-driven, reactive law enforcement officers. 
Rather than base selection decisions on a candidates ability to pass successive phases of the process, 
jumping the hurdles, so to speak, they call for shifting to strategy that provides broad-based perspective 
of each candidate. More recently referred to as the whole-person strategy preemployment assessment, this 
perspective is critical to ensuring that those hired can advance the mission and values of the department while 
respecting the civil liberties of others. This emphasis also opens the door for introducing other changes into 
the police human resource system including, but not limited to, changes in training, field training officer 
experiences, and modifications to performance appraisals as well as to criteria used in promotional systems. 

As will be noted throughout this report, the CPC met multiple challenges to accomplish the HSS objectives 
that culminated in the field testing of innovative recruitment and selection strategies. Further, it shows how 
building community involvement into the project was critical to ensuring long-lasting effects. The latter 
goes far beyond lip service, adding cosmetic value to existing procedures, or engaging citizens in role that 
primarily is passive in nature. Rather, the five sites, in varying degrees, have committed to institutionalizing 
community involvement in recruiting and hiring practices to achieve the spirit of service objectives. 


Chapter Two

Overview of Law 
Enforcement 
Selection History 
 

Overview of Law Enforement Selection History 

Brief History of Recruiting and Selecting Police Candidates 

At the outset of the project, the Community Policing Consortium (CPC) acknowledged the 
impressive history that resulted in substantive improvements in how law enforcement selected 
officers and deputies. Over time, recruiting and selecting law enforcement candidates had 
become decidedly more professional as agencies enacted the recommendations of prominent law 
enforcement commissions. They lso benefited from the advent of the 1967 Law Enforcement 
Assistance Administration (LEAA) with LEAA funds clearly supporting the advancement of law 
enforcement selection practices. Collaterally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
and affirmative action goals became instrumental in improving selection processes. They required 
public employment selection methods to be job-relevant, valid predictors of performance, and free 
of bias and adverse impact on protected classes. The latter issues became particularly important 
when psychological assessments were introduced into law enforcement selection bec ause of fair 
employment and professional practice requirements for demonstrating the reliability, validity, and 
job-relatedness of the psychological assessment tools. 

Despite these progressive changes, arguments remain today that pertain to the extensive focus on 
hiring officers and deputies who are interested in the adventure side of the job, in contrast to those 
who are service oriented. An adventure orientation can be characterized as over-emphasizing the 
p art of the job that involves chasing and catching bad guys, engaging in hot pursuits, kicking in 
doors, or resorting to intimidation as a way to maintain the edge and keep peace in the community. 
Inevitably, this orientation produces distancing from the community and creates negative 
stereotypes that result in the all too familiar we-they syndrome. In contrast, service orientation 
balances enforcement activities and good police work with humane caring for the community and 
values prevention and trusting relationships as a means to solving problems and controlling crime. 
These relationships build through the myriad day-to-day activities that position the officer to be 
seen as trusted partner committed to keeping peace and order in the community and protecting 
citizens. 

As early as 1977, Herman Goldstein observed that more of police officers time was spent in 
service-related activities than time devoted to enforcement, fact subsequently confirmed by 
many rese rchers. 1 Traditional recruitment and hiring practices, however, have used models 
that emph size strong focus on enforcement capabilities. Notwithstanding the criticality of 
enforcement responsibilities nd the need to maintain such in the hiring equation, it is equally 
important to understand the characteristics and job-related behaviors that attach to the service 
orientation. The widespread acceptance of, and adaptation to, the community policing model 
intensifies the need for better understanding of what constitutes community policing behavior 
and service orientation. 

1. For more 
inform tion bout 
this ple se see 
Herm n Goldsteins 
book Policing Free 
Society, (C mbridge, 
MA: B llinger 
Publishing Comp ny), 
1977, p. 77. 
 


Other arguments pertain to the long-standing practice of selecting out candid tes, rather than selecting in, 
and to the use of the multiple-hurdle approach to selection. There is extensive literature on the differences in 
these selection methodologies. Briefly, nd for the purposes of this report, selecting out implies se rch for 
flaws or indicators, whether cognitive, behavioral, or psychological, that flag that something is wrong with 
the candidate. Thst something disqualifies candidates and precludes their opportunity to move through the 
other selection hurdles. A common criticism of this approach suggests that selected-out candidates never get a
chance to perform in the job, therefore, there is no opportunity to evaluate if they were selected out for the 
right reasons. In contrast, selecting in looks at what is right with the candidate, how he or she meets the criteria 
that the department is seeking, and evaluates his or her potential for effective job performance. Subsequently, 
if terminated from employment, it is because of failure in job performance. Performance f ilures can then be 
evaluated within the context of the officer or deputys over all preemployment assessment results, thereby 
strengthening the case for valid nonselect decisions of future candidates. 

The multiple-hurdle approach drives screening out process. In this model, candidates are passed from one 
screening hurdle to the next and can be screened out in any phase of the process. Flexibility is somewhat 
limited and the process precludes the development of comprehensive assessment of candidates capacity to 
fulfill all elements of the policing role. 

Selecting out through multiple hurdles became the method of choice when police selection systems were 
seeking candidates to perform reactive and action-oriented police role. In many respects it remains the 
method of choice today. Complications, however, were introduced as community policing became the 
predominant policing philosophy. Gradually, it was recognized that shift in emphasis was needed to select 
candidates who balanced strong service orientation with the requisite skills to engage the community 
in proactive problem solving to achieve public safety. Moreover, it became increasingly apparent that the 
recruitment and selection models that were linked exclusively to command-and-control mode of policing 
were outdated because they did not accommodate the emphasis on community policing. 

It was within this framework that the CPC sought to introduce significant change. The CPC was fully 
cognizant that even the best recruitment and selection strategies can not sustain high performance indefinitely 
or override other factors that influence performance in the course of law enforcement career. And, the CPC 
also acknowledged the inherent challenge in any effort to modify existing selection practices that had been 
developed to standardize hiring practices and ensure that they were fair, equitable, and job related. Clearly, no 
one would be eager to tamper with what law enforcement did well in recruitment and hiring. The prospect of 
modifying and/or supplementing systems, however, was not out of the question, provided that the same level of 
rigor was applied to what had become standard operating procedures in selection models. 

Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS), therefore, sought to build on the substantial history of law enforcement 
selection and to introduce new chapter to selection history that would incorporate innovations that meet the 
demands of todays environment. These innovations are consistent with how policing is changing and reflect 
the influences of community policing. 

However, they also have implications for preserving homeland security in that community policing officers 
are becoming the first responders and preventors in the anti-terrorism environment. As such, HSS represents 
major change effort that is endemic to what the CPC, in partnership with the COPS Office, sought to 
accomplish. Accordingly, it came t time when police and sheriffs were building their agencies through the 
substantial infusions of new officers and deputies dedicated to community policing, and it represents much 
needed turning point for innovation in recruitment and hiring. 


100,000 New Cops on the Beat 

Following passage of the landmark Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 
1994, 2 there was an unprecedented level of support to hire community policing officers. 
Funding was distributed through the COPS Office, venue that also helped the law 
enforcement community learn more bout effective community policing. However, as 
the COPS Office focus began to change from a primary goal of meeting hiring numbers, 
questions emerged about the kind of officer who would be needed to implement the 
community policing role effectively. Concurrently, research studies of community 
policing also began to suggest that community policing may require different skill sets 
that are more cognitively complex and require strong emphasis on the critical thinking 
that is central to problem solving. It was only a matter of time before the question was 
raised about whether selection models that hired officers entrenched in the reactive mode 
could accomplish the goals of community policing or were at cross purposes with what a
department committed to community policing was trying to achieve. 

In this regard, community policing requires greater working collaboration with the 
community and calls on officers and deputies to balance their enforcement role with 
that of becoming facilitators with other local government agencies, and with citizens, to 
achieve the crime-control mission. This emphasis is believed to produce less of the we-
they syndrome as officers begin to perceive citizens as consumers and as coproducers 
of public safety, and/or as partners taking an active role to improve the quality of life in 
their geographical beats. As result, officers gather information from citizen partners, 
learn to be more analytical, and use data and information to shape their responses to 
prevalent crime problems that now include homeland security emphasis. Moreover, 
they use technology as crime-fighting tool with methodologies such as crime mapping 
and information-sharing enterprise systems becoming more routine. Over ll, these trends 
are creating substantive changes in how American law enforcement officers conduct 
business and these changes are reverberating throughout other components of the law 
enforcement system, not the least of which is changing how officers and deputies are 
recruited and selected. 

Objective of HSS as a Major Change Effect 

The changes detailed in the previous section were the foundation of the HSS project. 
However, because of the inherent difficulties in achieving this level of comprehensive 
change, the CPC required the identified sites to focus their efforts on five distinct target 
areas. The five target areas are as follows: 

 Recruiting and marketing which included the development of an gaency brand 
or image 
 Engaging the community in recruiting and hiring 
 Revising selection models including occupational screening 
 Revising selection models including psychological testing 
 Institution lizing range of new hiring practices that reflect readiness to 
accept change. 

2. The COPS Office 
was created as result 
of the Violent Crime 
Control and Law 
Enforcement Act of 
1994. As component 
of the Justice 
Dep rtment, the 
mission of the COPS 
Office is to advance 
community policing 
in jurisdictions of 
ll sizes cross the 
country. COPS has 
invested $11.9 billion 
to add community 
policing officers to 
the nations streets 
and schools, enhance 
crime-fighting 
technology, support 
crime prevention 
initi tives, and 
provide training and 
technical assistance to 
advance community 
policing. 



HSS Implementation Strategies 

From the outset, the CPC recognized the criticality of the need for consistent buy-in from all stakeholders. 
Consequently, several project modifications became necessary, including some changes in the sites originally 
identified for participation in the project. In seeking to revitalize recruitment and selection culture that had 
been widely accepted, even if somewhat rigid and driven by civil service requirements, the CPC knew full 
well that this would not be simple task. Thus, it determined to provide strong level of project management 
to improve the ch ances of changing recruitment and selection strategies while also integrating them into 
traditional practices that had been accepted, even if somewhat flawed. Further, while acknowledging what had 
become well-developed parameters inherent to an existing selection culture, other issues would need to be 
addressed that could influence implementation and possibly impede project completion. These issues areas 
follows: 

 The literature on police recruitment and selection was somewhat sparse, in contrast to what was 
available in the industrial psychology arena, and an emphasis on community policing was virtually 
nonexistent in the literature. The CPC, therefore, commissioned Leatta Hough, Ph.D., of the Dunnette 
Group, to review existing literature for its relevance to community policing. Her thorough review 
concluded that there was relevant literature on predicting performance in nonlaw enforcement jobs 
that have performance dimensions similar to those required by community policing. She contended 
that this information, particularly as it relates to valid predictors, could be expected to apply generally 
to community policing. Moreover, her review presented a wide range of promising selection measures 
that could be considered in the HSS project. 

 Given the nature of the project and the research component involving the use of human subjects in law 
enforcement selection, the CPC determined that an Institutional Review Board (IRB) process would 
be required. The introduction of the IRB precluded some of the sites from meeting their timetables 
because of the delays inherent in the review process and the project had to be extended beyond the 
original timetable. Conversely, however, the introduction of the IRB ensured that the project would be 
accomplished within the framework of acceptable research practices. 

 Since many of the sites were engaged in arrangements that involved using commercial tests and 
contractual vendors, there was less flexibility in modifying proprietary products. These products had 
been subjected to rigorous validation studies, as required by professional standards of the testing 
industry, and were not subject to manipul tion. 

 Any change in selection procedures, particularly those used in public employment, require the 
concurrence of multiple stakeholders. Even when local government concurred, there remained the 
issue of achieving internal buy-in at each selected site. 

 At the outset, it was acknowledged that the leadership and support of the law enforcement chief 
executive officer (CEO) would be critical to the success of the project. Midway through the project, 
three of the five sites experienced change in the chief executive of the agency. As with any agency 
experiencing transition to new leadership, difficulties in meeting predetermined schedules could be 
expected to influence implementation. The incoming CEO had to be fully briefed on the project to 
ensure that full participation in the project would continue and that the same level of commitment and 
cooperation would be forthcoming. As an aside, by the conclusion of the project, all five sites had new 
CEOs. 


 Shortly after initial project plans were developed, the United States experienced the unprecedented 
assault of September 11, 2001. This catastrophic event affected implementation of the plans. 
Accordingly, some prospective sites were subject to military call-ups while others experienced resource 
drains brought bout by an immediate shift in mission. As such, there were concerns bout having 
adequate resources to complete the project and to fulfill the rigorous criteria developed by the CPC. An 
added concern was the question of whether community policing efforts would lose ground following 
the events of 9/11. Rather than rush to hasty conclusion, the CPC elected to allow sites the needed 
time to absorb the impact of these critical changes. This proved to be wise decision, particularly in 
light of the concern about the continued impact of community policing, because it soon became clear 
that community policing could play a critical role in the efforts to ensure homeland security. 


Case Studies 
Chapter Three 

Case Studies 

Selecting and Supporting Demonstration Sites 

The Community Policing Consortium (CPC) was acutely aware of the potential impediments to completing such 
comprehensive project; therefore, it built in a range of safeguards to ensure completion of the project. The CPC also 
provided technical assistance to support the selected sites in achieving their goals. 

 The CPC partners provided data-driven resources to each site in the form of findings from preliminary research 
conducted on the five selection elements that were the core of the project. Each CPC partner was responsible 
for providing review of baseline research for one of the core elements of the project, and to provide each site 
with the previously referenced comprehensive analysis by Dr. Leatta Hough. 

 The CPC partners also provided each site with CPC project manager who made periodic site visits, reviewed 
the required monthly progress reports, and provided ongoing feedback. They became site champions and 
fielded multiple issues relative to federal funding and contractua l concerns. 

 The CPC partners encouraged the sites to form steering committees with diverse and multidisciplinary 
expertise that would inform and guide the project. The committees were envisioned as building capacity 
for bringing fresh ideas to recruitment and hiring and to encouraging innovative practices that would enhance 
diversity. 

 The CPC partners convened series of site participant roundtables throughout the life of the project. These 
meetings served as forum for reaffirming project guidelines and reviewing status reports. They also presented 
an opportunity for sites to share common problems and frustrations associated with the project. 

 The roundtables also provided the opportunity for sites to report on their successes and for the CPC to 
identify common issues that needed follow-up. The forums highlighted achievements of the individual sites 
and acknowledged group issues, thereby creating level of cohesiveness cross sites. Further, through the 
roundtables the sites developed the capacity to learn from each other and culminated in the development of 
network of law enforcement agencies that were engaged in recruitment and selection innovations. 

 The sites were supported and encouraged to deliver presentations of their work in progress at national law 
enforcement meetings. The meetings helped them meet established short-term goals and maintained the level 
of momentum that was necessary to keep the project moving forward. Participation in these meetings provided 
the sites with opportunities for invaluable peer feedback. 

In summary, these activities were central to ensuring that the project moved toward completion and that the sites 
met their stated goals. Despite this assistance, all sites encountered difficulties in completing all tasks related to their 
proposed activities within the original time frame of the grant. Consequently, two no-cost grant extensions were required 
because of the complexity of the project as well as the unforeseen interruptions of project activities. 



Case Studies of Sites: Real-World Stories 

What follows summarizes the experiences and lessons learned by the five police or sheriff departments that participated 
in Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS). Their stories show the real-world struggles that promoted their particip tion, the 
challenges they encountered long the way, how they met these challenges, as well as the barriers to implementing their 
projects. More pointedly, their experiences tell the story of innovation and change in traditional recruitment and hiring 
practices. 

Sacramento Police DepartmentA Call to Serve 

It could not have come at a better time, said Samantha Brinkley, when referring to the 
Sacramento (California) Police Departments HSS project. As director of personnel for the 
police department and HSS project director, Ms. Brinkley was well aware of two interrelated 
issues affecting the department. One, the police department w as struggling to maintain the 
credibility of its community policing efforts; and second, looming just around the corner 
was the threat of wholesale retirements of the generation of officers who were hired fter 
they returned from serving in Vietnam. In addition, Californias severe budget problems 
were clearly a problem for the state capital where policing encounters its own set of unique 
challenges. 

Given these conditions, there were serious concerns about the departments capacity to 
maintain sworn strength. Morale in the department was low, officers were discouraged about 
having to pick up the slack, and rash of media accounts fanned union concerns about 
the potential for unfulfilled contractual obligations. The HSS initiative emerged amid this 
atmosphere of apprehension and with it came A Call to Serve. 

Changing recruitment and hiring was something of sea change for Sacramento bec ause it ha d 
been fairly tradition-bound in its recruitment and selection practices. The police department 
had relied on time-honored approaches, particularly for recruiting. These traditional pra ctices 
changed dramatically both by full-fledged award-winning advertising campaign made 
possible by HSS (Employment Management Associations Merit Award for Full Page 
Campaign),3 and by the inclusion of community members as an integral part of the process. 
Beyond selecting candidates, other changes were forthcoming in the department and in the end 
more than recruiting and hiring had changed. Morale of tenured officers improved as the HSS-
funded media campaign helped to restore pride in how the Sacramento officers perceived their 
challenging role in the community. Officers began to view the results of HSS with certain 
amount of pride, seeing it as recognition of their professionalism and validation of what they 
are seeking to accomplish as they go about doing difficult job from day to day. 

History of the Project 

Training and deployment of the specialized units began in earnest in 1993 through 1995. Arturo 
Venegas (Ret.), the former Sacramento police chief, launched the departments involvement 
in the project and sought to have the department considered as a pilot-testing site for HSS. At 
the outset, he saw HSS as an opportunity to evaluate Sacramentos hiring practices within the 
context of community policing. Following his retirement, the project was endorsed by current 
Chief Albert Njer , and it continued to enjoy strong support. 

3 A series of the 
A Call to Serve 
ads received the 
Employment 
Management 
Associations 
Merit Award for Full 
Page Black nd White 
Campaign. 

 

Chief Njer saw the project as intricately related to the departments mission and values. Under his direction, 
the project became a dynamic influence throughout the department and it helped the department succeed in 
identifying service-oriented traits for police officers and in modifying selection practices so that they were 
consistent with those traits. Further, his support helped in responding to administrative delays and to extending 
the project beyond the initial plan, thereby opening new doors for HSS in the Sacramento Police Dep rtment. 
By the conclusion of the project, the service message had expanded beyond recruitment and hiring and had 
been incorporated into training, evaluation, promotions, and internal/external communication. Collaterally, 
Sacramento came to refer to HSS as the way we do business. 

Steering Committee 

At the outset of the project, the Sacramento Police Department organized a steering committee that would 
be responsible for providing oversight and guidance throughout the project. The membership included 
representation from the police department, city Human Resources and Risk Management, occupational and 
clinical psychologists, community represent tives, and members of the California Commission on Peace 
Officer Standards and Training (POST). This comprehensive group also included the vendors and consultants 
involved in the project as well as representatives from the union who were invited to participate. The breadth 
of expertise and diversity of background represented on the Steering Committee provided collaborative 
framework for providing input, direction, and review throughout the life of the project. As such, it could be 
considered as a  model for problem solving in projects of this nature in that the partnerships represented mirror 
the goals of community policing. 

Project Goals 

The Sacramento Police Department sought to create major changes in recruitment and hiring by addressing four 
critical functions: 

 Recruitment and community outreach 
 Occupational screening 
 Psychological testing 
 Institutionalizing change through revised policies, procedures, and longitudinal validation of hiring 
processes 

Use of Focus Groups: 
Recruitment, Community Outreach, and Marketing 

Sacramento relied heavily on focus groups to achieve project goals. In contrast to open-ended discussion 
groups, however, their focus groups had an applied research orientation that was used effectively to address 
recruitment, community outreach nd marketing initiatives. 

Recruitment and community outreach: The Sacramento Police Department set out to attract police candidates 
with strong histories of giving back to their communities and had a particular interest in candidates who were 
involved in community and volunteer activities. However, they also sought to ensure greater diversity in their 
applicant pool. Hence, they invited the focus group participation of citizens who had an edge in minority 
communities, including vocal community advocates. These citizens initially were involved in the departments 
recruitment and hiring processes as participants in the focus group research led by Insight Research, Inc., 
marketing company that helped the groups brainstorm ideas and identify service-oriented traits. These 
discussions were structured round behavioral dimensions identified by the California POST (see Appendix A) 



which became the research protocol for collecting data on service-oriented traits in a consistent and uniform 
manner. This protocol was used with all focus groups. 

One focus group was comprised of officers while three other groups were composed of citizens. In addition 
to consensual agreement on the service-oriented traits reflected in the behavioral dimensions, all reached the 
conclusion that the department was understaffed, underfunded, in need of training, and experiencing morale 
problems. 

Three additional sworn focus groups were convened to counterbalance what was initially limited involvement 
of sworn participation, and to ensure adequate representation from the department. These groups were 
identified as branding groups and were designed to generate information that would shape a marketing 
message reflective of service-oriented traits. 

Much later in the project, separate set of focus groups were established to assess specific concerns of female 
and minority employees. These groups were developed in response to the realization within the department that 
they needed to do more to improve their success rate in recruiting diverse applicant pool. Recommendations 
from this latter group included dispelling negative images of police officers, recruiting young, early, and 
repeatedly, and creating diverse images in the advertising while also communicating you can do it attitude 
(see Appendix B for the report). 

The community focus groups were composed of community leaders who represented neighborhood and 
community organizations, minority group organizations, and business owners. All were paid a $50 stipend to 
participate. This factor was seen as responsible for the 100 percent show rate, an experience that was quite 
unlike that of the sites that did not pay a stipend. However, since ll p rticip nts were seen s f ns of the 
dep rtment, the police dep rtment subsequently questioned if the perception of service-oriented traits would 
have been different had they enlisted those who were not fans. In all likelihood, the structure provided by using 
the C alifornia POST behavioral dimensions as guidelines for discussion may have overridden this concern, but 
at this point it remains an unknown (see Appendix C for focus group discussion guidelines). 

Notwithstanding the above concern, the results of the focus groups were instrumental in revising selection 
processes to include formalized recruitment plan. Subsequently, community members were invited to 
participate as members of police cadet oral interview panels and these panels are now convened routinely. 
They consist of one community member and two sworn personnel per panel and all panel members have an 
opportunity to question and independently rate each candidate for the patrol position. Despite some initial 
trepidation about working together, the experience proved to be fruitful as sworn officers began to see value 
in community input. Moreover, the candidate ratings by trained citizens are remarkably similar to those of 
the sworn panel members. Given this success, the department now includes community members on police 
sergeant appraisal oral boards. Finally, the results of the focus groups substantially influenced other department 
functions and their impact was decidedly strong in arriving at the decision on how the department would 
market itself. 

Marketing the Image: A highly effective outreach strategy involved marketing an image that would draw 
service-oriented candidates. Insight Research worked with the focus groups and collected data on service-
oriented traits by having focus group participants respond to a questionnaire containing a range of items about 
community policing. Information distilled from all groups identified the desired traits as follows: integrity, 
honesty, wisdom, empathy, patience, communication skills, strong work ethic, and adaptability. 

The groups did not believe that these traits were adequately represented in the existing print or television 
advertisements used by Sacramento. Also, they did not feel that service or diversity, including non-stereotypical 


roles for women, were emphasized. Consequently, they called for substantive change in the image that the 
department presented to potential recruits and to the community. 

Given that feedback, the marketing firm used the identified traits to develop the message that best described 
what focus group participants defined as important to portray to the community. The results were series 
of major themes that defined core values embedded in the service-oriented traits. They included courage, 
involvement, compassion, dedication, commitment, integrity, and communication. These themes then drove 
the marketing groups recruiting campaign. However, the focus groups rejected the first offering from the 
marketing firm that portrayed the officers in the department as heroes through the message, So Many Ways to 
be a Hero. All had concerns that the hero theme would be perceived as over-used and of less relevance to the 
concept of service orientation. The officers, in particular, expressed the concern that it did not capture their 
motivation to join the department. Rather, they supported message conveying that law enforcement was 
calling to make difference. Thus, A Call to Serve was born. 

A Call to Serve has become the Sacramento Police Departments brand and is now at the heart of multimedia 
advertising campaign that received the Employment Management Associations Merit Award for Full Page 
Campaign. That message is the lead on all recruiting materials including brochures, video, recruiting 
booths, billboards, an Above and Beyond television series, and a new web site. In all products, these key 
words reinforce what the police department is looking for in its employees. This reinforcement is particularly 
important for the updated web site, an integral part of the recruitment strategy, because initial research 
demonstrated that 60 percent of candidates typically learned about the department and hiring opportunities from 
the web site. As of this writing, that figure approached 70 percent. 

At the conclusion of the project, the S cramento Police Department was compiling statistics to identify its 
most effective recruiting methods and was rolling out Community Recruiter Program. The program will 
train community leaders to recruit qualified police candidates from neighborhood and business associations, 
faith-based and educational institutions, and ethnic community groups. The goal of the Community Recruiter 
Program is to provide more personalized style of recruiting to attract and hire diverse candidates who reflect 
the citys demographics. By increasing diversity in hiring, it is believed that relationships with the community 
will be enhanced. Collaterally, Sacramento is developing series of manuals for candidates that will address 
issues in oral examin tions and in the preemployment psychological ssessment; they are also preparing 
writing skills assessment video. 

The Sacramento Police Department is a clear example of how community outreach started with basic focus 
group research to identify service-oriented traits but then became entrenched in other significant recruitment 
and hiring processes. 

Occupational screening: The Sacramento Police Department undertook full examination of its occupational 
screening processes to determine which elements could be modified to incorporate the service orientation. 
Interest came at a fortuitous time because the California POST was reexamining dimensions of the law 
enforcement job throughout the state and was seeking to incorporate occupational parameters relevant to 
community policing into the job description and state requirements for testing processes. The Sacramento 
Police Department initiated involvement with the POST at the outset of the project and project staff 
participated in the working groups convened to advance the POST project and were represented on the POST 
Oral Interview Advisory Committee. 

The POST had conducted job analysis research on the position of peace officer in California. The research 
resulted in formulating the dimensions that defined various components of the selection process, including 


behavioral job dimensions, psychological screening dimensions, and oral interview factors. The POST 
behavioral job dimensions were used as framework for the focus groups that the police department convened 
and were used to promote discussion on range of service-oriented behaviors. These behaviors included 
communication skills, problem-solving ability, learning ability, judgment under pressure, observation skills, 
willingness to confront problems, interest in people, interpersonal sensitivity, desire for self improvement, 
appearance, dependability, physical ability, integrity, operation of motor vehicle, and credibility as a witness 
in court. 

There is some overlap between the behavioral job dimensions and the POST oral interview factors. The latter 
were rated by citizens and officers in terms of importance for targeting in the oral interviews and agreed upon 
targets are as follows: experience, problem solving, communication skills, interest and motivation, interpersonal 
skills, community involvement, and awareness. Subsequently, these factors were incorporated into the 
standardized ora l interview component of the assessment process. This effort will be substantially facilitated 
by an oral interview examination manual to guide the process and four-minute video on how to use oral 
interviews, both of which are being developed by the POST. 

Several state occupational processes had been standardized throughout the state and could not be changed. 
Therefore, Sacramento elected to assist candidates by developing tools to supplement these occupational 
components, such as an examination preparation guide, orientation workshops, and a video on assessing writing 
skills. The police department also worked with the state and city to provide candidates with opportunities to 
retake the POST written exam. Further, they revised the educational requirements for newly created police 
recruit training classificationthe police recruit, which differs from the traditional police cadet position. In this 
program, police recruits must be 18 years old and will be required to attend college while working part-time 
for the department in non-sworn position until they are ready to attend the police academy. At tha t time they 
will be upgraded to the position of police cadet. Modifying these elements required extensive coordination 
with the citys Human Resources department, as did revising other process benchmarks that were considered 
unreasonable, such as wall climbs on the physical agility test and trigger pulls for female candidates. With the 
help of Human Resources, those benchmarks eventually were either eliminated or modified substantively and 
the changes culminated in an agreement to provide candidates with an opportunity for retesting. 

An outgrowth of HSS that is clearly linked to occupational screening has been the development of mentoring 
program that positions department staff, particularly those assigned to recruiting, to become more involved with 
candidates throughout the selection and training processes. Within this context, peer support groups are initiated 
during the hiring process and continue while the recruit is in the academy and throughout the probationary 
year. These groups acknowledge variable family situations and attempt to keep single officers and married 
officers in independent groups to ensure that there is comfort in addressing unique personal adjustment needs. 
The goal of this program is focused on retaining the new recruits and helping them, and their families, adjust 
to the demands of the law enforcement career. As an additional measure to meet retention goals, the police 
department is paying the costs for prospective applicants to attend orientation classes at the community college 
and has modified entry level educational requirements for the new police cadet classification of recruits. 

In different venue, Sacramento also proposes to develop police officer job performance evaluation that will 
include community input. The system under development is based on the 360o Performance Evaluation System 
Design, which has been used in the private sector (see Appendix D). Using this type of model, performance 
ratings are gathered from a range of sources rather than relying only on unitary performance rating from 
single supervisor. As such, the 360o evaluation model gathers performance data from those familiar with the 
individuals performance, including peers, and also incorporates administrative information into the rating 
ensuring that a broad range of information is included in the appraisal. In the case of Sacramento, a very 


unique function will be the integration of information from the community into the performance evaluations 
of officers. They also are developing a manual that will provide guidelines for using this form of performance 
appraisals for police officers. 

Psychological screening: Throughout the course of the project, the psychological screening dimensions 
developed by the POST also were under review. The current iteration of psychological dimensions includes 
social competence, capacity for teamwork, adapt ability-flexibility, conscientiousness, depend ability, impulse 
control, attention to safety, integrity, emotional regulation and stress tolerance, decision making and judgment, 
assertiveness, persuasiveness, and voiding substance buse and other risk taking behaviors. Each dimension 
is defined and examples of positive and counterproductive behaviors are provided. Current consensus is that 
these dimensions may be more accurately assessed by responses to psychological evaluations instead of citizen 
interviews. 

Initi lly, Sacramento had proposed to conduct psychological testing research on the two psychological tests 
currently administered to candidates (MMPI-2 nd CPI) and to examine a new group of tests developed 
by Hilson Research using sample of c demy recruits. The department was precluded from completing 
this research within the initial time frame of the grant because of Institutional Review Board requirements. 
Subsequently, the department eliminated ll empirical analyses of psychological tests and concluded that the 
psychological dimensions identified by POST should be evaluated by licensed clinical psychologist after a
conditional job offer has been presented to the candidate. 

By the conclusion of the project, the Sacramento Police Department was completing its Police Cadet 
Psychological Screening Manual that draws on recent psychological research as well as findings from other 
HSS sites. The department plans to give that manual to all contract psychologists who provide psychological 
screening of their applicants and to incorporate it into future requests for proposals (RFP). In contrast to the 
issues that precluded psychological test research, there was less difficulty in incorporating the POST Oral 
Interview Factors into the oral board component. This component will be significant to selecting candidates 
who are people-oriented recruits who strive to serve the community and who will derive enjoyment from their 
jobs. 

Institutionalizing change: The Sacramento Police Department increased its probability of institutionalizing 
HSS by combining the traits identified in the HSS project with the POST behavioral dimensions and the 
360o performance evaluation model. These changes are accompanied by collateral modifications in policies 
and procedures including use of the community as recruiters through the Community Recruiter Program. In 
essence, the department is creating system changes that will institutionalize service-oriented performance. 
These changes start with the mentoring program that inculcates department values early in the career life of 
Sacramento police officer. Together, all of these practices demonstrate that the Sacramento Police Department 
is meeting its goal of making HSS part of the fabric of the everyday life of police officer. 


Unique Accomplishments 

The Sacramento Police Dep artments work in HSS resulted in the following five unique accomplishments: 

 Focus Groups with an applied research paradigm 
 Occupational screening linked to partnership with the California POST 
 Recruitment-selection guides 
 Innovation in performance appraisals 
 Community Recruiter Program 

Focus groups with an applied research paradigm: Rather than relying on open-ended discussion groups, the 
Sacramento Police Department structured its focus groups by using a research paradigm that systematized the 
methodology used to determine desired traits for community-oriented police officers. Similar groups helped 
to develop service-oriented m arketing recruitment materials and worked with the community to validate the 
identified brand. 

Occupational screening linked to partnership with the California POST: A strong partnership with the 
California POST influenced the police departments approach to occupational screening and was integral to 
the modification of the selection processes. The police department went to great lengths to ensure that its 
occupational screening was consistent with community policing traits and behavioral dimensions that were 
being identified in POSTs ongoing work. These factors were integrated into all elements of the occupational 
screening procedures. 

Sacr amento also took highly practical approach to its review of all components of its occupational screening 
process and elected to focus only on those components that could be integrated realistically into the community 
service framework. 

Recruitment-selection guides: The Sacramento Police Department developed formal recruiting plan and 
range of recruiting tools, including series of manuals, to guide the recruitment and selection process as 
well as a writing assessment tool. Many of the guides have companion video of instructions. These guides 
are important as supplements to help potential candidates get through the process and are particularly critical 
as support information for the state-wide mandated selection components that could not be changed. The 
police department also developed guide for clinical psychologists who conduct the psychological assessment 
component of the screening process and that guide is now part of the RFP process. 

Performance appraisal innovations: Combining the traits identified in the HSS project with the POST 
behavioral dimensions, the Sacramento Police Department set out to develop 360o evaluation model. In 
contrast to using unitary ratings from individual supervisors to evaluate performance, this model gathers 
performance data from number of different sources. Data sources can include, but are not limited to, direct 
supervisor observations, peer input, existing personnel files, and overall performance of the respective work 
unit. Within this context, Sacramento will be eliciting community component relative to officer performance 
which is quite unique in law enforcement. Overall, the successful completion of this process will allow the 
department to provide formative appraisal of an officers job performance and will permit supervisors to 
deliver highly specific performance feedback, particularly as it relates to community policing (see Appendix 
D). 

Although no stranger to private industry, the 360o performance appraisal model presents quite a contrast to 
the traditional performance appraisal methods used in law enforcement. Consequently, it stands to make a
substantive contribution to the field. 
 

Community Recruiter Program: Seeking partners who were part of the minority communities enabled broader 
recruitment strategy in diverse communities and culminated in the police departments intent to develop the 
Community Recruiter Program. The program will train community leaders to recruit qualified applicants from 
groups where they have strong presence. Such groups include, but are not limited to, neighborhood and business 
associations, faith-based and educational institutions, and ethnic communities. Community recruiters will receive 
instruction on the full range of selection activities to help prepare potential recruits to meet hiring standards and 
will function as liaisons with department recruiters. 

Sacramentos research approach resulted in a detailed examination and modification of recruitment and selection 
practices and ensured that they would be consistent with service oriented traits as well as with POST requirements. 
Perhaps the most significant change that occurred has been the involvement of community members on the 
interview board and their significant influence on the hiring process. The design of the 360o Performance 
Evaluation Model that incorporates the parameters of community policing is also unique. 

Unique Challenges 

Changes in the recruiting and selection environment are likely to produce other systemic change. In the case of the 
Sacramento Police Department, some of these changes have been positive, while the long-term impact of others 
remains unclear. 

One such change is the number of applicants who are first exposed to the department through the Internet. With 
70 percent of recruits responding through the Internet, at this time it is unknown if there will be a corresponding 
change in the quality of patrol performance of these new applicants. Clearly, Internet contact precludes personal 
contact and direct familiarity with the department at the outset of the process. Moreover, while there is little 
question that computer-savvy candidates will bring a range of different skills to the job that will be particularly 
important in the information ge, it remains to be seen if this advantage will translate into effective police patrol 
behavior. Or, will applicants who may be seen as computer savvy bring new range of issues that can become 
problematic? 

Despite the extensive level of community involvement in recruitment, at the conclusion of the project community 
members had not generated the number of recruits that had been anticipated. Also, there were more recruit dropouts 
in the field training officer phase of training as of January 2004. In the preceding year, however, Sacramento ha d 
trained two recruit classes, in contrast to the traditional single class, and it is not clear if that had something to do 
with the higher number of recruit dropouts. 

Although increasing diversity in the applicant pool was a m ajor goal for the Sacramento Police Department, the 
majority of recruits are still white males. While increasing diversity remains a go l, it has not been fully attained; 
however, the data provided by the focus groups conducted with minority and female employees are providing 
instructive information on how to increase diversity and, in all likelihood, will improve this situation. 

Future of HSS in the Sacramento Police Department 

The Sacramento Police Department is determined to meet its HSS goals and is well on the way to linking all that 
it does to a common goal, purpose, and philosophy. In addition to changing the face that the police present to the 
community, substantive revisions are being integrated throughout the selection system and these changes involve 
training as well as promotional processes. Systemic changes to these fundamental processes clearly advance the 
police departments capacity to institutionalize the HSS mission. Moreover, the fact that it has linked its efforts 
to those of the California POST increases the chances of institutionalization. Finally, the Sacramento Police 
Department is clear that HSS is now the way to do business and that message is resonating both internally and 
externally. 


Burlington Police Department: 
Work That Matters 

Hiring in the spirit of servicethat is the Burlington Police Department, thats who we are, said Deputy Chief 
Steve Wark. In the Burlington Police Department, the spirit of service started out as the police departments brand, 
but it turned out to be great deal more than just a slogan on a brochure. The police department sought to embed 
the spirit of service and community involvement into everything it does in its quest to create a department that was 
fully responsive to the growing multicultural needs of the community. By the end of the project, the spirit of service 
had been converted into a new hiring slogan that Burlington saw as fully embracing what the service orientation 
means to the life of a Burlington police officer: Work that Matters. 

Ensconced in the Green Mountains of Vermont and fronting on Lake Champlain, the city of Burlington is unique 
with its low general crime rate and particularly low incidence of violent crime. Home to the University of 
Vermont, the city enjoys the distinction as one of the most livable cities in the country. Although it is small and 
has a popul tion of approximately 40,000, it is the largest city in the state. In contrast to other sites, its strong 
tourist industry attracts vacationers across all seasonssailing in summer, viewing fall foliage, and skiing in wha t 
is comparable to a winter wonderland. However, this beautiful setting also can create problems for a new recruit 
because harsh winters also are a part of this picture-postcard environment and they present unique adjustment 
problems that go beyond adjusting to life in a police dep rtment. Functioning as a police officer in long stretches 
of below-zero temperatures and blizzard conditions are not necessarily conducive to attracting and retaining an 
ethnically diverse applicant pool, particularly when people in this multicultural city immigrated from countries that 
have very temperate climates. 

Of the five sample sites, Burlington is the smallest police department with sworn strength of 104. At the 
beginning of the project, however, only 92 officers were available to discharge the law enforcement function. 
Although a decrement of 12 officers may not seem substantial in many police departments, in a department of this 
size it becomes major factor and strains human resources. Burlington, therefore, was eager to take on this project 
in hopes of attracting candidates who would serve the multicultural community well because they were attracted to, 
and motivated by, work that matters. 

History of the Project 

The Burlington Police Department adapted community policing in 1999 under the leadership of then Chief Alana 
Ennis. Through her stewardship, the department built on an existing array of community relations efforts. But 
it was the HSS grant that allowed the department to integrate extant partnerships into the fabric of the police 
department and to create community focus cross the department. When Chief Thomas Trembley assumed the 
position after Chief Ennis retired, he endorsed the community policing philosophy and committed to making it 
the driving force of how the department does business in this multicultural community that continues to grow in 
diversity. 

Burlington is a refugee resettlement center and people from Vietnam, Somalia , Bosnia , and other ethnic groups 
associated with the university now call this city home. Many have preconceived ideas about police practices that 
are based on experiences with police in their native countries. Additionally, as a university town with a strong menu 
of multicultural offerings, the focus on creating a community that welcomes diversity is becoming the norm. The 
police department supported that norm, partnered with the Community Economic Development Office (CEDO) in 
its efforts to expand community development into public forums on race, culture, and class, and sought to intensify 
that focus in the department. 


While the Burlington Police Departments community policing mission was consistent with the above trends, 
federal funding allowed the department to further institutionalize practices and to integrate its community 
policing mission into the everyday operations of the department. In this regard, it galvanized the department to 
systemize how police are working together with citizens in this increasingly multicultural community and to 
develop what it has termed partnerships with purposepartnerships that prevent crime and create safer 
city. 

Project Goals 

Given the background of strong tradition of service-oriented activities, the Burlington Police Department 
adapted four-phase project strategy. 

 Create a model-officer psychometric profile. 

 Change the selection system by supplementing state-sponsored selection tools with HSS strategies. 

 Engage in outreach with a goal of increasing diversity through the use of marketing tactics involving radio 
and television advertising and community involvement. 

 Provide professional development for recruits and mentoring. 

The overall goal of the project sought to raise the quality of policing services by intensifying police work with 
citizens to achieve safe, healthy, and self-reliant community with problem solving as the primary strategy to 
achieve the mission. 

Model officer profile: The Burlington Police Department proposed to create model officer profile in the 
first HSS phase and to study group of tenured police officers through their performance on series of 
tests developed by Hilson Research. The contract psychologist identified these instruments as appropriate 
for screening police officers, in both pre-and postconditional offers of employment. Although the police 
department initially sought to test a large sample of officers, the sample ended up being much smaller (N=28) 
than originally intended, in part because of changes in sample selection that were required by the Institutional 
Review Board (IRB). Also, in department this size, opportunities are somewhat limited for scheduling 
groups of officers to participate in research activities because of concerns about depleting patrol coverage. 
Consequently, this phase of the project is still ongoing. This less than fully successful assessment research 
focus had implications for the next HSS phase that proposed to supplement state-sponsored selection tools. 

HSS supplements to state-sponsored tool: In the second project phase, the Burlington Police Department 
had planned to develop new test that would supplement the processes mandated by the state, primarily the 
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). The fact that the first-phase research design could 
not be accommodated within the time frame of the grant affected the capacity to meet this objective. The 
police department, however, had greater success in overcoming impediments to the goal of developing an 
online, entry-level practice test for potential recruits. These impediments involved proprietary and copyright 
issues related to using copies of out-of-service entry-level tests that had been used as part of the initial state 
assessment process. Although the recycling of past tests involved issues beyond the scope of the HSS grant, 
they were subsequently resolved and the police department was able to develop an online practice test. 
Originally this test was available online at www.workthatmatters.net, but the information has since been 
transferred to the Burlington Police Departments website at www.bpdvt.org. 

Outreach activities: In the third phase of the project, the Burlington Police Departments initial focus on using 
marketing as an outreach tool was twofold. First it sought to initiate messages that would attract diverse 
candidate pool. Second, it wanted to improve its web site, use it to provide the online preemployment sample 


test that potential candidates could use for practice, and also attain individual feedback on their performance. 
As such, the police department planned to use its web site primarily for informational purposes and was less 
focused on developing an advertising and media campaign. The department contracted to develop site that 
was visually attractive with easy-to-navigate links, sections, chapters, and passages all of which would 
contain messages attuned to conveying the spirit of service, but with the intention of informing candidates, 
rather than attracting them, through advertising. 

Initially, Burlington approached this phase of the project from the framework of information dissemination. It 
took the position that marketing could frame the message, but also believed that regardless of what brochures 
and videos would say about the department, it was what happened when recruits were inside the department 
that was most important. The partnership with CEDO was a major influence on developing this perspective 
because the CEDO network had confirmed that while candidates were concerned about getting hired, they 
were equally apprehensive about what would happen after they were hired. Although the police department 
maintained the information dissemination priority throughout most of the project, the department did come to 
recognize the value of broader marketing strategy when they saw it being used successfully at the other sites. 

Before the completion of the project, the Burlington Police Department dramatically revised its ideas about 
how to use its web site as well as its ideas about the value of advertising. As a result, the department adopted 
marketing techniques that were similar to those of other sites and eventually completely revised its web site. 
By the conclusion of the project, the advertising campaign and web site had attracted wide media attention 
which signified that its media market had expanded. A further indication of the success of the web site was 
reflected in the substantial increase in the number of hits following the implementation of the changes to the 
site. 

The Burlington Police Department is the one site that did not convene formal focus groups and did not develop 
a steering or advisory committee. Rather, it convened team meetings that included project staff, consultants, 
and citizens. The team meetings were an integral part of their outreach strategy. They were used to identify the 
service-oriented traits that the department was seeking in applicants and, equally important, they provided 
forum for developing the Community Consultant component of the project. 

Having fully endorsed the need to build trust with diverse populations that felt marginalized, the police 
department developed its Community Consultant program as a major front-end outreach activity and as 
the core of its recruitment strategy. CEDO provided community coaching services as a way to connect the 
community consultants to diverse citizen groups and to help them to educate the groups and advocate for the 
community policing philosophy in culturally relevant ways. The outreach coach also participated in the team 
meetings and provided expertise on how to create effective recruiting strategies and to develop mentoring 
program to retain potential recruits in the system. 

The police department used the Community Consultant vehicle to adopt a people-to-people approach that it 
eventually supplemented through mass media messages. Community members were involved in the initial 
phases of the project as well as in other components of the selection process. Citizen participation expanded 
considerably beyond the team meetings through the community consultant component. Community members 
provided feedback on the design of the police department web site and now participate regularly in recruiting, 
oral board interviews, and training police candidates. Finally, involvement of the community has been built 
into the agencys operational plan by soliciting systematic feedback from citizens at community meetings 
convened to assess how the agency is performing. 
 

Professional development through mentoring: The final phase of the project resulted in mentoring program 
to help recruits from diverse communities adjust to what for many is very different environment, and to 
facilitate retention of police officers committed to the spirit of service. The department saw the mentoring 
program as particularly important in helping candidates from diverse communities become comfortable with 
the police identity and to adapt to the police culture. But it also was important for other reasons. Over and 
above acclimating to the police culture, problem for law enforcement recruits nationwide, the environmental 
conditions in Vermont provoke realistic adjustment difficulties for new recruits. Although the city of 
Burlington has been designated as one of the most livable small cities in the United States, 2003s 53 inches of 
snow and 6-degrees-below-zero temperatures, not unusual for the mountains of Vermont, pose valid questions 
for potential recruits. The mentors have become important in translating how the quality of life in Burlington 
overrides seasonal climactic conditions. Finally, professional development has been enhanced by providing 
tutoring for recruits whose second language is English. 

Unique Accomplishments 

The Burlington Police Departments unique accomplishments in its HSS program are the following: 

 CEDO partnership and outreach coach 
 Community Consultant program 
 Mentoring policy and English language tutoring 
 Online entry-level practice test 

CEDO Partnership and Outreach Coach: A hallmark contribution to HSS is the Burlington Police 
Departments investment in strengthening the involvement of the multicultural community. In addition to 
creating the Community Consultant program, the department worked with CEDO and used their VISTA 
volunteers as well as respected businessmen to develop an outreach capacity that was designed to develop 
credibility with diverse citizen groups. Credibility was particularly important because concerns of diverse 
candidates related to working with the police could become an impediment to the success of the project. 
Consequently, the department used the services of CEDO outreach coach to work with the consultants and 
assist them in learning how to recruit a diverse applicant pool. This decision not only supported community 
involvement in the selection process, the use of the CEDO network helped to communicate steadfast message 
to police candidates about the departments commitment to the multi-cultural community and their intent to 
involve the community in recruitment and hiring. 

Community Consultant Program: The community consultants are adjunct recruiters for the Burlington Police 
Department. They participate in outreach at job fairs, town meetings, and workplaces and are an integral part 
of the recruitment team that engages in formal recruitment activities. Also, they are involved in the recruit 
orientation program where they address the concept of community and culture in the city of Burlington and 
discuss their perspectives on the social, economic, and cultural aspects of the city. As part of the recruitment 
team, they are paid a volunteer stipend from funds outside of the project to work with professional staff and 
engage in outreach, and they now have a vote in the oral boards interview process. In essence, they have 
become significant part of the hiring process and have recruited 28 potential recruits to the department since 
the inception of the program. That number takes on greater significance in light of Burlingtons sworn strength 
of 104 officers. 

Mentoring Policy and English Language Tutoring: The mentoring program was particularly important for 
this multicultural community and the police department sought out individuals in diverse communities to help 
with this process. Since many of the potential recruits come from countries where the experience with police 


has been less than favorable, there was a need to not only attract these individuals to law enforcement but to 
help them feel comfortable with their decision and to sustain them throughout the process. This has been a
learning process for the police and for the community. They have found that even when ideological barriers to 
becoming police officer have been resolved, language and writing skills can be major obstacles to completing 
the process successfully. As result, the mentoring program now involves much-needed component of 
English language tutoring. 

On Line Entry-Level Practice Test: The Burlington Police Department resolved the impediments to using 
back issues of state-sponsored entry-level tests and now offers an online entry-level practice test that clearly 
approximates what recruits will encounter when they apply for a position as a Burlington police officer. This 
effort is particularly important for recruits whose second language is English. The test can be viewed online at 
the Burlington Police Departments website. 

Unique Challenges 

Creating the model psychometric profile was most challenging. As a small, homogenous department, the 
sample of officers (both patrol officers and detectives) tested was not large enough to render statistically 
significant information. Moreover, implementation of pilot testing was delayed because of IRB concerns and 
because Burlington became an HSS site later in the process. Despite these challenges, there were attempts 
to expand the size of the designated sample of police officers; it is unclear how many officers eventually 
completed the proposed assessment battery. 

Because of the small sample, the patterns under consideration need to be interpreted with caution because 
validity may be questionable. The current sample is too small to make reliable generalizations; therefore, test 
findings are being compared to larger samples from the other sites that used the same tests. According to the 
consulting psychologist, some similarities are emerging but as of this writing findings are still inconclusive. 

Another challenge involved tracking the movement of recruits through the process. The Burlington Police 
Department is required by the state to retain applicants files for seven (7) years and identify at which point 
applicants drop out or are disqualified. The process, though, is less formally systematized primarily because 
only one recruiting officer is assigned to manage the process, a feature not uncommon in small departments. 
Also, confidentiality requirements pose stringent limitations on circulating information about potential 
candidates, a concern that can take on greater significance when volunteers living in a small community are 
involved in the process. The lack of formal system to track recruit progress in a small department does not 
reflect poorly on the progress of the HSS initiative but it does make it more difficult to gauge overall success 
of the project. Also, it becomes difficult to determine where corrections need to be made in recruitment and 
hiring. However, such limitations clearly did not dampen the enthusiasm for the process since community 
consultants continue to deliver new recruits. 


Future of HSS in Burlington 

The initial goal of the project was to hire eight officers by the original project end date. Before the grant was 
extended, four recruits had been hired and trained at the Vermont Police Academy, which provides fairly 
rigorous and rigid paramilitary training protocol. Of an additional 28 new candidates who were qualified by 
recruiters to sit for the initial test administered by the academy, 10 showed up for testing and of that number, 
three passed and were able to meet the hiring requirements. Although this lower success rate has been 
something of a disappointment to project staff, they did come close to meeting their goals and percentage-wise 
may end up with selection rates that are closer to the larger departments. Further, their ability to learn from the 
process and introduce new methods in response to challenges faced by candidates suggests a certain resiliency 
that is consistent with maintaining the spirit of service. 

According to Burlington officials, recruitment activity continues and community enthusiasm remains high. 
Moreover, the hit rates on the web site have increased dramatically and the department hopes that through 
mentoring and tutoring it will meet its goal to become multicultural, diverse police department in state 
that is 92 percent Caucasian. The departments commitment to community policing has not wavered and the 
tenured officer testimonials on its web site suggest that the spirit of service is alive and well in the Burlington 
Police Department and that these officers clearly are engaged in work that matters. 



Hillsborough County Sheriffs OfficeCourage, Integrity, 
Compassion: Could you Answer the Call? 

The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office serves the Tamp Bay (Florida) area . It is the 34th largest county and 
the ninth largest suburban county law enforcement agency in the country. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs 
Office is full-service agency with staff of 3,000 including 1,200 deputies and 900 detention deputies. Initiating 
community policing in the late eighties, Sheriff Cal Henderson saw HSS as an opportunity to expand the offices 
community policing mission. Having hired 124 community resource deputies (CRD) since 1993, Hillsborough 
sought to develop and implement model recruitment strategies and selection systems that would attract and employ 
the best-qualified individuals as service-oriented deputies to serve Hillsborough County. 

The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office is committed to community policing and Sheriff Henderson and Chief 
Deputy David Gee (who succeeded Sheriff Henderson in 2005) were willing to make the commitment required of 
Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS) sites. Having dedicated the 124 CRDs to fixed geographic areas, Hillsborough 
was poised to use these deputies as a resource pool that would permit it to examine methods to formalize a
selection process that expanded its service-oriented deputy hiring goals. Moreover, Hillsborough sought to reach 
candidates who could answer the call. 

Enjoying longstanding relationship with the University of South Florida, the sheriffs office had the capacity to 
partner with the university and establish a team that would carry out the significant research tasks that are necessary 
when making changes to a selection process. Subsequently, the university researchers joined with other consultants 
to form the research team that guided the work of the HSS grant. The team helped Hillsborough meet its selection 
goals of attracting and hiring candidates who could answer the call. 

History of the Project 

A research focus was the core of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office HSS strategy. It was used to determine 
the personal characteristics essential in service-oriented deputies and to incorporate the spirit of service into job 
analysis. Integrally related was the intention to involve the community in its research. Since job analysis provides 
the foundation for all subsequent selection procedures, the efforts to include the community in the job analysis 
research phase of the project represented a major innovation in selection methodology. 

Project Goals 

To achieve its objectives, the sheriffs office developed the following four goals: 

 Administer procedures, including testing, to determine personal characteristics essential in service-oriented 
deputies within Hillsborough County and partner with the community to achieve this goal. The goal involved 
conducting preemployment research on job analysis and sample test results from exemplary agency deputies 
(the CRDs) to determine the personal characteristics essential to service-oriented deputies, and to administer 
such testing to law enforcement applicants. 

 Change and increase recruitment efforts to provide a more diverse applicant pool and develop a marketing 
campaign designed to attract those candidates. 
 

 Conduct statistical research to determine the impact of project activities on hiring goals and to build the 
methodology required for longitudinal research that will assess the related impact of HSS strategies on 
subsequent officer job performance. 

 Create a law enforcement recruitment and hiring model that will increase the capacity for recruiting and 
selecting service-oriented deputies and which complies with generally accepted selection practices. 

These goals confirm the strong applied research strategy of the Hillsborough project. Further, they are laying 
the groundwork for subsequent longitudinal validation research to assess the predictive ability of the selection 
procedures developed through HSS strategies. 

Research team 

The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office engaged faculty from the University of South Florida to form a research 
team specific to the project. The team was comparable to the steering and/or advisory committees used by other 
sites but differed in that the team also managed the data collection processes, the focus group procedures, and 
examined appropriate validity strategies. Other researchers who were part of the team included community 
inclusion specialist and law enforcement selection expert with specific expertise in test development and law 
enforcement applicant screening. 

Preemployment research: At the outset of the project, Hillsborough commissioned study of departments that 
had undertaken similar projects. The results showed that only limited number of departments were serious about 
incorporating community inclusion into their selection ctivities. Community Inclusion Specialist David Bachrach 
recommended developing opportunities for recruits and citizens to interact throughout recruitment, selection, 
and training. The information from his report informed subsequent Hillsborough decisions to elicit community 
evaluation of recruit performance during the field training career phase. The sheriffs office also acted on his 
recommendation to create opportunities to introduce recruits to the communities where they would serve in order to 
enhance familiarity with the community and to emphasize the importance of developing positive relationships with 
the community at the very outset of their careers. The sheriffs office, however, did not accept his recommendation 
to include community members on an oral interview board because Hillsborough did not use oral board interviews 
in their selection process. To act on this recommendation would have required adding a new step to the existing 
process, which would not have been an easy process, and Hillsborough was unable to do that. 

The preemployment research focus also was applied in the effort to identify service-oriented traits that were 
defined in a job analysis questionnaire. Recalling that there is little in the selection research literature on what 
is involved in community policing, Hillsborough sought to define job-related characteristics that describe the 
community-oriented deputy. Rather than engage in the lengthy process that is necessary to create comprehensive 
job analysis, it used the Hilson Job Analysis Questionnaire (HJAQ) developed by Hilson Research. Although 
the HJAQ is not a traditional job analysis instrument, it enjoys extensive use in other law enforcement agencies 
and provides an opportunity to question respondents about the behaviors and charateristics that are required for 
successful job performance in policing. 

The Hillsborough research team placed community members, CRD deputies, and supervisors into focus groups and 
had them to complete the HJAQ. Analysis of the HJAQ results from 291 individuals showed remarkable agreement 
between citizens and deputies in how they described the characteristics needed to perform the service-oriented role. 
Despite some initial concerns about working together, the researchers found consensual agreement as well as 
mutual appreciation for what each group brought to the table when it came to describing what they wanted to see in 
Hillsborough CRDs (see Appendix E). 


Focus group research: Hillsborough selected focus group particip ants from existing int act groups that comprise 
the sheriffs office and community network rather than a random selection of independent groups of citizens or the 
use of an at-large strategy. The network included neighborhood associations, advisory councils, particul rly those 
representing minority communities, citizen police academy participants, and other community groups such as those 
representing the interests of senior citizens, and Neighborhood Watch captains. 

The research team found it necessary to prepare focus group participants about what to expect. A protocol was 
developed that included meeting with each group before their participation and explaining goals of the project as 
well as expectations for participation and anticipated outcomes. The team convened eight community focus groups 
along with separate groups of CRDs to help them define service orientation. To develop this information, all 
participants completed the HJAQ and endorsed items that identified the characteristics they believed are essential, 
important, or not important for success as a community policing officer. This critical first step laid the groundwork 
for what would be assessed in a subsequent assessment process. 

The ratings cross groups were remarkably similar to the point that the top five rated behaviors were the same for 
all groups, though their order varied. Items that were consistently identified included the following: 

 Willingness to admit shortcomings 
 Communication skills 
 Frustration tolerance 
 Avoiding procrastination 
 Strong work habits 

The characteristics that were consistently defined as most important, both by citizens and deputies, included 

honesty, patience, trust, integrity, tolerance and compassion, listening to the concerns of others, social skills to 
work effectively with angry or dissatisfied individuals, ability to make level-headed decisions, and getting along 
well with others. 

Other essential behaviors that received high scores included lack of asocial behaviors, attention to safety issues, 
selfconfidence, and loyalty to the organization. In some ways, these characteristics and behaviors reflect an 
emotional intelligence component because it requires capacity for self-awareness and awareness of others in 
contrast to focusing only on enforcement skills. 

These dimensions suggest that community members are seeking officers who have a fair degree of self-
honesty, are able to communicate with the public, and who are able to control themselves in the face of the 
many frustrations encountered by law enforcement. In order of importance, the top three characteristics 
identified by the community matched those that were identified independently by group of Hillsborough 
supervisors who participated in the project. Further, the ratings of the CRD group were consistent on the first 
two dimensions (ability to admit shortcomings and communic tion skills) but they rated lack of procrastination 
as the third most important dimension, with frustration tolerance being fourth. Despite what seems to be 
remarkable convergence, these results are subject to longitudinal validation to determine their relevance to job 
performance; however, they hold considerable promise for identifying the dimensions that characterize the 
community policing officer. 

Occupational screening research: Hillsborough did not involve clinical psychological screening activities 
in its project; however, it examined occupational screening tests that could be administered as precondition 
of employment. The data collection and analysis in this type of research is lengthy process, at best, but it 
was further delayed by questions from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) regarding safeguards for human 


subjects participating in this type of research. Consequently, until Hillsborough received IRB approval it had to 
delay its plans for using experienced CRDs in pilot test of the Hilson Research screening battery. This initial 
testing was a critical element of the overall validation strategy. Consequently, the delay affected the ability to 
fully assess the four-test battery of screening instruments with applicants. 

As it neared the conclusion of the project, Hillsborough had gathered base line assessment data from the Hilson 
battery on 250 tenured officers. While a sample size of 250 is not insignificant, the capacity for prediction in 
public hiring process requires a much larger sample as well as broad range of performance information. 
Consequently, Hillsborough acknowledged that it would need to continue its selection research beyond the life 
of the project to meet the goal of developing a hiring model unique to service-oriented deputies. Extending the 
research base also will permit further examination of extant methodological questions concerning exploratory 
research with a goal of predicting successful candidates versus defining personality constructs of successful 
deputies. Hillsborough wisely determined that these issues would need to be reconciled so as not to overstate 
conclusions. After the completion of its HSS project, the HCSO and their project consultant Dr. Robin Inwald 
continued to give all law enforcement applicants the four-test batery and integrate new scores into ongoing 
research and valid tion, an ctivity that continues at the time of this reporting. 

In the long term, questions about methodological issues related to reliability, validity, and the capacity for 
prediction can only strengthen a selection project. For the short term, however, these questions cannot be 
resolved within the context of this report. Suffice it to say that valid tion of the assessment ba ttery will 
continue beyond the life of the project, as it should, and that Hillsboroughs intent to develop valid process is 
consistent with professional standards. Accordingly, this is an important qualification because some of the other 
HSS sites have used this same battery of tests and they, too, will need to engage in longitudinal validation. 

Changing Recruitment through Marketing 

The results of the HJAQ were key to other project activities, particularly the marketing campaign that was 
designed to create a proactive recruitment strategy that reflected community values. In this regard, focus 
group responses helped the marketing consultant develop materials that used imagery and media to convey 
the complexity of skills and personal characteristics of most value for law enforcement in Hillsborough 
County. The desired imagery was incorporated into human interest brochures, posters, personal testimonials, 
recruitment video, and a new web site. 

The marketing campaign developed the brandCourage, Integrity, Compassion: Could You Answer the 
Call? A collateral message is the questionDo you have what it takes to wear the star? These messages were 
personalized through series of stories about deputies, their backgrounds, and their statements, or testimonials, 
of what their work means to them. Clearly, this campaign introduced a new type of war story to the law 
enforcement world. 

Elaborating on the recommendation of the community consultant, Hillsborough is institutionalizing the 
community focus by introducing the community as an influential factor early in each deputys career. In this 
regard, it plans to expose recruits to the different groups in the community and introduce them at community 
meetings, such as those convened by the Chamber of Commerce. Also, the sheriffs office is soliciting citizen 
feedback on recruit performance during the field training phase of the recruit probationary process. Within this 
context, field training officers (FTO) ask citizens to fill out a stand ard form that assesses recruit performance 
from the community perspective and then provide feedback to recruits before they complete the FTO phase 
of their training. This information will be discussed with each recruit deputy as part of his or her on-the-job 
training and will serve as a form of quality control. 



4. 
Funded in 
FY2002, the objective 
of this grant program 
was to build on and 
strengthen the police 
integrity initiatives 
developed by COPS 
for purposes of 
creating community 
policing environments 
that foster trust 
and mutual respect 
between police and 
citizens. 
This plan builds on 
past initiatives but 
expands COPS efforts 
to create a culture of 
integrity in police 
departments. 
5. 
Problem-Based 
Le rning (PBL) is 
learner centered 
teaching method 
that uses problem 
solving as the vehicle 
for learning. For 
more information 
you can refer to 
PTO: An Overview 
and Introduction, 
A Problem-Based 
Manual for Training 
and Evaluating Police 
Trainees at www. 
cops.usdoj.gov. 

By the conclusion of the project, Hillsborough had extended the emphasis on hiring to 
include major changes in how it supported recruits while in the state police academy. In 
this regard, it combined resources from its COPS Office Creating A Culture of Integrity 
grant4 with the HSS strategy to ensure that recruits remained focused on the values that 
brought them to the department. For the first time, recruits entering the academy will have 
been nominated by citizens, will receive a stipend that supports their training, and will 
have ongoing coaching by tenured Hillsborough deputies while in the academy. 

Further, Hillsborough planned to implement problem-based learning model, developed 
for police training officers (PTO)5 and supported by the COPS Office, to field train this 
particular group of recruits. This field training model is based on adult learning principles 
and integrates critical thinking and problem solving into all fields instruction. Rather 
than the trainer checking off recruit performance on a series of scales, the trainer acts 
as a coach who helps the recruit officer apply analytical skills to address the range of 
community problems that contribute to crime and disorder. However, while the HCSO 
began initial planning for the PTO program, the State of Florida moved forward to adopt 
the Curriculum Maintenance System (CMS) standards for law enforcement certification 
which adopts many of the recommendations and methods of the PTO program. As with 
the PTO program, under the new CMS law enforcement certifcation process, community 
policing and SARA problem-solving components were built into the entire Florida law 
enforcement training curriculum, rather than as separate class. Additionally, the CMS 
curriculae, like the PTO curriculum, prioritizes scenario-based, interactive training which 
challenges students to continuously identify ethical considerations, and develop ways to 
bring the community into crime prevention. Accordingly, the HCSO sponsored the first 
law enforcement academy class in their are to take the new community-oriented CMS 
training, and was one of the earliest supporters of their local communitiy college making 
the permanent transition to the CMS law enforcement curriculum. 

These innovations present a striking picture of how department can leverage multiple 
resources and integrate a range of initiatives to achieve broader goals. 

Unique Accomplishments 

The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office cited the following unique accomplishments in 
its HSS project: 

 Involving the community in job analysis research 
 Leveraging other grants to expand the HSS mission 
 Innovation in marketing 

Involving the community in job analysis research: In selection methodology, the job 
analysis is critical to developing predictive measures and provides the capacity to link 
subsequent test measures to job performance. Seeking community input through the use 
of the HJAQ clearly lays the groundwork for continued development of traditional 
job analysis that will be linked directly to community policing activities and to the 
characteristics necessary to perform these activities. This is a substantial achievement 
for community policing because it will permit community policing tasks to be formally 


integrated into selection methodology. Further, there is little question that the research approach to this phase of 
the project has advanced the process for selecting in service-oriented deputies despite the fact that further work 
is needed to achieve this goal. 

Leveraging other grants to expand the HSS mission: Hillsborough demonstrated ingenuity in layering the 
HSS grant and its COPS Office Creating A Culture of Integrity grant to produce a recruit class that for the 
first time will be the outcome of citizen-involved recruitment. Further, these recruits will have the benefit of 
training experiences that directly reflect the departments values. This approach becomes particularly unique 
when considering Floridas academy process. Traitionally, recruits have attended the state academy on their 
own, were hired by Hillsborough only after successfully completing training, and generally did not see anyone 
from Hillsborough until they walked through the door. In contrast, members of the current recruit class were 
nominated by citizens to attend the academy, were paid a stipend through another grant while in the academy 
(Creating A Culture of Integrity Grant), and were mentored by Hillsborough staff during their academy 
training. Consequently, it is anticipated that upon graduation they will have different level of commitment to 
the Hillsborough Sheriffs agency and to the community when compared to candidates hired through the prior 
system. Moreover, they will have a fuller understanding of how integrity relates to the values of a service-
oriented department. Hillsboroughs plan to pilot test the PTO training model with this group of recruits 
provides an added example of how an agency can leverage other sources of federal funding and literally re 
engineer the early stages of the deputy career experience. 

Innovations in marketing: Hillsborough took a risk when it engaged a cutting-edge advertising firm to help 
create a proactive media campaign that would be a distinct contrast to traditional and reactive approaches. That 
risk paid off because the resulting marketing materials were both innovative and engaging and tell stories about 
individuals who derive satisfaction from their jobs as deputies in Hillsborough Countyindividuals who are 
more than a uniform and a badge. The use of well-designed testimonials that talk about the satisfaction of making 
a difference in the lives of citizens present a dramatic difference from brochures that portray law enforcement 
as a paramilitary organization, tanks and all. In essence, the testimonials present a face to the community that is 
highly consistent with service orientation and they clearly convey compelling revision of traditional police 
war stories. 

Unique Challenges 

Resolving methodological issues related to validation strategies and developing the hiring model became the 
biggest challenges for the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office. Within this context, Hillsborough encountered 
long-standing issue in pre-employment selection research: the debate over appropriate validation strategies. 
These issues are complex and time consuming and generate considerable discussion in professional journals 
or scientific forums. Generally, the heart of the debate is seeking to validate tests for predicting performance 
in contrast to confirming job-related personality constructs that are related to performance and assessed by 
tests. Although not unrelated, they do imply different strategies and perspectives that have implications for 
interpreting the results of validity analyses. This level of debate also enriches selection research and can only 
improve the final product. 

For Hillsborough, these challenges speak to the need for longitudinal validation to support a new selection 
model. Although Hillsboroughs initial goals may have been too ambitious to accomplish within the time 


frame of a single grant, the intention to elect a longitudinal validation strategy that will permit it to select 
in candidates is commendable and suggests that from the outset Hillsborough knew that this project would 
continue long after the completion of the grant. Clearly, Hillsborough has made a quantum leap in meeting its 
initial goals and there is little question that the final product will make an important contribution to building 
capacity for selecting community policing officers and deputies. 

Future of HSS in Hillsborough County 

Hillsborough County has made a substantive contribution to HSS and to the selection field by laying the 
groundwork for job analysis that will create the needed link to community policing. It also has attempted 
to institutionalize community input into other phases of the system. In all likelihood, Hillsboroughs ongoing 
longitudinal validation work will become an important contribution to the field. Moreover, the link with the 
university and other researchers suggests that there is more a than passing interest in seeing that HSS becomes 
institutionalized. Hillsboroughs innovative media campaign supports this interest. Finally, in merging the 
work with other grants it has set a new direction for reengineering recruitment and selection process that is 
proactive and consistent with the goals of community policing. 


Case Studies 

CITY OF DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT: 
Give Back. Get More. 

Whether you call it Motown or Motor City, Detroit represents the heart of the American labor movement and highly 
influential unions, particularly where law enforcement is concerned. Other landmarks such as the Red Wings, 
legalized gambling, and easy access to the Canadian border all have an impact on policing in the city of Detroit. Of 
the five HSS sites, the Detroit Police Department provides public safety to an urban area with all the problems and 
rewards of big-city policing and is the largest police department in the project. 

Thirty-eight hundred strong, the Detroit Police Department was unique in the project because of size, types of 
crimes, and the political landscape. In addition, growing level of violence, which included two police officers 
killed in the line of duty, had gripped the city. Yet the Inspector in charge of recruiting, a long-time veteran of 
Detroit policing who had seen it all, imparted an unsolicited message that was similar to those heard at the other 
sitesIts more than just being the policeHSS means giving back to the community, and that is what policing is 
all about. 

History of the Project 

Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS) was initiated under the tenure of Chief Jerry Oliver, a known proponent of 
innovative community policing initiatives. He believed that community policing was the responsibility of every 
officer and should not be confined to the traditional community policing units in place at the precinct level. 
Consequently, to ensure that the changes brought about through HSS would be institutionalized, he disbanded the 
community policing unit, a move that created concern with community advocacy groups. 

When Chief Oliver left the department midway through the project, it was unknown if a change in chief executive 
would affect the project. Fortunately, the new law enforcement chief executive officer, Chief Ella Bully-Cummings, 
elected to continue the departments involvement in this project and she remained equally committed to advancing 
the department as community minded. In response to community concerns, she reinstituted the community policing 
unit and redefined it as a centralized liaison unit to serve as the eyes and ears of the chief. It was supplemented by 
community relations councils in each precinct. Her stated goal is to ensure a department-wide implementation of 
the community policing philosophy. 

Project Goals 

The following objectives framed Detroits strategic approach to the project: 

 Define the type of police officers whom community members would like to see policing their 
communities 

 Add community components to the recruitment and selection process 

 Modify recruitment and selection strategies to target potential community oriented applicants, 
particularly service-oriented professionals and minority and women candidates a modification that 
links to a marketing strategy to reach internal and external customers 

 Institutionalize service as an organizational philosophy 

These objectives involved targeting more community-minded applicants, developing recruitment materials to attract 
them, assessing the existing selection model to determine which component could best achieve their goal, and 
modifying training to incorporate curricula consistent with the concept of hiring in the spirit of service. 


Defining service-oriented police officers: To achieve this objective, the Detroit Police Department 
contracted with the IRI marketing firm to conduct eight nondirective focus groups. Four groups consisted 
of community members, while police officers populated an additional four groups. The department also 
engaged a consultant with requisite expertise to examine recruitment and selection strategies and to 
determine the components that had the greatest potential to incorporate the spirit of service. Further, the 
department developed a communication plan for marketing itself and its recruitment efforts, as well as a
recruitment strategy that built on its Recruiting Ambassadors Program. The latter had been designed to 
provide incentives and reward department members of all ranks who successfully recruited service-oriented 
officers. As result of HSS, this program was expanded to include citizens. 

The IRI marketing firm used nondirective focus groups, also known as data input groups, to provide 
a wealth of information about the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are necessary to perform the 
community-oriented role. The patterns of community comments concentrated on characteristics related to 
job performance, interpersonal relations and personal characteristics, followed by competencies, systems, 
and policies and procedures. Detroit police officers identified the same dimensions, though in different 
order. Their ratings, however, did not coincide with the community identification of residency rules, personal 
appearance, skills, and physical fitness as important job dimensions. 

IRI concluded that, despite some divergent viewpoints, the community and police consistently agreed that 
on-the-job performance and interpersonal relations best defined service oriented officer. Both groups 
endorsed sense of responsibility as a dominant theme and agreed that officers should abide by the laws and 
not feel they are above the law. Further, they should avoid unnecessary delay in responding to police calls 
for service, using cell phones while on patrol, or evading job assignments. They should perform job duties in 
a safe manner, work well as team members, vaoid jumping to conclusions, and have the ability to de-escalate 
rather than inflame situations. Interpersonally, officers should treat other people, and each other, with 
respect. They need to be polite, show compassion and empathy, get to know the people they are serving, and 
interact with citizens in an overall positive manner. Positive attitudes, courage, flexibility, even temperament 
and good morale were common themes related to an officers appropriate demeanor. Finally, there was 
agreement that law enforcement is more than just a job. They concluded that Detroit police officers should 
have a sense of purpose, pride, and commitment to serving the public. These data provided a foundation 
that guided the implementation of the other HSS objectives. 

Recruitment and marketing: A second set of focus groups drove the development of Give Back. Get More, 
the brand that Detroit presents to the world in its recruitment ads and public service announcements. The 
materials that highlight this brand depict policing in Detroit as a fulfilling, life-changing, and rewarding 
career that involves giving back to the community. 

Before convening this set of focus groups, the Detroit Police Department had been developing a
comprehensive communication strategy to kick off HSS. The strategy was launched through an initial press 
conference that conveyed the message that the Detroit Police Department was serious about recruiting 
community-minded officers and that this initiative would be decidedly different from anything that it had 
engaged in before HSS. As a follow-up to the press conference, the department also convened a mayors 
media summit and invited media representatives to hear its strong case for media cooperation. The summit 
provided a platform to preview recruitment campaign materials and to stress the urgency of changing the 
nature of recruitment and hiring. By eliciting up-front media support, the department intended to counter 
what had been a history of negative perceptions of the department and fostered to a large extent by previous 
media accounts. The department wanted the opportunity to tell the HSS story accurately instead of relying 
on others to tell it. 
 

The communication strategy also had an internal focus that involved marketing the expansion of the 
departments Recruiting Ambassadors Program (see Appendix G) to internal stakeholders while also 
forecasting how it would be broadened to include the community. Initially, this program was created to 
encourage department members to become involved in the recruiting process and it provided incentives for 
those recruiting efforts that culminated in recommended applicants completing the entire process. As part of 
the communications strategy, the program was presented to groups such as the Board of Police Commissioners, 
the Chaplain Corps, and Detroit Police Reserve Officers, as well as to the various unions that represent Detroit 
police officers. Further, the program was described in the monthly newsletter, Beyond the Badge, and has 
been the subject of local television broadcast in addition to radio announcements. Finally, recruiters attended 
precinct roll calls to disseminate recruitment literature and discuss the expansion of the program. Specifically, 
the Recruiting Ambassadors Program will now offer incentives to community members who recommend 
successful applicants. The scope of the expanded program has been discussed with community and faith-based 
groups who have been encouraged to seek out and recommend individuals with service-orientation 
characteristics and to help the Detroit Police Department incorporate the spirit of service into patrol behavior. 

In addition to expanding recruitment efforts, the department used the HSS project as an opportunity to upgrade 
its web site. Upgrades included recruitment streaming videos and online applications, information on the 
Recruiting Ambassadors Program and the introduction of You Have Been Observed cards. The latter are 
business cards that are presented to potential applicants telling them that they have been observed as having 
the people skills and ttitudes that are needed for a career in policing in the city of Detroit. 

Collateral to recruitment activities, the department launched a marketing campaign based on information from 
a separate series of focus groups. The camp ign was designed specifically as research to gather baseline data 
that would support marketing directed specifically to minority applicants for police officer jobs in Detroit (see 
Appendix H) The marketing campaign, however, was not introduced until much later in the project because of 
significant delays that were the result of the requirements for Institutional Review Board approval. While the 
marketing campaign focus groups were completed and provided rich information that the department found 
enlightening, these data did not emerge until the project neared completion. 

Adding the community component: The Detroit Police Department made expanding the scope of its Recruiting 
Ambassadors Program as an HSS initiative priority. Within this context, it sought to add community 
members to what was an internal effort to give officers the incentive to identify potential candidates and 
bring successful recruits into the department. To accomplish this objective, the department met weekly with a
range of community groups to discuss what is involved in becoming a police officer in the city of Detroit. In 
these sessions, community organizations were encouraged to register as ambassadors for the department and 
were provided with recruiting information as well as referral cards that could be used to track the success of 
their efforts. At the end of each recruiting cycle, department members and the community organizations that 
provided the most successful applicants would be rewarded in a recognition ceremony. 

The Detroit Police Department also included the community in other components of the process, specifically 
the oral board interview. In Detroit, the interview takes place after the background investig ation is completed 
but before the psychological assessment is conducted. Although the department had added a community 
member to the interview panels before the introduction of HSS, the community did not have the same 
opportunity to rate the candidates as did sworn personnel. Consequently, their influence was marginalized. 
This procedure been changed and community representatives now provide a score for each applicant that is 
averaged with the three scores from sworn panel members. Moreover, spirit of service rating dimension has 
been added to the interview format. 


Finally, the police department has included community representatives in its CompStat meetings. CompStat is 
management tool that has gained in popularity since its introduction by the New York City Police Department 
in the 1990s. Essentially, it purports to control crime by making precinct commanders more accountable for 
crime in their districts and by providing them with real-time information that shows crime trends as they 
are occurring. This information provides opportunities to deploy officers and implement targeted strategies 
where they are most needed. These decisions are presented at regular meetings and fully discussed by high-
level command of the department. In engaging the community in CompStat discussions, the Detroit Police 
Department has taken it to a very different level. 

Modifying selection strategies: Initially, the Detroit Police Department intended to focus its examination 
of selection strategies on three components of its existing hiring process: the background investigation, the 
final oral board, and the psychological ssessment. On the advice of its consultant, Dr. Terry Eisenberg, the 
department has provided more structure to the background investigation, has encouraged investigators to seek 
information relative to service when conducting reference checks, and has introduced 40-hour background
investigator training program. For the most part, however, the changes made to the current format of the 
background investigation and to the psychological assessment are relatively minimal to avoid diluting those 
components and to allow them to continue what they do best. Dr. Eisenberg, expressed concern bout trying 
to add service orientation element to each component, arguing that this would present a piecemeal approach 
that in the end would prove to be less effective. In contrast, rather than do a little here and a little there, he 
recommended considering the oral interview as the component with the greatest potential to create a critical 
mass of information that is needed to evaluate the service orientation effectively. 

Using these recommendations, the modification of the oral interview process represents the most substantive 
change in determining service orientation. It now includes series of questions that relate specifically 
to service orientation, the addition of a citizen representative as a voting member of the board, and 
comprehensive training for all panel members. The police department also plans to develop guideline for the 
process. 

The current psychological assessment component of the selection process comprises three elements: 
completion of the Law Enforcement Assessment and Development Report, an instrument that measures both 
for normal personality characteristics and clinical pathology; a psychological/social history questionnaire; and 
a clinical interview. The Detroit Police Department added service-oriented questions to the psychological/ 
social history questionnaire. The questions elicit information about hobbies and service-related activities such 
as volunteer or charity work and involvement with community service or nonprofit institutions. To date, their 
impact has not been fully assessed. However, it was believed that the additional information would assist in 
screening in rather than screening out service oriented applicants. 

Finally, previously developed point system used to rank each candidate is being modified to include credit 
for earlier volunteer experiences, residency in the community, and previous employment in a service-oriented 
industry such as social work. These three elements have been added to a group of 24 screening variables 
previously developed by the police department that provide the core of information that is evalu ted for each 
candidate. Examples include, but are not limited to; entry-level Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement 
(MCOLE) test scores, education, job experience, and oral board criteria . With the addition of the three service-
oriented elements, candidates are now rated on a 27point police officer selection system with final scores rank 
ordered into the existing bands. Collateral to HSS, some of the hiring variables have been further modified 
to conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Specifically, the clinical psychological 
assessment and physical agility components of the system needed to be evaluated as post-hire components. 


Institutionalization: The extensive internal marketing and the expansion of the Recruiting Ambassadors 
Program are good benchmarks for institutionalizing the spirit of service. Community inclusion in the Oral 
Interview Board and the goal of providing community policing training based on the knowledge skills and 
abilities defined by the focus group(s) represent another venue for institutionalizing change. The Detroit 
Police Department continues to evaluate a training proposal produced by the consultant engaged to develop 
new training. The department remains steadfast in its belief that the changes in recruit and in-service training, 
as well as for the Citizens Police Academy are necessary to institutionalize the philosophy of community 
mindedness as the driving force of the Detroit Police Department. The intent to conduct retroactive analyses 
of applicants who were hired and later found to be unsuccessful is another indicator of institutionalizing this 
philosophy, as is the effort to include citizens in the CompStat process. 

Unique Accomplishments 

The Detroit Police Departments work in HSS resulted in the following unique accomplishements: 

 Expansion of the Recruiting Ambassadors Program 
 Communications StrategyMedia Summit 
 Involvement of Community in CompStat 

Recruiting Ambassadors Program: Intensifying an existing recruiting program by including the community 
as recruiting ambassadors demonstrates how department can build on internal capacity in contrast to 
developing totally new initiatives. Within this context, the Detroit Police Department charged the community 
and its own personnel with seeking out recruit candidates who embodied the spirit of service. Moreover, the 
department illustrated the seriousness of its intent by providing incentives for police personnel and community 
representatives who could bring in recruits who completed the process successfully. 

Communications strategymedia summit: Devising a comprehensive communications strategy that included 
convening a highly successful media summit to kick off HSS was an effective way to get ahead of issues 
concerning recruitment and hiring in Detroit. The summit drew attention to how the department was changing 
recruitment and hiring and provided the opportunity for the city to define the issues rather than allowing 
newspapers or magazines to do it. With the mayor as the focal point of the summit, it was clear that city hall 
was behind this initiative and that in itself drew further attention. Equally important was the effort to let the 
city know that the police department was engaged in a serious effort to hire police recruits who demonstrated 
that they were interested in the service part of policing in contrast to an experience in adventure. 

Involvement of the community in CompStat: Bringing community representatives into the CompStat process 
clearly signifies that the community role extends far beyond recruitment and hiring. In Detroit, the community 
now has a role in providing input that affects how policing will be conducted in Detroit. Who knows the 
community better than the citizens and who can give the commanders better advice about where crime is 
occurring and why? It was the knowledge of how this information could affect crime that drove the department 
to consider including citizens in the CompStat process. 


6. Established in 
1970, the Police 
Foundation, non
profit organization, 
has conducted seminal 
research in police 
behavior, policy, and 
procedure, and works 
to transfer to local 
agencies the best new 
information about 
practices for dealing 
effectively with a
range of important 
police operational 
and dministrative 
concerns. Through 
its research, 
technical assistance, 
technology, training, 
and information 
programs, the 
foundation helps 
police departments 
to acquire both the 
knowledge gained 
through research 
and the tools needed 
to integrate that 
knowledge into 
police practices. For 
more information 
visit: www. 
policefoundation.org 

7. A consent decree is 
an agreement between 
the U.S. Department 
of Justice and law 
enforcement agency 
that stipulates various 
reforms that must be 
undertaken by the law 
enforcement agency. 
Typically, monitor is 
appointed to oversee 
the compliance of the 
department with the 
decree. 

Unique Challenges 

An overarching concern is that the components of the Detroit Police Departments 
selection system remain somewhat compartmentalized and the information gathered 
from one component is not always passed on to the next. Even with the point system, it 
appears to be difficult to develop the whole person perspective on each candidate when 
the system develops applicant information in what appears to be screening component 
silos. This concern is compounded by the lack of tracking system to provide an 
accounting of applicants moving through the different stages of the process. With the 
help of the Police Foundation,6 tracking system will be developed that should address 
this concern. 

The Detroit Police Department also encountered multiple challenges in the roll-out of 
its marketing campaign, which was delayed because of Institutional Review Board 
issues. Those delays culminated in concerns about ongoing financial support between 
the department and its contractor and affected the scheduling of marketing focus 
groups. Detroit had hired Berg, Muirhead & Associates, who subcontracted with Moore 
Associates, to convene focus groups that would be observed through two-way mirror. 
Although the data developed through this process proved to be quite enlightening, 
they were developed relatively late in the process because of the consultant contractual 
issues. Consequently, the department was unable to meet its m arketing timelines. More 
important, its unable to use these valuable data to capitalize on the successful media
summit. 

The police department also faced other challenges in refocusing its community policing 
efforts. Given that the departments initial community policing efforts were directed at 
the precinct level and focused on community policing units, community policing came 
to be viewed as a specialization in contrast to an organization-wide change in operations. 
Consequently, many operational units had limited awareness of the HSS project and its 
goals. Further, maintaining interest in project of this nature in large department can 
be difficult at best, but particularly so as violent crime intensifies. 

Functioning under consent decree7 presents further challenges that were unique to this 
HSS site though not unfamiliar to other large cities. An unavoidable side effect of a
consent decree is the climate of uncertainty that is created both for the resources needed 
to implement the decree and concerns about the impact on current personnel. HSS should 
be quite compatible with changes required by the federal government. 

Future of HSS in Detroit 

The Detroit Police Department is committed to letting citizens know that it is serious 
about change and about creating a department that is community-minded. Equally 
important are its efforts to communicate this same message to the men and women of the 
Detroit Police Department. No stranger to challenge, the Department remains steadfast in 
pressing forward to meet its goals and continue to focus on recruiting candidates who are 
able to interact with citizens because they understand their culture and are able to bridge 


communication gaps. At the 2004 Major City Chiefs (MCC)8 meeting, Chief Bully-
Cummings reported that recent numbers of candidate applications reached 1,500, which 
represents an unprecedented growth in interest for the position of police officer in the 
city of Detroit. 

At the 2005 MCC meeting, however, the Chief announced restructuring of the 
department that was brought about by severe budget problems. This restructuring will 
result in the laying off of police officers, including new recruits, and will impact the 
ability to hire new officers. Thus, just as Detroit was achieving its mission to attract 
service oriented candidatesthose who will give back and get morebudget realities 
limit the potential to reach that goal. Despite these serious challenges, Detroit remains 
committed to maintaining a level of diversity that reflects the community and to 
institutionalizing the spirit of service throughout the department. 

8. Major City 
Chiefs (MCC) is 
an association that 
comprises more tha n 
50 law enforcement 
organizations in the 
United States and 
Canada. MCC was 
formed to provide 
forum for police 
chiefs to discuss 
organizational 
issues only relevant 
to large police 
organizations. Current 
membership consists 
of law enforcement 
executives whose 
departments serve 
metropolitan area 
population of more 
than 1.5 million or 
employ more than 
1,000 sworn officers. 
Some gencies that 
no longer meet this 
criteria have been 
grandfathered into the 
association. 


KING COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE: 
Accept the Challenge 

In the King County (Washington) Sheriffs Office, Hiring in the Spirit of Service (HSS) was the sta rting point for 
building a 21st-century sheriffs department and the impetus to fulfill a commitment to hire deputies, according 
to one official, Who wear the uniform on the communitys behalf. Rather than treat recruitment and hiring in 
isolation, the sheriffs office set out to institutionalize a comprehensive performance management system that 
advanced community policing as the natural behavior for all deputies, not just new recruits. It also saw HSS as 
a way to further the development of the organization by endorsing an investment in the people who performed the 
deputy sheriff function. 

King Countys involvement in HSS was spearheaded by two events. The first was the sheriffs offices participation 
in former Attorney General Janet Renos Police Integrity Working Groups in 1999; and the second w s its 
involvement in the Race and Reconciliation Summit convened by the National Crime Prevention Council in 2001. 
Both initiatives were part of the U.S. Department of Justices efforts to enhance police integrity and improve 
relationships between the police and community, particularly communities with diverse populations. The initiatives 
addressed the differences in how the police and the community saw situations that resulted in problems that 
infringed on the civil liberties of citizens. More important, they illustrated long-standing difficulties in the capacity 
to communicate about these problems. 

Both events created a renewed sense of energy in the King County Sheriffs Office as well as an awareness of the 
urgency to solve problems. This urgency was reinforced by the fact that in this 2,200-square-mile county, home 
to 1.7 million people, 44 percent of the sheriffs office budget comes from other jurisdictions that contract with 
King County for law enforcement services. Hence, like many sheriff agencies, the livelihood of the King County 
Sheriffs Office is dependent on satisfying a range of constituencies that expect professional and effective services 
that are delivered with integrity. 

Following participation in these keystone events, and under the leadership of then King County Sheriff Dave 
Reichert, the sheriffs office sought to engage King County community and department personnel in how to best 
center its efforts. The overarching goal was the development of a system that could be linked to agency core values 
of leadership, integrity, service, and teamwork. Within this context, the sheriffs office sought to implement a
paradigm change that would incorporate quality differences in hiring, retention, and development of personnel 
change that would be consistent with goals and objectives that the community values. Within this framework, the 
sheriffs office envisioned HSS as its opportunity to engage in hiring practices that would reliably attract and select 
employees whose skills and abilities were compatible with effective community policing. 

History of the Project 

Before it became involved in HSS, the King County Sheriffs Office was exploring ideas about performance 
management that were detailed in a department white paper on internal system development. The paper included 
recruitment and hiring in addition to other performance-related elements. The sheriffs office believed that HSS 
would help it redefine its approach to hiring deputies who are service-oriented and to advance the intent to develop 
performance that reflected agency values. To achieve this objective, however, the sheriffs office believed it was 
necessary to gain an understanding of the abilities, competencies, and behaviors that are consistent with the service 
orientation and to involve the community in broadening this understanding. Although a core group of staff was the 
mainstay of the project, they were supplemented by others who were perceived as thought leaders throughout the 
agency, but there w as less emphasis on involving the community in all facets of the project than in other sites. 


The core project staff and thought leaders comprised the steering committee and they were joined by the 
external consultants hired to manage and complete the project. Following limited competition, the sheriffs 
office hired The Dunnette Group, Ltd., to help the committee members achieve their goals. Initially, the full 
steering committee was able to meet with some regularity but because of the extent of external consultant 
involvement and the distance of the consulting groups location (Minneapolis, Minnesota), coupled with 
transfers out of the sheriffs department, the committee was unable to continue to meet regularly. This 
arrangement did not interfere with substantive project activities but, because the project was largely 
consultant-driven, certain delays occurred that were caused by consultant schedules as well as coll teral 
contractual issues. Consequently, there was some interference with timely internal review and feedback on 
project deliverables. 

Project Goals 

The King County Sheriffs Office goals involved introducing systemic change into the following 
components of the hiring processs continuum: 

 Recruitment strategies 
 Marketing strategies 
 Clinical psychological testing and occupational screening 
 Involvement of the community 
 Organizational change 

From the outset, it was clear that the King County Sheriffs Office undertook a task that w as far more 
complex than simply identifying HSS traits. As a result, it is difficult to highlight each project goal 
independently because the sheriffs office sought to build a system that would introduce substantive change 
across range of organizational variables. These variables included recruitment strategies to attract deputies, 
the systems used to select them, and the performance appraisal system that evaluates them. Subsequently, 
efforts of the sheriffs office culminated in model for generating an eligibility list that methodologically 
combines all selection components into a unit-weighted composite score for each applicant. 

Changes to the components of the hiring continuum have been twofold and include (1) the systematic 
identification of job functions; and (2) defining the required core competencies for service-oriented deputies. 
Together, these two baseline activities laid the foundation for systemic change that would define the meaning 
of 21st century law enforcement for King County. Further, they facilitated the detailed examination of 
screening methods and the development of content-valid performance rating scales. 

Identified Job Functions for KCSO Sheriffs Deputies 

Job functions were identified through a combination of focus group data, individual interviews, and review 
of the literature on community policing. These data informed task analysis that detailed the following King 
County Sheriffs Office job functions: 

 Patrolling and detecting crime 
 Assessing, analyzing, and responding to situations 
 Collaborative problem-solving, networking, and brokering community services 
 Creating good public relations 
 Complying with laws and embracing department ethics philosophy, policies, and procedures 
 Working as a team 


 Establishing control in chaotic situations and arresting offenders 
 Controlling traffic and enforcing traffic laws 
 Investigating, gathering, and preserving evidence 
 Documenting, writing, and handling paperwork 
 Preparing for and testifying in court 
 Using technology and tools 
 Learning and keeping up-to-date 

Developing Core Competencies of Service Oriented Deputies 

The heart of the King County Sheriffs Office strategy linked the deputy sheriff job functions, defined through 
the task analysis, with the core competencies for deputies at two different levels: level of mastery and level of 
developmental needs, distinction that is significant to subsequent performance appraisals. 

To achieve this goal, the sheriffs office convened six focus groups, three of which comprised members of the 
community, and three additional groups including an incumbent deputy focus group, focus group of sergeants, 
and focus group from the criminal justice community. The latter included officials from district and superior 
courts, the countys juvenile and adult detention departments, the prosecutors office and the Office of Civil 
Rights Enforcement. 

In each focus group the sheriffs office ascertained the following information: how well the job activities 
ascribed to community policing are understood; what competencies are needed to effectively perform those 
duties; where does one find people with those characteristics; and how are they recruited. The inform tion 
derived from the community focus groups helped to define the core competencies. These competencies defined 
which of the current assessment instruments should be retained in the process and facilitated recommendations 
for adding new instruments to the process. The end result was revised recommended a battery of selection 
instruments. 

To achieve the competency model goal, King County consultants ensured that collectively the data from 
focus groups would be representative of the ideas of members of the general community, from the criminal 
justice community, and incumbent deputies. Specifically to encourage community participation, the identified 
community members received letters of invitation but flyers also were distributed at precincts and the deputies 
were asked to invite other community leaders who had an interest in law enforcement. Citizen academy 
participants were also invited. 

In all of the groups, participants were asked to respond to open-ended questions about their expect tions of 
service-oriented deputies, the traits that were required to fulfill this role, and the job functions they expected 
deputies to perform. The consultant used an iterative process wherein each successive focus group was informed 
by information developed in previous groups. This process was instrumental in defining the deputy sheriff job 
functions and the core competencies needed to perform these functions. The data were reviewed by the steering 
committee and management team with only minor revisions. 

The approach to developing the community focus groups presented challenges. Although the goal of the 
procedure was to create a heterogeneous information base, many members of the groups did not attend the 
meetings when contrasted with the level of participation in the deputy focus groups. Moreover, the community 
groups were largely unfamiliar with language used to describe policing, such as collaborative problem solving. 
Despite these impediments, and through the use of the iterative procedure, the consultants were able to gather 
sufficient data to perform qualitative analyses that defined the requisite core competencies. These competencies, 
or constructs, characterized the meaning of King County Sheriffs Office law enforcement and provided the 


basis for evaluating the construct validity of other components of the selection process. These competencies 
also were key to creating content-valid job performance rating scales, unique contribution to HSS, as well as 
evidence of the extent of systemic change. 

The qualitative analysis identified the following service-oriented competencies: 

Problem solving and judgment 
Energy 
Stress reaction 
Writing skills 
Multitasking 
Reading skills 
Courage 
Memory 
Resourcefulness 
Spatial orientation 
Assertiveness 
Visual acuity and perception 
Integrity 
Physical fitness 
Selfcontrol 
Driving skill 
Work motivation 
Basic computer skills 
Dependability 
Variety orientation 
Service orientation 
Teamwork 
Interpersonal skills 
Emotional health 
Oral communication skills 

Occupational and Clinical Screening 

In contrast to other sites, the decision was made early on that screening tools should be the purview of those 
individuals with professional expertise in the occupational screening areas. Hence, though the community 
identified competencies, there was no further community input on identifying occupational screening tools. 
The method of choice in this phase of the process involved a detailed audit by the consultants and review 
of existing meta-analyses. The audit reviewed technical information on reliability and validity of existing 
occupational screening methods to determine construct validity of select screening scale(s) that best predict 
each competency. Careful examination identified the competency constructs that are currently assessed as well 
as those constructs that would need to be added to the process to select in at the occupational screening phase 
of the screening system. 

The audit produced recommendations for assessing each competency and identified appropriate measures and 
assessment tools that were linked to the job functions. The Dunnette Group produced comprehensive and 
highly technical report th at leads the reader through each sequential step of the process and links specific tests 
to each competency. Further, it provides an extensive review of a range of commercially available instruments 
for assessing each competency. Supplementing this information is a separate examination of group differences 
based on race (including coefficient alpha reliabilities of test scales) that are particularly relevant to scales 
assessing cognitive ability and personality characteristics. 

The Dunnette Group performed a similar audit for the clinical screening phase and made specific 
recommendations for screening out candidates who are unlikely to do well. The results of that audit 
depicted links between competency constructs and a variety of existing psychological test scales that can be 
administered both before and after hiring. Of the clinical personality tests currently used by the King County 
Sheriffs Office (MMPI-2 and the California Personality Inventory), the Dunnette Group recommended 
assessing three competency constructs using these instruments. They include stress reaction, self-control, and 
emotional health. Moreover, Dunnette recommended using compensatory selection system to assess these 
and other competencies instead of a pass-fail process or the development of holistic clinical impressions. 


9 The completed 
King County Sheriffs 
Office Website is 
located at: www. 
kingcountysheriffjobs. 
com. 

Compensatory Selection Model 

The recommendation to use compensatory model is in strong contrast to the multiple-
hurdle approach that traditionally has been used in law enforcement selection. The 
multiple-hurdle approach assesses each candidate on one component at time and if 
candidates successfully meet the requirements of that component, they are passed on to the 
next component. In contrast, a compensatory system combines measures from a range of 
differential predictors including all competencies and cross all components. Using unit-
weighted metric, this model produces composite of reliable and valid information specific 
to each candidate. 

Marketing and Recruiting 

In the King County Sheriffs Office, marketing and recruiting activities were treated as 
initiatives separate from the screening emphasis. In this phase of the project, the sheriffs 
office engaged a media contractor, Pop! Multimedia, to help develop a strategic marketing 
plan directed at redesigning and improving its web site with the intention of serving the 
community at large as well as attracting service-oriented recruits. 

The web site that eventually emerged is user friendly and emphasizes community activities 
as well as the traditional work of deputies in simple, friendly text. It includes testimonials 
from current deputies that give recruits personalized version of the job of deputy sheriff. 
In addition, the site contains information about crime prevention, announces upcoming 
dates for the Citizens Police Academy, and seeks information from citizens that could help 
solve current criminal cases. Since the site was introduced later in the project, and because 
of the previously cited issues related to the use of consultants, no data are available about 
its effectiveness in achieving recruiting goals. However, the King County Sheriffs Office 
presents extensive information on how to create strategies to develop user-friendly web 
sites and on how to work with vendors to achieve that goal.9 

Organizational Change 

The King County Sheriffs Office adapted a three-phased approach to effect organizational 
change that involved changes in recruitment strategies, in the selection system, and in how 
it assessed deputy performance. Further, it linked information on job functions, required 
competencies, and the test scales used to assess them, to performance appraisal rating 
scales. Together, all of this information increased the content and construct validity of the 
sheriffs offices performance management system supported by HSS. As such, the work 
presents a solid model for consideration when institutionalizing organizational change. 

The performance management system facilitated by HSS represents change in emphasis 
when compared to traditional selection research. Further, it shows how well-conceived 
hiring project can introduce vital change into an organization. Central to this effort was the 
guiding principle that drove HSS in the King County Sheriffs Office and which defined 
it as more than a hiring project. HSS was framed as the foundation of organizational 
systemic change that would affect critical human resource systems. The sheriffs office was 
clear that instead of revising strategies aimed only at recruit deputies, HSS would affect the 
career life of all deputies. Clearly, the link to performance appraisal helps to accomplish 
that objective. 


Unique Accomplishments 

 Developed core competencies with links to existing assessment tools 
 Developed model eligibility list 
 Developed service-oriented performance appraisal 

Developed core competencies with links to existing assessment tools: The careful development of core 
competencies that reflect service-oriented law enforcement is considerable achievement. The work of the 
King County Sheriffs Office provides a clear definition of the job functions of a deputy in a community 
policing department and links these functions to the core competencies required to perform these functions. 
Moreover, using a construct validity strategy to define the competency model clearly strengthens the credibility 
of this body of work. 

The linking of competencies to existing occupational and clinical assessment tools through the auditing process 
takes advantage of the scientific evidence that has supported commercially available tools in accordance with 
laws and published guidelines for the use of psychological screening in employee selection. These guidelines 
include The Uniform Guidelines on Employees Selection Procedures, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, 
and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, the 
American Psychological Association, and the 1999 National Council for Measurement in Education). 

Consequently, the information developed for the King County Sheriffs Office provides substantive menu 
of existing assessment tools that can be transported and used to assess identified competencies. Many of these 
tools are valid predictors of performance in occupations with similarities to those of deputy sheriff, therefore, 
transporting them to the King County Sheriffs Office selection process adds incremental validity and increases 
the predictive power of the preemployment assessment. This feature of the project provides wealth of 
information that has not been available previously and makes significant contribution to the selection of 
service-oriented deputies. 

Developed a model eligibility list: The development of model for creating an eligibility list that combines all 
components of the selection process has the potential to create a measure reflecting the whole-person service 
orientation of candidates. Applying the compensatory model at the entry level of assessment would prove to be 
major change to traditional practices. Although acceptance of this model will require continued negotiations 
with county personnel, the fact that it is being considered represents the potential for a major change in the 
hiring processes used for public safety employment. It is a significant contribution that has emerged through 
the work of HSS. 

Developed a service-oriented performance appraisal: The development of content-valid performance rating 
scales advances the creation of a performance appraisal system that will facilitate institutionalizing the service 
orientation in the King County Sheriffs Office. 

The latter was built on the tasks and activities identified in each job function and which are defined at two 
different performance levels: mastery level performance and needs improvement. The performance appraisal 
rating scales are the outcome of agreed-on dimensions of deputy sheriff performance on content-valid 
performance standards and incorporate the core competencies defined in the job analysis phase of the project. 
As such, they demonstrate how project phases were integrated to facilitate changing the selection system for 
King County deputy sheriffs and evaluating their subsequent job perform nce. 


Unique Challenges 

The King County Sheriffs Office presents the most technical approach to assessing candidates. In so doing, 
they relied almost exclusively on consultants to complete the HSS project. Using the consultant-based model 
meant that work products were completed on consultant schedules and frequent delays were encountered 
because consultant products had to be approved by the department to satisfy department and county personnel 
criteria. Consequently, frequent back-and-forth exchanges occurred before final agreement could be achieved. 
As might be expected, these exchanges inevitably created communication glitches that resulted in further delays 
while they were being resolved. Resolution was generally forthcoming and the delivery of a final product was 
not affected. However, because of the delays it was not always possible for the King County Sheriffs Office to 
maintain its activities within the time frame of the grant. 

The exclusive use of consultants in any project creates dependency on external sources. While this type of 
dependency can be favorable because of the expertise that consultants bring to the project, it also can create 
impediments if there are differences in how basic concepts are interpreted. For instance, consultants may have 
different perceptions of what community involvement means or may differ in their understanding of terms used 
in service-oriented law enforcement, such as problem solving, partnerships, or the crime-prevention emphasis. 
As a result, initial drafts of end products may reflect more the perception of consultants than those of the 
customer. Clearly, steering committees and facilitated focus groups are helpful in over-riding this difficulty but 
they need to be constructed carefully and facilitators need to have broad conceptual knowledge of the subject 
matter. 

Future of HSS in King County 

At the conclusion of the program, the King County Sheriffs Office had produced significant body of work 
that increases the content and construct validity of its performance management system. By linking recruitment, 
hiring, and performance to the service orientation, the sheriffs office has made great strides in creating 
process to institutionalize value-based performance for newly hired deputies. The proposed revision of its 
complete selection system to make it compatible with community policing, and the detailed explanation of how 
each component can be evaluated to produce service-oriented eligibility list, speaks volumes for facilitating 
requisite longitudinal validation and for creating institutional change. 


Commonalities 
Across HSS Sites 
Chapter Four 


Commonalities Across HSS Sites  

Support of the Law Enforcement Chief Executive 

All sites had the support of the law enforcement chief executive officer (CEO) and enjoyed 
strong level of commitment despite the fact that changing selection strategies can create risk 
for the CEO. Their commitment was reflected in decisions to devote in-kind resources to the 
project, including staff designated to manage the program, use of department facilities to house 
the project and related project activities, as well as agreement to participate in updating recruiting 
information through department web sites, and contributing advertising funds to the projects. 
In three of the sites, there was a change in CEO midway through the project; in another site the 
CEO decided to run for higher office; and in still another, the CEO announced his intention 
to retire. All sites experienced a threat to the leadership originally responsible for involvement 
in the project. This factor is not that unusual when considered within the framework of the 
average tenure of law enforcement CEO, which is approximately 3 years.10 Fortunately, the 
new CEOs continued the commitment to the HSS project and their endorsements sustained the 
momentum so that the project did not lose ground. Their commitment reflects well on the status 
of community policing and the adaptation of service orientation as the smart way to deliver 
policing services. 

10. Kirchhoff, 
William E., Charlotte 
Lansinger and J mes 
Burack. Command 
Performance: 
Career Guide for 
Police Executives. 
Washington: Police 
Executive Research 
Forum, 1999. 

Steering Committees 

Steering or advisory committees were integral to project activities at each site and were 
instrumental in providing multidisciplinary feedback and guidance throughout the life of the 
project. Although the composition of the committees varied across sites, there is little question 
that they brought fresh ideas to age-old recruitment and selection issues. Some included 
representation only from intact community groups while others combined academics, research 
consultants, and the community. The latter model provided greater diversity in the expertise 
brought to the project but in some inst nces this diversity lso produced conflicting opinions. 
Despite differences in opinion, most of which were eventually resolved, such committees or 
advisory groups were important to enriching the project and helped stretch the imagination about 
what could be accomplished in federally funded project. 

Checks and Balances 

Despite strong commitment to HSS, all sites encountered requirements for ensuring that 
appropriate checks and balances were implemented throughout the project. They ranged from 
getting approval and review of marketing materials to vetting all recommendations through 
appropriate sources. Checks and balances sources typically involved executive commanders, 
local officials, human resource departments, and personnel responsible for civil service 
requirements. In some instances, engaging the latter strengthened the capacity to negotiate 
change in standard selection procedures. Union representatives also acted as safeguards in the 
checks and balances process and advocated for assurances that recommended changes would 
not compromise collective bargaining agreements even though recruit assessments generally 
are not the purview of collective bargaining. Finally, the checks and balance process served as 
a means to market the project internally and broadened the network of people who had a firm 


understanding of what the department was trying to achieve while also dispelling any misconceptions. These 
same people could then become advocates for growing HSS as significant change in the organizational 
culture. At all sites, the checks and balances review process continued throughout the course of the project and 
was ongoing even at the end of the project. 

Community Engagement 

Engaging the community is at the core of community policing and is what sets it apart from the professional 
model of policing. HSS raised community engagement to a new level that goes beyond sharing information 
and solving problems. By engaging the community to participate in fundamental and critical department 
processrecruiting and hiring recruitscitizens influenced strategies and outcomes of an important law 
enforcement process. As such, their involvement had significant policy implications. 

Each site developed ways to involve the community and promoted engagement activities that were fairly 
consistent. Citizens were engaged in designing web sites and in creating the messages that defined the 
particular agency. All sought the communitys help in identifying service-oriented characteristics that were 
linked to community policing activities. They also sought the communities help in developing an applicant 
pool of potential recruits who could meet these qualifications. In essence, community members were 
encouraged to become adjunct recruiters. They reached out to people who typically may not have considered a 
career in law enforcement, did not see themselves as police officers, and/or may not have seen their previous 
job experiences in service-oriented industries as having any links to police work. At some sites this level 
of engagement resulted in new partnerships such as Burlingtons alignment with the Community Economic 
Development Office and Detroits partnership with Empowerment Zones. 

Community engagement became a hallmark event at each site. This level of involvement clearly 
communicated the message that the law enforcement agency was interested in new way of doing business 
that included the community as its partner. 

Use of Focus Groups 

A collateral activity of community engagement involved the use of focus groups. These groups involved 
both citizens and law enforcement officers but differed across sites in how they were used and the depth of 
information that was gathered. Some used the focus group model as an open-ended discussion group while 
others used a research paradigm to effect structured data collection. Whatever the model, it became something 
of standard at each site with the exception of Burlington, Vermont. 

Despite initial trepidation about working with the police, the focus groups proved to be a valuable educational 
process for all participants. Both the community and officers learned from each other and soon realized that 
they were not that far apart on issues involving public safety. From the community perspective, they learned 
that it is not easy to become police officer and that candidates go through rigorous selection process. It 
was not a cavalier system where choices are based on favoritism, biased perceptions, or who you know. This 
message is important for citizens to understand, particularly in those communities where there have been 
acrimonious relationships with law enforcement. Conversely, officers learned that the community was more 
supportive than previously believed and that they brought value to the process. 

Despite widespread belief that the community would embrace the opportunity to participate, the sites found 
that they had to go the extra mile to ensure participation. Defining expectations, ensuring that their input 
would be taken seriously, and respecting their time were critical to success. Moreover, those sites that were 
able to pay a stipend for citizen participation had fewer no-shows. 


Marketing/Outreach 

All sites engaged in some form of image management through extensive media campaigns that defined 
the values of law enforcement, rather than letting the popular media define them. Image management was 
reflected through unique advertising campaigns that developed department brands and through new or revised 
web sites that broadcast key messages created to resonate with the groups that they were trying to reach. 
Beyond advertising, these efforts also produced new ways to spread factual information about the benefits, 
rewards, and challenges of a law enforcement career, as well as information about what the law enforcement 
agency was trying to accomplish. In dedicating resources to marketing, each site changed how and what it 
communicated to the public about its agencies. Their efforts went far beyond the traditional static brochures or 
standard trifolds with action photographs that are circulated at job fairs. Rather, they resulted in full-fledged 
advertising campaigns that allowed each agency to tell a compelling story. 

Institutionalizing Community Involvement 

This report showcases many examples of community involvement. With the exception of Hillsborough 
County, however, community inclusion in the oral interview board represents the selection component that 
was most consistently applied across sites. The sites using oral boards dedicated their efforts to ensure that 
citizen participation would be more than window dressing. They devoted the necessary time and attention to 
structuring the interview to incorporate it as a viable component of the public employment selection process. 
In some instances this involved creating a standardized set of questions that followed script as well as the 
development of scoring key to ensure the reliability of independent ratings of the interview data. Most 
agreed that community board members would need training but would not require an extensive indoctrination 
to the broad spectrum of law enforcement activities. Training, however, would need to go beyond interviewing 
skills and should include instruction on providing ratings of applicants, disregarding extraneous information 
presented by applicants, and voiding unlawful questions. Consequently, some of the sites are developing oral 
interview guides to use in this process. Further, most are taking the position that these guides should be used 
by law enforcement personnel as well as by the citizens who particip te in the interview. 

In some sites, community presence in oral board interviews has been extended to include citizen participation 
in promotional interviews as well as involvement in the training of new recruits. This level of inclusion 
drills down to institutionalizing HSS by affecting the internal and external belief systems of the organization 
and the community. It provides strong evidence of how HSS became a driving force for change and further 
institutionalized community policing in participating agencies and the communities they serve. 

Use of Consultants 

Most sites recognized that they did not have the expertise that was required to make substantive changes 
in recruitment and selection. Most used wellknown consultants who had credibility with law enforcement 
to assist them in developing significant parts of the project, particularly those elements relative to the 
occupational and psychological assessment phases of the selection process. The downside was that they did not 
always agree with recommendations made by the consultants and were left with reports containing divergent 
opinions. Frequently, this divergence enriched the project. Conversely, resolving conflicting information can 
present challenges to any project because of the potential to create impediments to achieving final concurrence 
in the agency review process. Fortunately, in most sites the conflicts were reconciled primarily because of the 
predominant commitment to the over arching philosophy of community policing. Consequently, the momentum 
was sustained. 


Involvement of Unions 

All sites agreed that the endorsement of their respective labor unions would be critical to introducing change 
into the department. Consequently, most reached out to the union and some invited the union to participate 
on steering or advisory committees. Actual participation of unions was limited, however, perhaps because the 
HSS focus addressed potential candidates, not existing union membership. Most sites agreed that their unions 
were generally less interested in preemployment issues. It was apparent, however, that the outreach was 
important to keeping the unions informed of progress and ensuring them that collective bargaining agreements 
would not be affected by HSS. This assurance was important to the successful conclusion of HSS. Although 
there was no direct union endorsement of HSS, collectively there were no instances of union resistance across 
sites. This was particularly important in Detroit, where unions were most influential, and where their lack of 
opposition was viewed as victory. Moreover, the good-faith effort to involve the unions at all sites became an 
effective internal marketing tool both for the success of HSS and for sustaining community policing. 

Psychological and Occupational Testing 

The sites found that modifying the actual processes used in psychological and occupational testing was 
more difficult than initially expected. Test standardization is critical for employment selection processes and 
involves professional pratices that preclude cavalier changes to test items. Moreover, factorial analyses of test 
dimensions evaluated in specific instruments and reported validity studies have been developed with scientific 
rigor. As such, it would be a complicated process to alter these dimensions and generally not recommended. 
Consequently, in lieu of developing new test an extremely lengthy and rigorous processa more realistic 
alternative involved examining commercially available current tests to determine their capacity to predict 
service-oriented performance. To implement this strategy, core activities of the selection infrastructure first 
need to be changed by creating job analysis linked to community policing, systematically defining service-
oriented traits, and then developing the core competencies associated with the service orientation. 

Although each site did not engage in all these ctivities simultaneously, three of the sites introduced significant 
change to core elements of the selection infrastructure. Further, all learned from each other of the need to 
use appropriate methodology to make these changes and how to develop long-range plans for longitudinal 
validation of the processes developed through HSS. As such, their work will continue long after the conclusion 
of HSS. 


Lessons Learned 
Chapter Five 


Lessons Learned 

HSS Lessons Learned 

The experiences of the five sites provide a number of lessons learned that are reflected in a set of common themes. 
Prevalent underlying themes that cut across all sites included the realization that reaching out to other agencies and 
community groups provided form of transparency that was valued. Also, they recognized that a cookie-cutter approach 
was best avoided if true organizational change was to occur. Moreover, all concurred that participating in HSS helped 
them to develop a deeper and more intensive level of knowledge about their respective agencies. Aside from those 
themes, most sites encountered challenges as they attempted to introduce substantial change into fundamental processes 
of their agencies. Consequently, readers of this report may see how a coherency developed across sites as reflected in a
set of core issues that influenced the project. As such, others planning to take on similar projects can benefit from the 
lessons learned through the HSS experience. 

Preemployment Research Is Serious Business and Decidedly Complex 

Preemployment research is complex and can be expected to take more time than originally anticipated. Because of the 
seriousness of the outcome, the potential to keep someone from gainful employment, or hiring someone in appropriate 
to carry out the policing role, the sites found that plans to develop new hiring models could not be accomplished within 
the time frame of grant. This was less of an issue in changing recruitment strategies than it was with developing model 
profiles that could be used to predict performance. In the latter situation, methodological issuesprimarily small sample 
sizes, large numbers of selection variables, and differential validity strategiesaffected the capacity for prediction and 
clearly speak to the need for longitudinal validation of processes developed at all sites. Collaterally, sharpening the 
research question(s) proved to be critical in determining if the end product would be primarily descriptive or predictive. 
Finally, the lack of traditional comprehensive job analysis that clearly defined the tasks associated with community 
policing, and the keystone of predictive validation, proved to be a limiting factor for most of the sites. 

Although job analysis/job function exercises facilitated the systematic identification of desirable characteristics of 
service-oriented police and were possible within the scope of the grant, comprehensive job analysis provided to each 
site would have enhanced the project. Notwithstanding the need to tailor the job analysis to the specific tasks unique 
to each site, common set of service-oriented tasks would have provided them with a unified perspective at the outset 
of the project. Despite this limitation, each site engaged in extensive work that produced successful definition of the 
traits, characteristics, and behaviors needed for community policing. Moreover, their work has laid the groundwork for 
developing a job analysis that includes the knowledge, skills, and abilities inherent to community policing. That, in itself, 
is a remarkable ccomplishment. 

Given the complexity of selection research, the methodological issues that emerged, and the implications for major 
change to existing selection systems, it is glaringly apparent that there is a need to build in a process for reconciling 
methodological differences at the outset of project. Rather than wait for these issues to emerge, it would be beneficial 
to anticipate that methodological considerations will surface that deserve debate and resolution. The debate can be 
fruitful and enrich the project but can also delay progress in achieving project goals; therefore, a front-end process 
that allows for the full exploration of the merits of diverging professional opinions and a method to resolve conflicting 
opinions needs to be considered. 

Involving the CommunityNot As Easy As It Sounds 

Even though the Community Policing Consortium and the demonstration sites were conversant in engaging the 
community in a wide variety of contexts and thought they knew what the community wanted, they acknowledged that 
the engagement was decidedly more complex task than initially anticipated. Engaging the community in various grant 
activities, particularly focus groups, required more than simply issuing an invitation to come to meeting. Sites found 


that they needed to contact citizens early and often to ensure that they reserved adequate time in their schedules 
to allow for full participation. They also found it beneficial to develop a large list of potential volunteers so that 
they were not using the same people all the time. The latter practice not only enriched the quality of information, 
it voided impositions on citizens time. Within this context, some of the sites found that they had greater success 
when using retirees. Despite initial concerns that the retirees might provide a skewed perspective, they found that 
these individuals were more likely to own their own homes, had strong investment in improving the community, 
and also had the time to participate on a regular basis. Conversely, caution needs to be exercised that some groups, 
such as retirees or community advocates of policing, may be viewed as fans of law enforcement and may provide 
limited perspective about what is needed in service-oriented law enforcement officers. Further, addressing citizens 
who represent the age groups that policing agencies are trying to attract can provide valuable information even 
though it may not be presented as a favorable or positive endorsement of the department. 

The sites also found that despite initial outreach, some citizens were still hesitant to become involved and 
questioned if their input would be taken seriously. The sites, therefore, found it necessary to spend time preparing 
community members to participate and in framing expectations as well as anticipated outcomes to enhance the 
probability that they would attend scheduled sessions. Some found that paying a stipend helped to reduce no 
shows, while others that were unable to manage a stipend found other means of recognition. Showing interest in 
recognizing and rewarding participation conveys a message that citizen time is respected and that their participation 
is valued. This approach also lets the community know at the outset that this project is more than business as usual. 

Although the focus groups were enormously useful, they did not always materialize as pl nned. Even under the 
best of circumstances, once the groups were underway the sites discovered that there were language barriers 
between police and the community and that they ascribed different meanings to the same words. Frequently, there 
were distinct and substantive differences in their concepts of community policing and many community members 
had little understanding of what was involved in collaborative problem solving. Further, community members 
focused on how citizens were treated while officers emphasized public safety concerns as priority. As might be 
expected, citizens focused on global issues while officers were more task oriented. In this regard, citizens talked 
about relationships, information sharing, and appreciation of cultures, in addition to the messages conveyed through 
residency requirements and the physical appearance of officers. Police officers talked about community policing 
in terms of direct service, engaging in public relations, being responsive to situations in contrast to incidents, and 
viewed collaboration from the framework of citizens providing them with extra eyes and ears to report on crime in 
the community. 

Once initial concerns about participation were addressed and citizens became involved in the project, they showed 
interest in participating in widening level of activities, some of which exceeded the scope of the focus groups. 
As they became involved in other ctivities, such as oral board participation and scoring of interviews, the sites 
found that training component and specific guidelines were helpful to allay their concerns and to ensure that the 
information gathered was reliable and consistent. 

Creating the Internal-External Balance 

Given a long history of mutual distrust between citizens and the police in many communities, it is not unusual 
that officers and community members had initial misgivings about the project. Consequently, internal marketing 
became as essential to success as did the external outreach. Preparing tenured officers for how these changes would 
enrich the department was critical to managing their expectations and allaying fears that their job security would 
be jeopardized. Forecasting anticipated outcomes was also important to reducing uncertainty, which extended to 
command as well as line officers. 


Clearly, there is need to internalize change before it can be institutionalized it. That involves preparing the 
entire department to achieve internal buy-in. Preparation includes involving stakeholders across the agency 
at the outset of the project, following up with ongoing publicity and status reports about how the project is 
advancing, conducting roll-call presentations, and encouraging officers and deputies to participate in project 
activities. These activities first need to be supported by a commitment from the executive level of management 
that enables the creation of a change process. 

These same factors apply to steering and advisory committees and ongoing focus groups. To create the balance 
between internal and external acceptance, interest in participation needs to be reinforced continu lly nd 
participants need to be updated on the status of the project, as well as the glitches encountered, to keep them 
informed about how step-by-step progress is being made. Slogans and brochures will fall on deaf ears unless 
the internal and external constituencies are fully prepared for what change will entail and how it will affect 
them. Without this balance, ownership is diffused, people lose interest, and the goals of the project become 
sidetracked. 

Identifying a Common Core of Service-Oriented Traits 

Identifying service-oriented traits that were agreed on by all stakeholders in the process was more complicated 
than initially envisioned. It was made more difficult because of the extant lists of traits including those from 
state Police Officer Standards and Training Commissions (POST), human resource departments, and those 
identified in the HSS research. Winnowing down to number of traits that encapsulated what the department 
wanted to say to the community became a critical task that was made easier when sites used subject matter 
experts and job analysis and job function exercises. Further, sites that used a research strategy were more 
successful in identifying a common core of traits that satisfied relevant groups and fully identified what 
service-orientation means. 

Although all sites developed lists of traits and characteristics, they varied in length as well as data-collection 
methodologies. Some characteristics are commonly identified across sites and create common core of service-
oriented traits. They include integrity, courage, teamwork, people-oriented interpersonal skills that reflect 
an interest in and an awareness of others, strong communication skills, and work ethic that demonstrates 
dedication and responsibility. They also include a measure of emotional health that was variably described as 
temperament, frustration tolerance, or ability to manage stress. Together, these traits appear to reflect strong 
component of emotional intelligence, dimension that is just now starting to emerge in the literature on the 
psychological screening of police applicants. 

Access to Personnel Data Created Common Issues 

The need to access personnel data was common feature across sites. These data create the baseline for 
measuring overall success of the initiatives because they provide relevant background or performance data 
about successful officers or deputies. However, ready access to personnel data is difficult, as it should be, given 
the confidential nature of the information. That was a particular concern of the Institutional Review Board 
because of the involvement of human subjects. Overcoming these issues requires commitment and support 
from parent jurisdictions and speaks to the need to create critical mass of supporters at the outset, including 
representatives from human resources, civil service, and state POSTs. Coordination with regulatory agencies 
is critical to ensure consistency in procedures and to avoid duplication. Further, this coordination is important 
to make sure that there is an agreed on use of definitions and to avoid the pitfalls of making changes 
that are inconsistent with guidance provided by regulatory agencies. Finally, keeping these groups in the loop 
facilitates communication and reduces misunderstandings that can have an impact on the project. 


Personnel Tracking Systems 

Collateral to the concerns related to accessing personnel data was the need for personnel tracking systems, 
the foundation of effective personnel management. As such, they may not be seen as directly related to the 
objectives of HSS; however, they are critical to any project that creates change in recruiting and hiring. They 
take on added significance because of their capacity to provide baseline data for gauging the success of 
changes brought about through the project. Moreover, they are critical for longitudinal validation of assessment 
processes that are changed as a result of the project. In the sites that did not systematically track the progress 
of recruits through the system, specifically where and why they dropped out, it was more difficult to account 
for success rates of the new initiatives. This issue is compounded when community members participate in 
the process because of the need to maintain confidentiality of hiring data and personal inform tion. The use of 
aggregate data is not precluded under these conditions, and implementing this practice needs to be considered 
to fully assess the effectiveness of change. 

Incompatible Information Systems 

A multitude of information exchange problems were encountered that are synonymous with the information 
age. There were problems with completeness of internal filing systems and in transmitting personnel 
information. In some instances, these problems resulted in labor-intensive process of manually redacting file 
information, such as personal identifiers, that need safeguarding because of EEO and confidentiality concerns. 
They also need to be considered for their relevance to collective bargaining agreements governing tenured 
employees, particularly if using incumbent employees in selection pilot studies. Also, there were multiple 
instances of data transfer problems, particularly between the systems of expert consultants and department 
systems, which have implications for integrating legacy systems into new systems. Much of this was caused by 
incompatible statistical software and a lack of interoperable systems, a common problem in law enforcement 
agencies. In many instances, it was apparent that the information exchange problems were not anticipated at the 
outset of the project and came about more as an afterthought. Sufficient planning at the beginning of project 
would have precluded the significant delays created by incompatible systems. 

Institutional Review Board (IRB) 

IRB processes are instrumental to ensuring the integrity of projects like HSS. Despite their necessity, they can 
delay implementation of the research components of project and create other problems such as disruption 
of proposed scheduling, delays in project activities, and loss of consultant time. There was general agreement 
across sites that there is a need to define IRB requirements early in the process and that review and approval 
should be granted before the project officially commences, a factor that is particularly important when engaging 
in test validation strategies. The primary issue involved in IRB approval for HSS sites related to minimizing 
exposure to human subjects, not unusual in projects using incumbent officers and supervisors as subject matter 
experts. Respectively, they included safeguarding data, providing informed consent, avoiding coercive methods 
for ensuring participation, protecting information in personnel files, and providing debriefing procedures for all 
participants. 

Although human subject protection is given in academic and applied research, in paramilitary organizations 
they may be viewed as less significant. Thus, providing awareness of these requirements early in the process 
would help to expedite the research in public safety settings. Further, the IRB requirements have implications 
for subsequent selection methods in such organizations, including, but not limited to, the sensitivity of handling 
candidate data, conforming to civil service rules, ensuring confidentiality of preemployment personnel data, 
and clarifying rules and regulations of the hiring authority. 


The above issues will not disappear with the conclusion of the HSS project. They will need to be considered 
carefully in any extension of this project that involves assessing human subjects in hiring and selection 
procedures and in concurrent or longitudinal validation research. Since some of the sites intend to continue 
researching assessment instruments and their long-range predictive value, the issues identified in the IRB 
process will remain as significant concerns that will need continual attention. 

Web-Based Recruitment and Hiring 

Web sites are a common feature of contemporary life and are used as a recruiting tool for a number of 
occupations. When used within the context of enhancing public employment, however, there are unique 
concerns. Online applications in use at some of the sites create security and privacy concerns and the reliability 
of the job-related information that is presented is subject to question. Further, technology-based applications 
may not be user-friendly for candidates of who have recently mastered the English language, an issue in many 
diverse communities that are home to the very candidates law enforcement seeks to attract. Finally, because 
of civil service rules, the online procedures need to mirror the paper process, which often proved difficult to 
achieve because of formatting difficulties. 

Sites also encountered a number of purely technical issues, such as glitches in web site development. These 
issues present a decided contrast to what is involved in the minor tweaking of information systems and the 
delays that were created were far more extensive than originally anticipated. Most sites found that they needed 
more than specific expertise to develop and/or revise their web sites. Rather, separate management process 
and staff were required that could devote the time and attention that was needed to see it through to completion. 
One site recommended assigning two project leads to a web site project with one staff person tasked with the 
communication and recruitment side of the process, and nother ssigned to manage the extremely detailed 
task requirements inherent to technical applications. Other recommendations included starting with an internal 
strategic plan that combines an outline of what has to be accomplished as well as highly specific expectations 
for vendors as stated in the Request for Proposals (RFP) but goes beyond design and ranges from coding and 
editing to application development. The latter should be formulated in a precise requirements document that 
tells the vendor exactly what is needed. Last, but clearly not least, is the need to have community input. Since 
citizens are the customers who will be navigating the site, their input is essential and provides roadmap for 
what citizens will look for and what they will need to navigate site without difficulty. One site framed this 
issue as learning to think like the public versus thinking like the police. 

Other delays related to web site development involved acclimating management to the introduction of cutting-
edge advertising companies into law enforcement organizations that are basically conservative. Since the sites 
had been using existing web sites for some time, the idea of creating dramatic and out-of-the-box change that 
typically deviated from standard procedures controlled by the city or county often raised eyebrows and created 
resistance that had to be managed through extensive vetting procedures. 

Web site issues do not subside once the new site has been developed and meets with success. There remains the 
business of developing content management tools that provide for clear and precise web site writing as well as 
procedures for ongoing maintenance which can be equally important to the initial development. The latter also 
involves timely updates to keep the site fresh, obtaining required photo releases from all subjects introduced on 
the web site, ensuring that all contact information remains accurate, and maintaining procedures for providing 
timely responses to web site inquiries. Despite the myriad of difficulties encountered, by the conclusion of HSS 
there was general concurrence that all sites had been vastly improved, fact supported by dramatic increases in 
hit rates. 


Overcoming Impediments to Enhance Diversity 

Enhancing diversity in the applicant poola goal of all siteswas met with variable success. The fact that 
the goal for a more diverse group of successful applicants was not fully realized led to disappointment but not 
necessarily discouragement. In general, the experience resulted in the agencies taking on new and proactive 
direction in minority recruitment. Moreover, new learning was created in some sites. In particular, two sites 
found it necessary to convene focus groups with minority employees (Sacramento) or minority citizens 
(Detroit). The goal of these groups was to better understand the motivation for seeking, or not seeking, 
law enforcement position and what it would take for minority candidates to envision themselves in the job. 
Generally, the sites found that the information gained from these groups was enlightening. However, since the 
groups were developed later in the project, they did not have the opportunity to use this information to inform 
their initial recruitment strategies. Clearly, the minority group responses would have had greater influence had 
the groups been convened in the initial stages. 

Some sites approached enhancing diversity from technical perspective. As a matter of professional practice 
relative to selection methodology, the King County Sheriffs Office examined gender and ethnic group 
differences on pre-offer components of its selection assessments to examine potential for an adverse impact on 
protected classes. Within this context, they estimated mean score group differences on recommended composite 
scores that would be used for proposed eligibility lists. However, other sites took a more individualized 
approach as based on the realization that minority candidates would benefit from mentoring throughout 
the process. For example, Burlington initiated tutoring of minority candidates when it was discovered that 
those with English as a second language had difficulties with written examinations. Sacramento developed 
its Community Recruiter Program as a way to provide a more personalized method of recruiting in order to 
enhance diversity. 

Generally, the lessons learned from these sites call for implementing methods at the front end of project 
to create a diverse pool of successful applicants. Further, the midcourse corrections elected by some sites 
demonstrate that enhancing diversity is an evolving process that can clearly enrich recruitment. 

MentoringA Necessary Adjunct when Recruiting for Diversity 

Despite best efforts at selection, HSS demonstrated a need for mentoring recruits, particularly those from 
diverse communities. Mentoring will help these recruits adapt to the police culture and will foster an awareness 
of how to succeed in a new profession. Over and above supporting recruits through the initial stages of the 
process, mentoring is equally important in retaining recruits and capitalizing on an agencys investment. Both 
Burlington and Sacramento recognized the extent of the adjustment process that is involved the early stages 
of career adaptation and viewed mentoring as significant to professional development. In contrast to viewing 
mentored candidates as those who need help, this approach conveys respect for their efforts and communicates 
that their candidacy adds value to the organization. Moreover, both sites learned that language and writing 
difficulties could be expected when English is second language and they went the extra mile to provide 
assistance that would contribute to professional development. 



Menu of Promising Practices 

Identifying, Recruiting, Retaining the Service-Oriented Recruit 

 Community Consultants 
  Burlington Police Department 

 Recruiting Ambassadors 
  Detroit Police Dep rtments 

 Mentoring Recruits 
  Sacramento Police Department 
  Burlington Police Department 

 Community Recruiter Program 
  Sacramento Police Department 

What Should Recruits Look Like To Do Community Policing 

 Characteristic-Based Job Analysis Exercise 
  Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office 

 Core Competencies Linked To Job Functions/Performance 
  King County Sheriffs Office 

 Service Orientation Linked to POST COP Dimensions 
  Sacramento Police Department 

MarketingHow to Get the Message Out: Finding and Attracting Service-
Oriented Recruits 

 Creating Brand Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office 
  Sacramento Police Department 

 Media Campaign 
  Detroit Police Dep rtment 

 OnLine Tests Burlington Police Department 
  King County Sheriffs Office 

Laying the Groundwork to Enhance Diversity 

 Minority Employee Focus Groups 
  Sacramento Police Department 

 Minority Citizen Focus Groups 
  Detroit Police Department 

 Minority Tutoring Program 
  Burlington Police Department 

Service-Oriented Selection Procedures 

 Pilot Testing Instruments 
  Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office 

 Oral Board Interviews 
  Sacramento Police Department, 
  Detroit Police Department 
  Burlington Police Department 
  King County Sheriffs Office 

 Occupational Testing Audit 
  King County Sheriffs Office 

 Construct Valid Selection System 
  King County Sheriffs Office 



Engaging the Community in the HSS Process 

 Identification of Traits and Competencies 
  King County Sheriffs Office 

 Participation in Oral Boards 
  Sacramento Police Department 
  Burlington Police Department 

 Adjunct Recruiters 
  Burlington Police Department 

 CompStat Meeting Participation 
  Detroit Police Department 

Follow-Up to Institutionalize HSS 

 Longitudinal Validation 
  Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office 
  King County Sheriffs Office 

 Citizen Feedback to FTOs 
  Hillsborough County Sheriffs 

 Citizen Participation in Promotion Interviews 
  Burlington Police Department 
  Detroit Police Department 
  Sacramento Police Department 

 Citizen Participation in Recruit Training 
  Burlington Police Department 


About the Author 

About the Author 

About the Author 

ELLEN SCRIVNER, Ph.D. 

Dr. Ellen Scrivner is the Deputy Superintendent of the Bureau of Administrative Services, Chicago Police Department. 
A twenty-seven year career has been highlighted by a reput tion for developing innovative solutions to complex 
police problems. Dr. Scrivner is an acknowledged expert on a broad range of policing issues, including recruitment, 
hiring and training, and enjoys wide-spread name recognition and credibility in the law enforcement community. 
Experience includes involvement in policing as a nationally recognized expert on community policing, licensed police 
psychologist,appointment to Command Staffs of two major urban police departments, an appointment as a National 
Institute of Justice (NIJ) Visiting Fellow to study police use of excessive force, and a range of publications and speaking 
engagements. 

Dr. Scrivner entered Federal government service to assist in establishing the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services (COPS Office), U.S. Department of Justice. As Assistant Director of Training and Technical Assistance 
(COPS), Dr. Scrivner launched a nationwide network of innovative community policing training institutes that have been 
described as a major legacy of the COPS Office. Appointed as Deputy Director of COPS, Dr. Scrivner oversaw an $8.8 
Billion grant program in addition to all training and technical assistance, applied research, and the COPS Office Police 
Integrity initiative. 

Dr. Scrivner worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist the Office of Law Enforcement 
Coordination. This office was integral to the FBI Directors priorities to prevent and deter terrorism by improving the 
collaboration with state and local law enforcement. This position required Top Secret security clearance. Also consulted 
to a range of local and Federal law enforcement agencies and to national police groups including the International 
Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and the Police Foundation. 

Accepted the position with the Chicago Police Department in 2004 and is responsible for managing the administrative 
function of the second largest police department in the country. Administrative functions include managing a billion 
dollar budget as well as the Personnel, Information Services, Records Management, and Research and Development 
Divisions. Also responsible for overseeing the implementation of the ICLEAR information sharing enterprise system that 
will advance information sharing of critical police information throughout the state of Illinois. 


About the 
Community Policing 
Consortium 


About the Community Policing Consortium 

What is the Community Policing Consortium? 

The Community Policing Consortium (Consortium) is a partnership of five of the nations leading law enforcement 
organizations: the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Dan Rosenblatt, Executive Director; the National 
Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Jesse Lee, Executive Director; the National Sheriffs 
Association (NSA), Thomas N. Faust, Executive Director; the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Chuck Wexler, 
Executive Director; and the Police Foundation, Hubert Williams, President. The executive director of the Consortium is 
William H. Matthews. 

How is the Consortium funded? 

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) funds the Consortium. COPS 
is helping local communities develop long-term solutions to crime and violence. COPS has awarded grants to law 
enforcement agencies for hiring officers, procuring equipment and technology, and implementing innovative community 
policing practices. COPS has also funded other organizations and initiatives that offer training and conferences, conduct 
research, and promote strategies for implementing community policing. 

What is the mission of the Consortium? 

The Consortiums primary mission is to advance community policing strategies that allow citizens and a wide range 
of community stakeholders to work as full and equal partners with law enforcement and other public and private 
organizations in the effort to enhance quality of life. 

What types of services does the Consortium offer? 

For more than ten years, the Consortium has provided training and technical assistance to thousands of law enforcement 
professionals and community members. The Consortium disseminates community policing strategies through: 

 Executive Blueprint Symposiums, our technical assistance program for law enforcement CEOs, which offer 
models and strategic approaches for managing personnel, technology, and resources for community policing 

 Community Engagements, our technical assistance program for citizens and law enforcement, which facilitate 
collaborative problem solving and foster understanding, mutual trust, and consensus 

 Community Links, the Consortiums magazine, which features commentaries, reports, resource reviews, 
practical articles, and testimonies about community policing 

 a speakers bureau, through which the Consortiums experts make presentations at conferences and give 
interviews for television, newspapers, and other media

 resource guides and topical monographs 

 an interactive website (www.communitypolicing.org) with archived publications, an information database, and 
training and technical assistance information 

For more information, contact the Community Policing Consortium at (800) 833-3085 or visit our website at www. 
communitypolicing.org. 


About the 
COPS Office 

About the COPS Office  

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) was created in 1994 and has the unique mission to directly 
serve the needs of state and local law enforcement. The COPS Office has been the driving force in advancing the concept 
of community policing, and is responsible for one of the greatest infusions of resources into state, local, and tribal law 
enforcement in our nations history. 

Since 1994, COPS has invested more than $11.9 billion to add community policing officers to the nations streets, 
enhance crime fighting technology, support crime prevention initiatives, and provide training and technical assistance 
to help advance community policing. COPS funding has furthered the advancement of community policing through 
community policing innovation conferences, the development of best practices, pilot community policing programs, 
and applied research and evaluation initiatives. COPS has also positioned itself to respond directly to emerging law 
enforcement needs. Examples include working in partnership with departments to enhance police integrity, promoting 
safe schools, combating the methamphetamine drug problem, and supporting homeland security efforts. 

Through its grant programs, COPS is assisting and encouraging state, local,and tribal law enforcement agencies to 
enhance their homeland security efforts using proven community policing strategies. COPS programs such as the 
Universal Hiring Program (UHP) has helped agencies address terrorism preparedness or response through community 
policing. The COPS in Schools (CIS) program has a mandatory training component that includes topics on terrorism 
prevention, emergency response, and the critical role schools can play in community response. COPS also developed 
the Homeland Security Overtime Program (HSOP) to increase the mount of overtime funding available to support 
community policing and homeland security efforts. Finally, COPS has implemented grant programs intended to develop 
interoperable voice and data communications networks among emergency response agencies that will assist in addressing 
local homeland security demands. 

The COPS Office has made substantial investments in law enforcement training. COPS created a national network of 
Regional Community Policing Institutes (RCPIs) that are available to state, local,and tribal law enforcement, elected 
officials and community leaders for training opportunities on a wide range of community policing topics. Recently the 
RCPIs have been focusing their efforts on developing and delivering homeland security training. COPS also supports the 
advancement of community policing strategies through the Community Policing Consortium. Additionally, COPS has 
made major investment in applied research which makes possible the growing body of substantive knowledge covering 
all spects of community policing. 

These substantial investments have produced significant community policing infrastructure across the country as 
evidenced by the fact that at the present time, approximately 86 percent of the nations population is served by law 
enforcement agencies practicing community policing. The COPS Office continues to respond proactively by providing 
critical resources, training, and technical assistance to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement implement innovative 
and effective community policing strategies. 


Appendices 

Appendix A 

California Commission on POST 
Patrol Officer Psychological Screening Dimensions 

DIMENSION 1: SOCIAL COMPETENCE 

This involves communicating with others in a tactful and respectful manner, and showing sensitivity and concern in ones 
daily interactions. It includes several facets, including: 

 The ability to read people and be aware of the impact of their own words and behavior on others (Social Awareness) 
 Sensitivity and concern towards the feelings of others (Empathy) 
 Tact and impartiality in treating all members of society (Tolerance) 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Reads peoples motives and anticipates their reactions by picking up on verbal and behavioral cues 
 Recognizes needs and concerns of others 
 Resolves problems in ways that do not create unnecessary antagonism 
 Calms emotional/angry people and defuses conflicts through mediation, negotiation, and persuasion rather 
than force (when appropriate) 
 Recognizes the impact of ones own verbal and nonverbal communications on others (and makes sure both are 
consistent and appropriate) 
 Refrains from making remarks that could be interpreted as rude or condescending 
 Interacts with others in courteous and respectful manner 
 Listens to others patiently and attentively (within reason) to gather needed information, gain cooperation, etc., 
whileat the same timestaying focused on the task 
 Is considerate when duties lead to physical or emotional pain/discomfort of others, including victims, 
witnesses, and suspects 
 Assists others when needed, even when some personal sacrifice is involved 
 Communicates tactfully and effectively with individuals across the gamut of society, even when giving 
constructive criticism 
 Provides service/renders aid or assistance in an unbiased fashion 
 Aware of and sensitive to social, economic and, cultural differences, including those associated with gender, 
sexual orientation, race, and religion 
 Sensitive and respectful when interacting with the elderly, disabled, and those with special needs 
 Willingly provides aid and assistance to all individuals 
 The ability to interact effectively with groups in a variety of settings (neighborhood watch meetings, 
community awareness meetings) 
 Interacts with community groups in a professional,articulate,and effective manner 


Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Baits people; takes personal offense at comments, insults, criticism 
 Provokes suspects by officious bearing, gratuitous verbal challenge or through physical contact 
 Antagonizes community members and others 
 Uses profanity and other inappropriate language 
 Refuses to listen to explanations from members of the community 
 Performs job duties in a way so as to minimize interactions with others 
 Makes inappropriate comments to community members regarding their personal characteristics and 
among other officers concerning specific groups (racial, gender, sexual orientation, proficiency with 
the English language, immigrant status, HIV/AIDS infection, religion, transgender, social status) 
 Inability to recognize how ones own emotions/behavior affect situations and others 
 Makes hasty, biased judgments based on physical appearance, race, gender, or other group 
membership characteristics 
 Exhibits stage fright when asked to speak in front of community groups 

DIMENSION 2: TEAMWORK 

This involves working effectively with others to accomplish goals, as well as subordinating personal interests for 
the good of the working group and agency. It involves establishing and maintaining effective, cooperative working 
relationships with fellow officers, supervisors, community partners, representatives of other gencies, and others 
tasked with serving and protecting the community. 

It consists of: 

 Sharing information and providing assistance and support to fellow officers and other working partners 
 Balancing personal ambitions with organizational/team goals 
 Performing ones fair share in a group effort 
 Collaborating effectively with others to accomplish work goals, as necessary 
 Not allowing personal differences to affect working relationships 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Supports and recognizes the accomplishment of team members 
 Willingly offers, initiates, and provides assistance to fellow officers 
 Invites the community to provide input and assistance 
 Supports group efforts rather than competing for individual recognition 
 Solicits input and assistance from community partners and others outside the agency to accomplish 
work goals 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Resents successes and accomplishments of team members 
 Does not assist fellow officers 
 Avoids asking others for assistance 
 Alienates colleagues by dominating interactions and activities 
 Gossips, criticizes, and backstabs colleagues and coworkers 
 

DIMENSION 3: ADAPTABILITY/ FLEXIBILITY 

This involves the ability to change gears and easily adjust to the many different, sudden, and sometimes competing 
demands inherent in law enforcement work. 

It consists of: 

 Appropriately shifting between the role of law enforcer and public servant 
 Adjusting to planned and unplanned work changes, including different types of incidents that must be 
handled one right after another 
 Prioritizing and working effectively on several very different tasks/projects at the same time 
 Appropriately applies laws and regulations; understands the difference between the letter and the spirit 
of the law 
 Performs duties without constant supervision or instructions 
 Works in unstructured situations with minimal supervision 
 Adjusts to differing supervisory styles 
 Can physically and mentally adjust to shift work 
 Makes sudden adjustments in use of force as appropriate 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Easily changes gears in response to unpredictable or unexpected events and circumstances 
 Willingly accepts and appropriately implements changes in policy, organizational practices and law 
(e.g., video cameras in car; racial profiling data collection, etc.) 
 Accepts and easily adapts to changes in work assignments 
 Accepts and easily adjusts to changes in operations, goals, actions, modes of conduct or priorities to 
deal with changing situations 
 Anticipates changes in work demands by locating and participating in assignments or training that will 
prepare self for these changes 
 Selects correct mode of operation for the situation: law enforcer, public servant, etc. 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Needs directives to be in black and white 
 Fails to exercise appropriate discretion in carrying out duties (for example, is a misdemeanor cop 
everybody gets a ticket) 
 Never takes action; spends too much time on minor infractionsunable to set priorities 
 Is paralyzed by uncertainty or ambiguity 

DIMENSION 4: CONSCIENTIOUSNESS/ DEPENDABILITY 

This involves diligent, reliable, conscientious work patterns, performing in timely, logical manner in accordance 
with rules and regulations and agency policies. 

It includes: 

 Carrying assigned tasks through to successful and timely completion 
 Maintaining punctual, reliable attendance record 
 Persevering in the face of obstacles, difficulties, long hours and other adverse working conditions 


 Staying organized 
 Carefully attending to details (e.g., typos, missing/incorrect information) 
 Staying current on new rules, procedures, etc. 
 Maintaining accountability for ones work, and analyzing prior mistakes or problems to improve 
performance 
 Performing effectively under difficult and uncomfortable conditions 
 A promise made is a promise kept 
 Continually works to achieve or restore trust with peers, supervisors and citizens 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Strives to meet deadlines and otherwise complete work in timely manner 
 Stays current on relevant case law 
 Works overtime when necessary to meet organiz tional needs 
 Initiates proper action without needing to wait for instruction 
 Does more than just handle calls; productively uses unstructured time to identify and resolve problems 
on the beat, address community problems and otherwise meet agency goals 
 Follows through and completes tasks within the expected timeframe 
 Honors and follows through on commitments, even when its inconvenient or unpleasant to do so 
 Focuses on accomplishing the task rather than watching the clock 
 Safeguards the property entrusted to them 
 Makes sure the job is done correctly rather than just going through the motions 
 Attends to all aspects of projects and activities to be sure they are completed 
 Organizes and maintains knowledge of other agencies to provide referrals to community members as 
appropriate 
 Completes accurate and timely reports 
 Maintains skill and fitness levels 
 Arrives at ppointments on time (or ahead of time whenever possible) 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Sneaks out before shift is over 
 Fails to comply with instructions or orders 
 Procrastinates 
 Loses case information or other valuable information 
 Causes unnecessary and inappropriate property damage while conducting searches or making arrests 
 Coasts toward the end of the shift 
 Poor attendance  takes time off from work unnecessarily 
 Deliberately fails to complete assignments in order to accrue unnecessary overtime 
 Takes excessive/extended breaks 
 Wastes time shooting the breeze 
 Misses scheduled court appearances or other important appointments 
 Fails to properly prepare for court appearances 
 Finds ways to avoid taking necessary training (e.g., range dates, CPT, physical training) 
 Fails to maintain department equipment 
 Fails to properly report damage to equipment 
 Conducts unauthorized personal business while on duty 
 Gives up or cuts corners when faced with obstacles 
 Performs job duties in a way that requires the minimum amount of effort (e.g., discounts citizen 
complaints to avoid writing separate reports, ignores signs which might be present of crimes/problems 
unrelated to the reason for the call, investigates at the bare minimum level, etc.) 


DIMENSION 5: IMPULSE CONTROL/ATTENTION TO SAFETY 

This involves taking proper precautions and voiding impulsive and/or unnecessarily risky behavior to ensure both 
public and officer safety. It includes the ability and inclination to think before acting  to keep ones impetuous, 
knee-jerk reactions in check,and instead behave in conscious regard for the larger situation at hand. 

It includes: 

 Drives and otherwise behaves within ones own limits  doesnt excessively speed, take on too many 
individuals without backup, etc. 
 Taking proper precautions during and after vehicle pursuits, traffic stops,administering emergency 
assistance/first aid, etc. 
 Thinking things through before acting (including considering consequences), rather than doing the 
first thing that comes to mind, yet maintaining a training edge to respond optimally to deadly force 
situations 
 Careful use and maintenance of firearms, less lethal weapons, OC spray, edged weapons, vehicle, 
flashlight, b aton, tactical vest, radio, cell phone, etc.; consistently possesses all issued equipment 
 Safe driving practices during routine and high arousal activities 
 Attention to and awareness of hazards 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Thinks before acting 
 Complies with safety rules (wears seatbelt, uses helmet when biking, motorcyle riding, etc.) 
 Recognizes the impact of personal injury on performance 
 Drives in control 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Brandishes and is otherwise careless with firearms 
 Disregards risk to self or others - exhibits tombstone courage 
 Fails to properly search suspects for weapons during apprehension 
 Drives recklessly and at excessive speeds 
 Gets in avoidable/excessive traffic accidents 
 Lives in the moment at the expense of accomplishing long-term objectives 
 Takes unnecessary, foolhardy risks 
 Reacts in a knee-jerk manner to emergency events (e.g., entering a burglary-in-progress alone 
rather than waiting for backup) 
 Acts without thinking 
 Overreacts when challenged or criticized 
 Involved in and/or arrested for off-duty incidents 
 Speeds and drives recklessly off duty 
 Gets in off-duty altercations 
 

DIMENSION 6: INTEGRITY/ ETHICS 

This involves m int ining high st nd rds of person l conduct. It consists of ttributes such s honesty, imp rti lity, 
trustworthiness, nd biding l ws, regul tions nd procedures. 

It includes: 

 Not abusing the system nor using the position of authority for personal gain 
 Not bending rules or otherwise trying to beat the system by tampering with evidence, slanting reports, 
providing inaccurate testimony, etc. 
 Not engaging in illegal or immoral activities  either on or off duty 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Gives honest testimony 
 Prepares truthful and accurate sworn affidavits 
 Does not yield to temptations of bribes, favors, gratuities, or payoffs 
 Refuses to share or release confidential information 
 Confronts coworkers who engage in unethical/illegal conduct 
 Takes action to prevent unethical/illegal conduct by others 
 Deals honestly (although tactfully) with community, coworkers, supervisors, etc. 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Shades the truth, omits facts, makes false or misleading statements or otherwise engages in creative 
writing 
 Lies, misrepresents and commits perjury 
 Lies about his/her mistakes or oversights 
 Uses the badge to solicit gratuities or favors, either on or off-duty steals 
 Uses access to confidential information for self-serving purposes 
 Uses bullying, flattery, trickery and other devious methods when uncalled for by the situation 
 Breaks/bends rules, believing that the end justifies the means 
 Uses the position to receive sexual and/or monetary favors 
 Fraudulently reports sick and/or annual leave 
 Bends rules for personal gain or satisfaction 
 Abuses privileges and benefits of the job (e.g., take-home car, overtime, court time, etc.) 
 Resorts to street justice rather than adhering to laws, agency policies, etc. 
 Succumbs to peer pressure to adhere to code of silence 
 Involved in the sale or distribution of illegal drugs 
 Inappropriate professional boundary issues (e.g., relationships with victims, informants, etc.) 
 Engages in inappropriate sexual activity (e.g., prostitutes, sex with minors, etc.) 
 Transgresses professional boundaries by initiating inappropriate personal relationships with victims 
and others 

 

DIMENSION 7: EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND STRESS TOLERANCE 

This involves the ability to maintain composure and stay in control, particularly during life-threatening, time 
critical events and other stressful situations. It includes taking the negative aspects of the job in stride and 
maintaining an even temperament, as well as accepting criticism rather than becoming overly defensive or allowing 
it to hamper job performance. 

It includes: 

 Acceptance/ownership of personal limitations and mistakes 
 Ability to perform under difficult, thre tening situations 
 Maintaining positive self image under adverse circumstances 
 Maintaining even-tempered composure and demeanor 
 Proper use of force 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Accepts responsibility for actions and mistakes; does not routinely make excuses or blame others for 
own shortcomings. 
 Even tempered 
 Uses constructive criticism to improve performance 
 Makes timely, responsible decisions and actions in dangerous/crisis situations 
 Can perform in the face of personal threat, where people are capable of life-threatening violence 
 Stays calm in the face of verbal abuse from others 
 Demonstrates emotional resilience by bouncing back from negative situations 
 Accepts that system injustices and inequities are beyond their control, rather than letting them impact 
their emotional state and job performance 
 Proper escalation and de-escalation of force; using force only when necessary, and then just the mount 
needed to apprehend suspect, search the property or residence, etc. 
 Handles the negative aspects of the job relatively well, without extreme negativity/cynicism 
 Fails to deescalate at conclusion of pursuit 
 Curbs personal versions (e.g., child molesters) from interfering with professional job performance 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Never acknowledges or admits to shortcomings or mistakes 
 Experiences performance-impairing mood swings 
 Becomes excessively defensive or otherwise overreacts when challenged or criticized 
 Consistently blames others (or circumstances) for mistakes made 
 Worries excessively and enters into new situations with considerable apprehension 
 Overly suspicious and distrusting in dealing with others 
 Denies impact of stress-inducing incidents 
 Commonly behaves with hostility and anger 
 Suffers reactions to job stress, both near-term (anxiety, worry) and long-term (e.g., physical symptoms, 
burnout, substance abuse). 
 Overly self-critical of ones job performance 
 Is always rightnot open to others ideas, suggestions, etc. 
 Argues at the drop of a hat 
 Badmouths the agency and associated organizations 
 Unable to cope with stress; worries excessively or suffers other signs of anxiety 

 

 Unnecessarily confrontational and aggressive 
 Comes unglued, freezes, or otherwise performs ineffectively when feeling overloaded or stressed 
 Antagonistic toward fellow officers; e.g., uses abusive, condescending language; disrespectful 
 Disrupts/undermines authority (fails to successfully carry out directives; shows signs of contempt by eye 
rolling, excessive exhaling, etc.) 
 Excessive, unrestrained use of force 
 Allows personal problems and stressors to bleed into behavior on the job 

DIMENSION 8: DECISION-MAKING AND JUDGMENT 

This involves common sense, street smarts, and the ability to make sound decisions, demonstrated by the ability 
to size up situations quickly and take the appropriate action. It also involves the ability to sift through information to 
glean that which is important, and, once identified, to use that information effectively. 

It involves: 

 thinking on ones feet, using practical judgment and efficient problem solving 
 prioritizing competing demands 
 developing creative and innovative solutions to problems 
 basing decisions on the collection and consideration of important information 
 applying deductive and inductive reasoning, as necessary 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Gathers and critically evaluates important information before deciding on course of action 
 Knows when to confrontand when to back away frompotentially explosive situations 
 Makes timely, sound decisions on the spot, if necessary, even in situations where information is incomplete 
and/or conflicting 
 Can step into a tense situation involving several people and figure out what probably led up to that point in 
time, as well as what is likely to happen as the situation unfolds 
 Expediently sizes up situations and identifies the underlying problem(s) 
 Generates new, creative/innovative ideas and solutions to situations and problems when 
necessary/advantageous 
 Applies lessons learned from past mistakes/experiences when faced with similar problems 
 Can identify similarities and differences between situations confronted on regular basis 
 Uses methodical, step-by-step approach to solve complex problems, as appropriate 
 Comprehends and retains good deal of factual information, and is able to recall information pertaining to 
community concerns, laws, codes, etc. 
 Selects an approach that is lawful as well as optimal for the situation 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Succumbs to analysis paralysis: inability to make decisions when options are not clear-cut or obvious 
 Unable or unwilling to make midcourse corrections on initial course of action when presented with new 
information 
 Naive, overly trusting, easily duped. 
 Has tunnel vision; does not see the big picture when analyzing data 
 Fails to identify patterns and implications when analyzing data and information 


DIMENSION 9: ASSERTIVENESS/PERSUASIVENESS 

This involves unhesitatingly taking control of situations in calm and appropriately assertive manner, even under 
dangerous or adverse conditions. 

It includes the ability to: 

 Confront suspects 
 Act assertively and without hesitation 
 Not be easily intimidated 
 Use force, including deadly force, when necessary 
 Assert ideas and persuade others to adopt a desired course of action 
 Command respect 
 Emanate professional pride and demeanor 

Note: Extreme dominance and over aggression are not part of this dimension; rather, they are included as anger 
control in EMOTIONAL MATURITY REGULATION AND STRESS TOLERANCE 
(Dimension 7), and overbearing insensitivity in SOCIAL COMPETENCE (Dimension 1). 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Takes effective, expedient action in crisis situations 
 Unhesitatingly intervenes in situations when necessary or warranted 
 Confronts problems, even in potentially explosive situations; doesnt back away unless tactically 
necessary 
 Able to persuade/mediate disputes and conflicts 
 Able to use voice commands to control conflict, speaking calmly, clearly and authoritatively 
 Can appropriately take control in group situations, coordinating resources, etc. 
 Judicious and discrete in the exercise of peace officer powers 
 Confronts fellow officers who abuse authority or engage in other inappropriate acts 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Delays acting in crisis, time-critical situations due to absence of every fact and total picture of 
situation 
 Displays submissiveness and insecurity when confronting challenging or threatening situations 
 Is hesitant to exert influence in uncomfortable/stressful situations 
 Overbearingly takes over control of situations, thereby escalating tensions and risks 
 Avoids interpersonal conflict at all costs 
 Fails to take action when required or requested 
 Overly concerned with the negative reactions of others 

DIMENSION 10: AVOIDING SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND OTHER RISK-TAKING 
BEHAVIOR 

This involves avoiding participation in behavior that is inappropriate, self-damaging, and can adversely impact 
organizational functioning, such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, sale of drugs and gambling. 


Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Abuses alcohol and legally prescribed drugs (e.g., pain killers, steroids) 
 Uses illegal drugs 
 Misses work due to alcohol use 
 Drinks alcohol on duty 
 Arrives at work intoxicated/smelling of alcohol or hung-over 
 Involved in and/or arrested for off-duty incidents 
 History of DUI arrests 
 Gambles to the point of causing harm to oneself 
 Engages in self-destructive coping behaviors 
 Commits domestic violence 

DIMENSION 11: COMMITMENT TO SERVICE/SOCIAL CONCERN. 

This involves commitment to service to the community. A belief that effective policing is accomplished though 
a partnership between the Department and the community it serves. Having genuine concern for the community 
served. 

It includes: 

 An active involvement with the community to solve problems 
 A desire to serve 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Initiating and encouraging involvement from community members 
 Actively seeks input/feedback from community members 
 When possible, incorporates input/feedback into decision making 
 Recognizes,appreciates, and adapts to the diverse cultures, races, religions, etc., of the Sacramento 
Community 
 Aware of and sensitive to social, economic and cultural differences, including those associated with 
gender, sexual orientation, race and religion 
 Respectful when interacting with different cultures, races, religions etc. 
 Participates in activities demonstrating social concern (Toys for Tots, Safety programs, community 
awareness programs) 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Having an us versus them mentality 
 Makes inappropriate or insensitive comments to community members or coworkers regarding personal, 
cultural, sexual, etc., characteristics 
 Specifically targets individuals based on cultural, racial, gender, sexual, and other characteristics 
 Actively disregards or avoids input/feedback from community members 
 An attitude that I know whats best regardless of community input or feedback 
 Blind to the differences among differing cultures, races, religions etc., treats everyone the same 


Appendix B 

A Report on Findings from Focus Groups of Sacramento 
Female and Minority Police Officers 
Sacramento Police Department 

Purpose: 

Recruiting women and minorities has been identified as a common problem facing most law enforcement 
agencies. Traditional recruiting methods (placing ads in the newspaper,attending job fairs, etc.) have not 
been successful enough in attracting a diverse police officer candidate pool that reflects the demographics of 
Sacramento. The goal of these focus groups is to determine ways in which the Sacramento Police Department 
might improve its recruitment efforts of women and minorities. 

Methodology: 

Insight Research, Inc, conducted two focus groups for the Sacramento Police Department on June 21, 2004. The 
groups were as follows: 

 Minority Police Officers, mixed gender 
 Female Police Officers 

Please see discussion guide on page 98. 

Statment of Limitations: 

In opinion research, the focus group seeks to develop insight and direction rather than quantitatively precise or 
absolute measures. Because of the limited number of respondents and the restrictions of recruiting, this research 
must be considered in a qualitative frame of reference. 

The reader may find that some of the inform tion seems inconsistent in character upon first reading this report. 
These inconsistencies should be considered as valid data from the participants point of view. That is, the 
participant may be misinformed or simply wrong in his or her knowledge or judgement and we should interpret 
this as useful information about their level of understanding. 

This study cannot be considered reliable or valid in the statistical sense. This type of research is intended to 
provide knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and opinions about issues and concerns. The following biases are 
inherent in this type of study and are stated here to remind each reader that the data presented here cannot be 
projected to any universe of individuals. 

Bias 1. Participants who respond to the invitation of stranger to participate in this research show 
themselves to be risk takers and may be somewhat more assertive than non-participants. 

Bias 2. Some participants speak more often and more forcefully in focus group sessions than other 
participants, so their opinions tend to carry more weight in the findings. 

Bias 3. Participants self-select themselves, i.e., they are those people who are available on the night 
a particular group was scheduled. 


Bias 4. Participants were not selected randomly so that each person in the pool of possible participants did 
not have an equal chance to be selected. 

Bias 5. People in groups may respond differently to question than if asked that same question 
individually. They may follow the lead of a strong speaker or someone they perceive as expert. 

Further, this report cannot accurately detail the wealth of information in the non-verbal re ; e.g., body language 
(posture, sleepiness, wiggling in the chair, etc.) or the amount of time lapsed between questions from the moderator 
and actual responses from the group. It also cannot report on the subtle area of peer pressurethe willingness to 
void making a particular response because of fear of what others might think or to change response when others 
in the group appear to oppose their original position. 

Executive Summary: 

Key Findings: 

 Many police officers had a criminal justice role model in their family or were previously in the 
military. Some women were encouraged by others to join, and some minority men were influenced by 
television and movies. 

 Officers note the Sacramento Police Department provides job security, educated coworkers, and 
good benefits. They say they stay with it because they have invested their time and their selves to the 
department. 

 Women police officers say they think for many women there is physical barrier that discourages them 
from entering law enforcement. 

 Both minority and women police officers think the perceived public image of police officers is a
barrier. 
      Women are frustrated by an image of law enforcement as a career for men only. 
      Minorities are frustrated by a negative image of law enforcement officials. 

 Officers agree that recruiting efforts need to be at a young age and at the college-level. They convey 
dedication to developing relationships with young children when on calls, or in the community. They 
also are adamant that recruiting needs to happen repeatedly at collegeson the sports teams, in the 
gyms, and in the criminal justice classes. 

 Women police officers are frustrated with the lack of female representation in authority positions. 
They are also resolute that the administration must attempt to be flexible and innovative to womens 
lives in order to attract more women to the field. 

 Minority and women police officers are positive in their image of the Sacramento Police Department 
and of the law enforcement field. They are challenged and excited by their careers and think that 
should be the core of a message to recruits. 


Executive Summary: 

Strategic Summary: 

 It is important to highlight the variety of opportunities the field offers, as well as underscore the 
benefits of the Sacramento Police Department in contrast to other agencies. 

 The negative image of police officers must be dispelled. 
      For women, the image of law enforcement as a mans job needs to be overcome 
      For minorities, the image of the police being the bad guys need to be eliminated. 

 Recruiting should be done at two levels: at a young age and in colleges. 
      Elementary school children need to be introduced to the option of a career in law enforcement 
       and planting this seed early is key to keeping kids on the right track. 
      Recruiting needs to be implemented in criminal justice classes at colleges and at gyms and on 
       sports teams. 

 Recruiting needs to be repeated process. 

 Offer training programs to encourage women to practice physical skills before taking the entrance 
exams. 

 Make and effort to involve women and minority officers in recruiting events so that women and 
minorities can see their reflection in the department. 

 The administration needs to be supportive of officers participating in recruiting efforts. 
      The administration should provide funding or pay whenever possible. 
      Officers rely on the administration to circulate information about opportunities for them to 
       recruit. 

 Advertising, especially advertising that features women or minority officers, is a key tool for 
attracting laterals. 

 A recruiting message should include the positive elements of variety, challenge, and honor that the 
career offers. It should also convey empowerment of the recruited you can do it attitude. 

Becoming a Police Officer 

Many police officers had a criminal justice role model in their family or were previously in the military. Many 
also state that they were attracted by the structure offered. A minority officer said his influence was, I think 
my father, he was in law enforcement too... the discipline of it, following rules. Some women officers were 
encouraged to become police officer by others. One such woman said she was, Playing soccer with two 
lieutenants, and played on co-ed league, and they said, You should be cop. Programs such as CHIPS and 
criminal justice classes were also mentioned as being influential for women. 

Female role models did not play a large part in the recruitment process for women officers, but have become 
important now that they are in the field. Male minority officers mention that images that television and 
movies such as Westerns portray of law enforcement officials was influential to their decision. One male 



minority officer says he had known he was going to be police officer, since I was 5, 
watching Jackie Chan movies. Another said, I would say Westerns attracted me to law 
enforcement. 

The career enticed many for its day-to-day variety, the challenges it presents, and the 
opportunity to have a good impact on community. A woman officer said, Never the same 
thing, while nother said, the challenge and the opportunities. 

Sacramento Police Department 

When discusing reasons for joining the Sacramento Police Department, many contrast it 
with the Sheriffs office. They say the Sheriffs office is less educated and they do not 
like the way it is run. A female police officer explained, honestly, I was like well Im an 
educated person, I have my degree, I can go to the Sheriffs Department and work with 
people that are eighteen that have no formal education after high school, that sounds a
little scary to me. Or I can work with people that have actuallly achieved something else 
already, here. They feel they have job security with the Sacramento Police Department 
and know that it is ranked highly in California. They also note that the department has 
a paid police academy. 

Women stick with the Sacramento Police Department because they say it has been good 
to them. They appreciate the retirement and benefit plans. Both women and minority 
officers also feel they have invested their time in the Sacramento Police Department and 
do not want to start over somewhere else. Starting over would not be worth leaving the 
Sacramento Police Dep rtment because they recognize that any agency will have some 
downfalls. A male minority officer states that, anywhere you go, theres going to be 
drama. 

Many also stay because they hold the Sacramento Police Department close to them, 
and consider it family. A female police officer explains, One I dont want to start 
over, I enjoy what Im doing, good people in the department, just like any place else, 
if something were to happen to me or someone in my family I know the departments 
behind me, its just good environment. They also recognize that they are an elite group 
of people. A male minority police officer says, I think its all the things you go 
through to be police officer here, it makes it pretty special, once you get through and 
youre off probation and youre past all these things it really does, you feel pretty good 
about being part of this team. 

Since I was kid it was 
what I wanted to do, I 
never thought about doing 
anything else.  Minority 
Police Officer 

I saw how much fun my 
brother was having and I 
thought, I can do that. 
 Female Police Officer 

I think at the time when 
I joined, Sac PD was 
ranked within the top ten 
law enforcement gencies 
in the State of California, 
their standards were very 
high and their training 
of their officers was very 
high.  Female Police 
Officer 

Im having fun, I like 
what Im doing. And you 
know you go some place 
else you have to start 
with another whole mess 
of stuff to get through 
and know the system and 
everything.  Female 
Minority Police Officer 

For me personally its the 
people that I work with, 
I really feel comfortable 
with the people I work 
with, my partners, my 
team, my sergeant. These 
people are family.  Male 
Minority Police Officer

Social, Physical, and Economical Barries 

Women police officers say there are both social and physical barriers to entering the 
police force. Firstly, they say the career is stereotyped as a mans profession. They agree 
that it takes a special kind of woman to overcome this stigma, and many women simply 
do not want to take on that kind of stress. A female officer says, I think one of biggest 
barriers is that it is a mans profession and I mean even if you look at your department, 


you see out of 700-some officers, I mean theres a very small number of women, and I 
would imagine that some women find that to be well I dont want to take on that stress, 
or join into mans world and I really think it takes a kind of special woman to be able to 
jump in and go, I want to be cop, it is dangerous, there are drawbacks to it and I want 
to partake in something thats bigger than I am. 

Secondly, a career as a police officer often is not agreeable for women who want to 
start a family due to the schedule and lack of flexibility. Regarding the physical barriers, 
women officers say they believe many women question whether they would be able to 
pass the physical tests required and whether they could handle physical confront tion 
on the job. Many women therefore are not interested in being police officers but rather 
detectives. 

Minority officers note that there just are not enought of them on the force for minorities 
to see role models. Minority officers also note that lack of fluency in English may be a
barrier for some. 

Economic barriers do not seem to be factor for most. Only an Asian police officer notes 
that the career is considered blue-collar for his culture when compared to the medical 
or engineering fields: I notice lot of people who I grew up with that are Japanese 
or Chinese who I thought were my friends growing up became doctors and executives 
because theyre very money-driven and a lot of them kind of view law enforcement as 
a blue-collar job. Officers say they make enough money to get by and women police 
officers claim that men and women are paid equally. 

Theres lot of women 
because they cant get 
over the wall or they 
cant drag the dummy... 
I think just women 
thinking that they cant 
overcome the physical 
part of it.  Female 
Police Officer 

A lot of [women] say, Oh 
Id like to be cop, but 
I dont want to work the 
street, I want to be detective...
they dont want 
the confrontation.  Male 
Police Officer 

I think in addition to 
perception is that when 
youre looking for 
models, if you dont see 
someone that looks like 
you, then you dont see 
yourself doing it. The 
perception is that, yes, 
they might have minority 
officers, but those things 
that are constantly out 
there showing the other 
side of law enforcement 
such as some outreach 
programs that the 
department sponsors or 
actively participates in 
or actively supports, you 
traditionally dont see 
minority officers as often 
as you see non-minority 
officers.  Male Minority 
Police Officer 

Either [officers on TV] 
are real attractive or 
extremely butch...But you 
have to put those things 
in perspective, thats not 
reality.  Female Police 
Officer

The Image Barrier 

Many police officers are disappointed by the way media portrays the l w enforcement 
officials. Medi plays a big role, they portray a lot of the bad things that occur, they 
have lot of coverage on bad things that happen involving officers and not enough of 
the good stuff so when you go to calls or you talk to these kids, they think these officers 
are the bad guys, says a male minority police officer. They also say the public is not 
aware of the many spect of police officers job: They have no idea the technology 
that we use, the education that you have to have to get through to become an officer, they 
dont see any of th t, (female minority police officer). Women note that there are few 
television shows that feature a woman in her uniform, and associate shows that present 
plain-clothes woman officer with gun on her hip as using the sex appeal. 

Police officers struggle with the general perceived image the public has of them as well. 
For women officers, this includes the idea that a law enforcement career is more fitting 
to men than women. Hispanic minority officers mention that police officers are often 
not respected in their culture as a result of their corruption in countries such as Mexico. 
A minority officer explains, For Hispanics, I think its cultural. The perception that 
youre not going to do lot of good because of [image of corrupt police in Mexico]. 
Other minority officers say that police officers are viewed unfavorably in many 



minority neighborhoods and thus they are seen as sell-outs for becoming police officers 
themselves. Explains a male minority police officer, As far as people I grew up with, 
me being police officer was the last thing anybody that I grew up around would have 
wanted to see because you know pretty much the people I grew up with were pretty much 
anti-law enforcement. 

Perceptions of the job 
itself. Police are portrayed 
as the bad guys in some 
neighborhoods.  Male 
Minority Police Officer 

I think one thing is 
peoples perception of 
law enforcement, I mean 
from a racial standpoint, 
especially for minorities, 
its never been one of the 
more friendlier careers. 
 Male Minority Police 
Officer 

You get them in high 
school, you go to the 
athletic girls, you go to 
the ones that are thinking 
of being in the military. 
 Female Police Officer 

If we could at least get 
our name out there when 
theyre 9, 10, 11 years 
old.  Fem le Police 
Officer 

I think what the 
department has to realize 
is that the investment 
has to be long term, you 
cant expect for it to pay 
off next year, you gotta 
expect it to pay off maybe 
10-15 years from now and 
every year there after, but 
you cant invest a minute 
of your time and expect a
lifetime of reward, its 
just not going to happen. 
 Male Minority Police 
Officer 

Bottom line is, we need 
the backing of the management 
in order for us to 
go out and, you know, do 
things.  Male Minority 
Police Officer 

Breaking the Barriers: Recruiting Young 

All officers undersore the importance of planting the seed of recruitment at a young age. 
A male minority officer says, You cant create cop after theyre like 20 years old... 
I think what we really need to focus on are like kids at school and especially the young 
kids, because once you turn 13, 14, your mind is set to what youre going to do and 
very few people go back to the right way instead of the wrong way. They also say it is 
important for them to give kids the true image of a police officer being a good person and 
a person who is there to help them. Police officers are aware of their own responsibility 
to foster relationships with young people both on and off the job, but also suggest the 
department create relationship as well. Women officers suggest sponsoring girls 
sports team and minority officers suggest getting involved in church youth groups. 
Presence of officers in elementary schools is also important. 

Breaking the Barriers: Recruiting Right 

Women are particularly candid about the value of recruiting the right kind of women 
to a law enforcement career. They want women who are tough, assertive, and athletic. 
Both minority and women officers suggest looking to sports teams and gyms. They 
also suggest recruiting from criminal justice college classes, and from the military. It is 
important, however, to repeatedly recruit in these places, rather than only once or twice, 
as at a job fair. A female minority officer makes it clear: When youre looking for 
police officer, youre looking for somebody with some leadership skills, somebody that 
can work well with others, somebody thats not afraid to make a decision. You need 
to hit the gyms, you need to hit the sports teams, you need to hit the marketing and 
management classes because a lot of these kids that are going into business have to make 
decisions. And you gotta give people other options to look at, and if you dont hit em 
theyre not gonna even consider it. 

Recruitment in Action: The Administration 

Both women and minority officers consistently state that the role the administration 
plays in recruitment is critical on both financial level and as moral support. Regarding 
recruiting, female minority police officer states, And again that goes back to 
something that needs to be supported by the administr tion, it really does need to be 
supported by the administration. Many officers are ready and willing to go out into the 
community and recruit women and minority officers. Unfortunately, they say they simply 
do not have the time, or cannot afford to do so. Many say they would need to be paid for 
their time recruiting and need an administration that is supportive of that. 

Those who are motivated to volunteer their free time say they still need moral and 
organizational support from the administration. They need to feel sense of pride from 


the administration in order to exude that excitement about the department when they 
go out to recruit. They also need to know where there are opportunities to get involved. 
They say the administration should also encourage more of the younger officers to get 
out into the community. 

Women police officers also note that importance of women in high authority positions. 
They are unhappy with the current representation of women and say that women who 
may want to join may be discouraged by the lack of women ranked above Lieutenant. 
Minority officers are also concerned that they are not represented in recruiting efforts. 

Lastly, women police officers are concerned with the administrations ability to be 
flexible. They want an administration that can be creative and can fit their needs, both in 
recruitment as well as once they are on the force. A female officer says, our department 
just started to do some innovative and creative things that are appealing to women 
where as the sheriffs department just started to do some innovative and creative things 
that are appealing to women where as the sheriffs department already has those types of 
things in existence. They say that an administration that can convey such compliance 
and responsiveness to woman police officers needs can go a long way in recruiting 
more women. 

Recruitment in Action: Advertising 

Advertising was not a hook for most of the participating officers, however they feel 
that is an important piece of the recruitment effort. Women suggest an ad with a woman 
police officer alone in her squad car to show that women police officers are able to 
perform their job alone. Minority officers suggest commercials on culture-specific 
channels such as BET and Spanish channels. Women mention that the Sacramento Police 
Department does not adverties with PORAC as many other agencies do. 

Recruitment in Action: The Message 

Women and minority police officers have positives ideas about the Sacramento Police 
Department and are optimistic with the language they would use to recruit officers. 
They stress that a message should include the variety of work the field offers. A female 
minority officer says, they need to know that theres more to the police department 
than the patrol car and putting on the uniform daily. They need to know that there are 
several different venues and spects, directions that you can take your career in once 
you get inside the department. Another minority officer concurs, I think give them the 
opportunities that we have, I mean you can branch out to all these different things, you 
dont have to just stay on patrol, you can go up the management, you go into SWAT. If 
you want to sit at a desk, you can sit at a desk. If you want to chase soemone, you can 
chase someone. I think they need to have all the options. 

Maybe just giving an 
officer a day a year or 
something, nd just saying 
hey go do something with 
kids.  Male Minority 
Police Officer 

If the dep rtment was 
accommodating, sure I 
would do it [recruiting]. 
 Female Police Officer 

Lets be unique and have 
some sort of training 
for people that want to 
go through the training, 
especially the intimidated 
women.  Female Police 
Officer 

PORAC is huge thing, 
especi lly for laterals... 
When you flip through 
there, other agencies have 
huge color ads.  Female 
Police Officer 

For me its fun, its challenging, 
and its not as 
hard as you think it is. 
 Female Police Officer 

Challenging and diverse... 
every call is different, 
how much more diverse 
can you get than that? 
 Female Police Officer 


Discussion Guide 

 What attracted you to a career in law enforcement, in general, and the Sacramento Police Department, 
in particular? 

Follow-up question: 

   If you changed from an earlier career path or direction, what influenced this change? 

 Why did you continue your employment with the Department? What makes you want to stay? 

 What kinds of barriers (social, political, economic, personal, etc.) real or perceived, prevent females/ 
minority members from applying for a job in law enforcement? 

 What are ways that the Sacramento Police Dep rtment can help candidates overcome these barriers? 

 What types of marketing/recruiting informations would appeal best to females/minority members? For 
example, what inform tion would attract these candidates and how should it be presented? 

 How and where can the Department find qualified law enforcement applicants that represent the Citys 
diverse demographics? 

 What other ideas do you have for improving female/minority recruiting for the Department? 

 In what ways might you, as employees, be able to assist in those recruiting efforts? 


Appendix C 

Sacramento Police Department 
Community Focus Groups Discussion Guidelines 

I. Standard Introduction  (10 minutes) 

A. Explain focus group methodology 

B. Ground rules  A/V, no side conversation 

C. Participant self-introduction 

 II. Warm-up  (10 Minutes) 

A. Give me a word or phrase that fills in the blank for you in this sentence: 
Im feeling blank bout the way things are going in Sacramento these 
days. 

1. What makes you feel that way? 
2. What issues concern you the most? (Probe: safety, crime, drugs...) 
3. What can we do about these problems? 
4. Whose responsibility is it to fix it? (Probe: parents, community leaders, 
politicians, and particular organizations...) 

III. Contact (20 Minutes) 
(Pass Handouts) 

A. WRITE. On the first page of your handout, I am going to ask that you please write 
down the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Police Department in 
Sacramento and why do you feel that way? 

(Moderator: Let respondents write their response, then discuss their answers) 

If necessary to sk: 

1. Why do you feel that way? 
2. What happened to make you feel that way? 
3. What could have made a difference? 

B. Who has had contact with an officer? (Hand count out loud for tape recording 
purposes.) 

1. In what context did you have this contact? 
2. How long ago was this contact? 
3. What was the contact like? 
4. Would you have changed anything about that contact? 
   a. If yes, what would you have changed and why? 
   b. If no, why not? 

Sacramento Police Department/Insight Research, Inc. 


IV. Your Citys Police Force (20 minutes) 
 
A. WRITE. In your handouts, please write down what the words Community 
Policing mean to you? (Moderator, wait for respondents to write their 
answers down and then discuss.) 

Moderator: After discussion read ONLY IF NECESSARY: 

Community Policing is a four-tiered approach. Community oriented policing is 
proactive, solution-based, and community driven. It occurs when a law enforcement 
agency and law-abiding citizens work together to do four things: 

1. arrest offenders 
2. prevent crime 
3. solve on-going problems 
4. improve the overall quality of life 

B. Now, based on what weve discussed and the definition you just heard, what do you like 
about your citys police force? 

C. Would you change anything about your citys police force? 
   a. If yes, wh t would th t be? 
   b. If no, why not? 

D. What values do you think that your police force should hold? 

E. Do you think that your citys police force currently holds these values? 
   a. If yes, which ones nd how? 
   b. If no, which ones nd why not? 

F. Who should be responsible for instituting and maintaining these values? 

G. How do you think your citys police force could best incorporate those values? 

V. Characteristics (30 minutes) 

A. What are the most important tasks of police officer? 

B. WRITE. In your handouts, please write down the traits or qualities that you feel good 
community-oriented police officer should have. (Moderator, wait for respondents to 
write their answers down and then discuss.) 

Moderator: After discussion hand-out and discuss the POST Peace Officer 
Traits Handout: 

Now, based on what weve discussed and the traits you have just seen, what traits are most 
important for police officers? 

C. What kind of person is most likely to embody those characteristics or qualities? 


D. How might we determine if that person possesses the necessary qualities? 

E. Do you think that these qualities or characteristics can be taught to individuals? 

F. Why do you think that officers go into the job? (After complete discussion, probe: Is it 
because of their spirit of adventure, or their spirit of service?) 

1. Which one do you think is more important? Why? (Make sure to discuss spirit 
of service in more detail. This is what were looking for in police.) 

G. Wh t characteristics or qualities might not be appropriate for police officers? 

H. How might we determine if they possess these qualities? 

I. Thinking about all of the traits wed like to see in our new and existing police officers, 
where do you think we can go to find these types of candidates? Sources? 

VI. Citizens Role (15 minutes) 

A. Do community leaders have any responsibilities in assisting police departments? Why/Why 
not? 

B. Wh t do you think is the best w y to do effective outre ch campaigns, and 
how to partner with your organization? 

C. Would you be willing to assist in any way as a community leader/citizen and participate in 
policy making, outreach recruitment efforts and hiring? Why/Why not? 

D. Would you want to be a part of a Steering Committee Group and provide your input? 

MODERATOR, READ: The Hiring in the Spirit of Service Steering Committee Group 
consists of Law Enforcement, City, and Community members. They meet quarterly to 
provide insight and guidance on the Hiring in the Spirit of Service grant project currently 
underway at the Sacramento Police Department. This project will review the Departments 
hiring practices for police officers in the areas of: Recruiting, Community Outreach, 
Occupational Testing, and Psychological Screening, to identify best practices in hiring 
community- or service-oriented police officer candidates. 

E. Would you be interested in participating in an oral interview panels? Why/Why not? 

    Do you feel that it is feasible to have this type of panels? Why/Why not? Benefits? 

VII. Recruitment Ads (15 minutes) 

Show one :30second video and 5 print ads. 

A. What is your first impression of this ad? 

B. What is the message of this ad? 

 

 
C. What do you like/dislike about this ad? 

D. Is this appealing to citizen looking for job as police officer? What do you think makes 
it appealing? 

E. Is this consistent with the traits we are looking for in a police officer? 

F. How would you make this ad more effective? Is there anything missing that would make it 
better and more likely to motivate potential candidates to call? 

G. Will this ad appeal to our diverse community? 

H. How would you rate this ad on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is that the ad is not convincing at 
all and 10 is very convincing. 

VIII. Wrap-Up (5 minutes) 

A. WRITE. When you think about all of the issues we have discussed, and about the ones that 
are really important to you, who is on your side? 

1. Who is working for the kind of changes we have talked about? 
2. Who is working against them? 
3. What do you see the next police force changing? 

MODERATOR: Pass Sign-up sheets for steering committee and interview panel at end of 
focus groups. 


Appendix D 

Performance Appraisal of Police Officers 
Sacramento Police Department 

Prepared by: 

William Donnoe, Ed.D. 
Evan Sundby, Ph.D. 

July 2004 

Summary ............................................................................. 105 

Background .......................................................................... 105 
  Review of the Literature .......................................................... 105 
  Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights .................................. 106 
  Personnel Records ................................................................. 106 
  Sacramento Police Department Policy ............................................... 107 
  Responsibilities of Sergeants/Supervisors ......................................... 107 
  Citizen Complaints ................................................................ 107 
  Employee Appraisal Files .......................................................... 108 

Performance Appraisal Dimensions .................................................... 109 
  Operationally Defined Performance Appraisal Dimensions ............................ 111 

A Model for Police Officer Performance Appraisal .................................... 115 
  Input from Police Department Personnel ............................................ 115 
  Data from Personnel Files ......................................................... 115 
  Unit Performance .................................................................. 115 
  Self Appraisal .................................................................... 115 

References .......................................................................... 116 

Attachment 1. Appraisal Forms and Instructions ...................................... 117 

 

Summary 

This manual provides a model and mechanism for performance appraisal of Police Officers for the City of 
Sacramento Police Department. This Police Officer appraisal process was developed under a grant: Hiring in the 
Spirit of Service, from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS). 
This grant allowed the Sacramento Police Department to systematically study the traits that Police Officers require 
for success on the job. These traits were coupled with behavioral dimensions identified in job analysis work 
completed by POST. Together, these traits and behavioral dimensions form the framework for this Police Officer 
performance appraisal process. 

The current policies of the Department were applied to the new performance appraisal process. Using a 360o 
evaluation model, the appraisal process gathers performance data from a number of different sources, such as direct 
supervisor observations, peer/team input, existing personnel files, and overall team/unit performance. 

This performance appraisal system is designed to be utilized for Police Officers who have completed their field 
training phase and initial probationary period. The process culmin ates in a formative appraisal of an Officers 
job performance, and provides a mechanism for the supervisor to construct specific job-related feedback that is 
designed to acknowledge good performance, improve deficiencies, and increase officer/team/unit safety. Further, 
the data collected as a result of applying this performance appraisal process could be a foundation for further 
research related to Hiring in the Spirit of Service, leadership potential, and overall organizational assessment. 

Background 

Review of the Literature 

Systematic performance appraisal is regarded by some as the key to employee development and as the centerpiece 
of an effective police personnel system (Travis and Brann, 1997). Kramer (1998) stated that Performance 
evaluation remains essential to keeping a cadre of dedicated, hardworking, employees. Because every organization 
is unique, law enforcement agencies should create individualized, effective performance evaluation systems. 

Purposes of police personnel appraisal include an objective assessment of performance as it relates to specific job 
tasks as well as to overall organizational goals. It promotes common understanding between the officer and his 
or her supervisor. Often times, performance appraisal has been perceived as primarily a mechanism for negative 
feedback. However, it must be recognized that the appraisal assesses both job-related strengths and weaknesses. 
Based on the results of the appraisal, an officer is provided feedback about his or her performance and developing 
courses of action to improve performance where needed. Appraisal systems can also be used for making decisions 
about assignments and promotions, as well as to determine department-wide training needs (Bennett and Hess, 
2001). 

Some authors have identified the following as the most important elements of performance appraisal system: they 
are job-centered and focus on the specific task or tasks to be performed; they are clear and simply stated; they are 
observable as well as objective; they target actual on-the-job performance; and they are measurable in terms of 
predetermined performance standards (More, Wegener, and Miller, 1999) 

Traditionally, police officer performance appraisal has been unidimensional. That is, the officers supervisor 
rates the officer based on the supervisors observations during the rating period. More recently, however, 360o 
evaluation model has been developed. This system has also been referred to as multi-rater systems or full-circle 
appraisal (Lepsinger and Licia, 1997). The core of 360o performance appraisal system involves collecting job 



performance data from a number of different sources, such as direct supervisor observations, peer/team input, 
existing personnel files, and overall team/unit performance. 

The current project involves the development of a performance apprisal system for the position of Police Officer 
for the Sacramento City Police Department under a grant: Hiring in the Spirit of Service, from the United States 
Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing. The foundation of the performance appraisal 
system is the 360o model described bove. 

This performance appraisal system was specifically tailored for the Sacramento Police Department. The grant 
allowed the Sacramento Police Department to systematically study the traits that Police Officers require for success 
on the job. These traits were coupled with behavioral dimensions identified in job analysis work completed by the 
California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Together, these traits and behavioral 
dimensions form the framework for the 360o performance appraisal system. In addition to this, the development 
of the performance appraisal system was guided by California State Law, specifically the Public Safety Officers 
Procedural Bill of Rights Act (Marr and Marchant, 2001), as well as by the policies of the Sacramento Police 
Department and the current employment contract between the City of Sacramento and the Sacramento Peace 
Officers Association. 

Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights 

The Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act (here after referred to as the Act) specifies procedural 
rights that must be provided to Police Officers when they are subject to investigation or discipline (the Act appears 
in Government Code Sections 3300-3311). Performance appraisal is not an investigative process, nor a foundation 
for discipline. Yet, some of the aspects of the Act are relevant when considering an appraisal process for Police 
Officers. These are discussed below. 

Personnel Records 

The term personnel record is defined in Penal Code Sec. 832.8 s: any file maintained under that individuals 
name by his or her employing agency and containing any records relating to issues of employee appraisal (among 
other related areas). 

Police Officers have the right to receive notice of adverse comments entered into their personnel files,and have 
30 days to make response to such comments (Govt. Code Secs. 3305and 3306). This right does not extend to 
comments that are made in connection with a promotional examination. However, this has direct implications for 
the disposition of any report of Police Officers performance, such as may be provided in a performance appraisal 
report. 

A 2000 amendment to the Act gives a Police Officer the right to inspect personnel files that are used or have been 
used to make any personnel decisions (Sec. 3306.5). This new section also permits an Officer to request correction 
or deletion of material that he/she believes was mistakenly or unlawfully placed in the file. Therefore, the Police 
Officer performance appraisal process should include a mechanism for the affected Officer to receive, review and 
comment on all appraisal reports that are to become part of any personnel file, within the requirements of the Act. 


Sacramento Police Department Policy 

Responsibilities of Sergeants/Supervisors. 

The General Orders of the Sacramento Police Department (120.03) specify responsibilities of Sergeants, to include: 

Sergeants/supervisory personnel shall generally be members appointed in charge of one or more employees. 
In ddition to general and individual responsibilities of all employees, each is specifically responsible for the 
following: 

1. Closely monitoring the activities of subordinates, making corrections whenever necessary and commanding 
where appropriate. 

2. Supervising with firmness, deliberation, and impartiality. The supervisor shall take immediate action when: 
any subordinate violates any departmental general, office, divisional or special order; a complaint is lodged 
against an employee; or an employee performs above and beyond the call of duty. 

3. Providing le dership to include le ding others to the fulfillment of common go ls and objectives, on-thejob 
tr ining s needed for efficient oper tion, and coordin tion of effort when more th n one employee is 
involved. 

4. Exercising direct command in m nner that ssures the good order, conduct, discipline and efficiency of 
subordin tes. Exercise of command m y extend to subordin tes outside of the usu l sphere of supervision 
if the objective or integrity of the Department so requires; or if no other provision is m de for tempor rily 
unsupervised personnel. 

5. Enforcing Department rules to ensure compliance with Department policies and procedures. 

6. Inspecting activities, personnel, and equipment under their supervision and initiate suitable action in the 
event of failure, error, violation, misconduct or neglect of duty by subordinate. 

7. Having working knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of subordinates. They shall observe 
contacts made with the public, outside agencies, and other employees and be available for assistance or 
instruction. Field supervisors shall respond to calls of serious emergencies, felonies in progress, and others 
unless actively engaged in a police incident. They should observe the conduct of the assigned personnel 
and take charge when necessary. 

Citizen Complaints 

Penal Code Sec. 832.5 requires every law enforcement agency in California to establish a procedure to investigate 
complaints against peace officers made by members of the public. Sacramento Police Department General Order 
220.01, and the Departments Complaint Manual address this Penal Code Section, and provide specific policy 
regarding citizen complaints. 

Citizen complaints against Police Officer constitute adverse comments with reg rd to the Act. This requires 
review by the Officer before such comments can be placed into a personnel file. Since citizen input may be part 
of the complete performance appraisal system, care must be taken with regard to how the citizen input is solicited, 
what form it will constitute, and how the inform tion is handled. 



Employee Appraisal Files 

The General Orders (257.01 Employee Appraisal File) go on to provide specific policy and procedure for 
performance appraisals as follows: 

PURPOSE 

To establish criteria and procedures for the content and maintenance of employee appraisal files. 

POLICY 

To maintain n employee appraisal files on the divisional level. 

PROCEDURE 

A. MAINTENANCE 

1. An employee appraisal file shall be maintained on every employee on the divisional level. 

2. The material in the file shall serve as supervisory aid to identify weak areas as well as 
special accomplishments of an employee while working in particular division. 

3. Official Chiefs shall ensure an employee appraisal file is kept on all employees under their 
command. 

4. The file shall be maintained by each division commander and shall include each employee 
and supervisor assigned to the division. 

5. Office Chiefs shall maintain a file on each division commander within the office. 

6. The Chief of Police shall maintain an employee appraisal file on each Office Chief and the 
Captain, Office of the Chief, and maintain appraisal files on all employees assigned to the 
Office of the Chief. 

7. The file shall be examined each year at the time of the employees yearly performance 
appraisal. 

8. Documented disciplinary actions, or other related dverse documented comments entered in 
the employees appraisal file, shall be removed from the file after one year from the date of 
documentation. 

B. CONTENT 

1. The material to be included in the employee appraisal file shall consist of any information 
that could be utilized by supervisor during the evaluation of an employee. Such 
information shall include, but not be limited to: 
a. Documentation of oral reprimands, counseling sessions, or verbal warnings 

b. Copies of letters or reprimands 

c. Copies of letters of suspensions 

d. Letters of commendation, awards, and certificates 

e. Copies of quarterly inspection sheets, performance evaluations, etc. 

f. General order verification sheets 

g. Copies of injury reports 

h. Copies of transfer requests 

i. Calendar pages 


2. Nothing adverse to the employees interest shall be entered into the employee appraisal file 
without the employee having first read and signed the document. 
a. If an employee refuses to sign the document, the refusal shall be indicated on the 
paper with the date, time and supervisors initials. 

b. An employee may add written comments to any document placed in the file. 

3. Employees shall be allowed to inspect the folder when convenient and in the presence of 
supervisor. 

4. When employees transfer to another Division, their appraisal file shall be forwarded to the 
employees new assignment. 

This is also consistent with the current labor contract, Section 23.14 (Agreement Between the 
Sacramento Peace Officers Association and the City of Sacramento, 2001 - 2005). 

Performance Appraisal Dimensions 

Under a grant from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing, the 
Sacramento Police Department systematically studied the traits that Police Officers require for success on the job. 
Of particular interest in this review was the concept of Hiring in the Spirit of Service, and how the traits needed 
for success could include those skill sets necessary for community policing. Within this context, the following 
traits were identified as core v alues for Sacramento Police Department Officers by community and internal focus 
groups: Adaptability, Commitment to Service, Communication Skills, Compassion, Empathy, Flexibility, Honesty, 
Integrity, Objectivity, Patience, Personal Interest, Respect, Social Concern, Strong Work Ethic, Tolerance, Wisdom. 
The Sacramento Police Departments recruiting campaign for new Entry Level Police Cadets specifies the 
following core values: Courage, Involvement, Compassion, Dedication, Commitment, Integrity, Communication. 

The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) has systematically studied the 
traits required for the Police Officer job. These are stated in 1) POSTs behavioral dimensions, 2) POSTSs 
psychological screening dimensions, and 3) POSTs oral interview guidelines. The POST behavioral dimensions 
include: Communication Skills, Problem Solving Ability, Learning Ability, Judgment under Pressure, Observational 
Skills, Willingness to Confront Problems, Interest in People, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Desire for Self-improvement, 
Appearance, Dependability, Physical Ability, Integrity, Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Credibility as a Witness in 
Court. The POST psychological screening dimensions include: Social Competence, Teamwork, Adaptability/ 
Flexibility, Conscientiousness/ Dependability, Impulse Control/Attention to Safety, Integrity/Ethics, Emotional 
Regulation and Stress Tolerance, Decision Making and Judgment, Assertiveness/Persuasiveness, Avoiding 
Substance Abuse and Other Risk Taking Behavior. The POST or l interview tr its include: Experience, Problem 
Solving, Communication Skills, Interest/Motivation, Interpersonal Skills, Community Involvement/Awareness. 

From these various sets of dimensions or Police Officer traits, common elements were identified and new 
composite groupings of traits were generated, and identified as the Performance Appraisal Dimensions for the 
City of Sacramento Police Department, Police Officer position. Figure 1 shows these dimensions, and how they 
are related to the other job analysis sources. Following Figure 1, these Performance Appraisal Dimensions are 
operationally defined, to include examples of positive behaviors and counterproductive behaviors. 
 

Figure 1. Overview of Police Officer Dimensions 

SPD Community Policing Focus Group    
Communication Skills
Compassion, Empathy, Tolerance, Respect
Honesty and Integrity
Personal Interest
Commitment to Service and Social Concern
Strong Work Ethic
Objectivity, Wisdom
Adaptability/Flexibility
Patience

SPD Recruiting Campaign 
Communication
Compassion
Integrity
Commitment and Involvement
Dedication
Courage

POST Peace Officer Job Dimensions (Behavioral Dimensions) 
Communication Skills, Credibility as a Witness in Court 
Interpersonal Sensitivity, Interest in People
Integrity
Dependability, Desire for Self-improvement 
Observational Skill, Problem Solving Ability, Judgment Under Pressure, Willingness to Confront Problems 
Appearance
Physical Ability 
Operation of a Motor Vehicle
Learning Ability 

POST Psychological Screening Dimensions 
Social Competence, Teamwork
Integrity/Ethics
Conscientiousness/Dependability 
Decision Making and Judgment, Assertiveness/Persu siveness
Adaptability/Flexibility
Impulse Control/Attention to Safety 
Emotional Regulation and Stress Tolerance
Avoiding Substance Abuse and Other Risk Taking Behavior 

POST Oral Interview Dimensions
Communication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Interest / Motivation 
Community Involvement / Awareness 
Experience
Problem Solving

SPD Performance Appraisal Dimensions 
 
Communication Skills 
Interpersonal Skills 
Integrity 
Commitment to Service 
Work Ethic 
Problem Solving 
Safety 
Demeanor 
Operation of a Motor Vehicle 

 

Operationally Defined Performance Appraisal Dimensions 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS 

This includes an Officers written Communication and police reports; and oral communication with individuals and 
groups both inside and outside of the Police Department. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Reports are technically correct and free of errors 
 Writing is concise 
 Legal and technical issues are appropriately addressed in written work. 
 Comfortable speaking before groups, both inside and outside of the Police Department 
 Uses radio appropriately 
 Provides appropriate verbal commands in field situations 
 Communicates tactfully and effectively 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Reports often contain errors that must be edited 
 Uses profanity and other inappropriate language 
 Exhibits stage fright when asked to speak in front of groups 

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 

This includes an Officers attitude, compassion, empathy, tolerance and respect with regard to interactions with 
individuals and groups both inside and outside of the Police Department; his/her acceptance by others; and his/her 
ability to function as a member of a team. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Recognizes needs and concerns of others 
 Calms emotional/angry people and defuses conflicts through mediation, negotiation and persuasion 
rather than force 
 Refrains from making remarks that could be interpreted as rude or condescending 
 Interacts with others in a courteous and respectful manner 
 Provides service/renders aid or assistance in an unbiased fashion 
 Aware of and sensitive to social, economic and cultural differences, including those associated with 
gender, sexual orientation, race, and religion 
 Supports and recognizes the accomplishment of team members 
 Supports group efforts rather than competing for individual recognition 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Does not assist fellow officers 
 Avoids asking others for assistance 
 Alienates colleagues by dominating interactions and activities 
 Gossips, criticizes and backstabs colleagues and coworkers 
 Makes in appropriate or insensitive comments to community members or coworkers regarding 
personal, cultural, sexual, etc., characteristics 
 Specifically targets individuals based on cultural, racial, gender, sexual, and other characteristics 



INTEGRITY 

This includes an Officers attitude, performance and commitment with regard to following and enforcing rules, 
regulations and laws; maintains high standards of personal conduct; demonstrates honesty, impartiality, and 
trustworthiness. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Confronts coworkers who engage in unethical/illegal conduct 
 Takes ction to prevent unethical/illegal conduct by others 
 Gives honest testimony 
 Prepares truthful and accurate sworn affidavits 
 Does not share or release confidential information 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Shades the truth, omits facts, makes false or misleading statements or otherwise engages in creative 
writing 
 Breaks/bends rules, believing that the end justifies the means 
 Abuses privileges and benefits of the job 
 Has inappropriate professional boundary issues (e.g., relationships with victims, informants, etc.) 

COMMITMENT TO SERVICE 

This includes an Officers commitment to provide excellent service to individuals and groups both inside and 
outside of the Police Department. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Recognizes, appreciates, and adapts to the diverse cultures, races, religions, etc., of those with whom 
he/she works 
 Aware of and sensitive to social, economic and cultural differences of the community 
 Respectful when interacting with different cultures, races, religions etc. 
 Strives to provide excellent services to those directly impacted by his/her assignment 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Does not care 
 Does not use customer service approach 
 Avoids going the extra mile that would make people feel good about the services provided 
 Alienates those served 
 Makes inappropriate or insensitive comments regarding those served 

WORK ETHIC 

This includes an Officers work patterns, personal responsibility for accomplishment of assignments, perseverance, 
lack of procrastination, loyalty to the organiz tion, and personal goal setting actions. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Strives to meet deadlines and otherwise complete work in timely manner 
 Does more than just handle calls; productively uses unstructured time to identify and resolve problems 
on the beat, address community problems and otherwise meet organizational goals 
 Honors and follows through on commitments, even when its inconvenient or unpleasant to do so 
 Completes accurate and timely reports 
 Works hard 


Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Procrastinates 
 Coasts toward the end of the shift 
 Poor attendance 
 Gives up or cuts corners when faced with obstacles 

PROBLEM SOLVING 

This includes an Officers observational skills, common sense, ability to address problems in systematic and safe 
manner, and ability to make appropriate and timely decisions under pressure, and his/her willingness to confront 
problems. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Gathers and critically evaluates important information before deciding on course of action 
 Knows when to confront, and when to back away from, potentially explosive situations 
 Makes timely, sound decisions on the spot, if necessary, even in situations where information is 
incomplete and/or conflicting 
 Can step into a tense situation involving several people and figure out what probably led up to that 
point in time, as well as what is likely to happen as the situation unfolds 
 Expediently sizes up situations and identifies the underlying problem(s) 
 Applies lessons learned from past mistakes/experiences when faced with similar problems 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Cannot make a decision in a crisis situation 
 Unable or unwilling to make mid-course corrections on initial course of action when presented with 
new information 
 Has tunnel vision; does not see the big picture when analyzing data 
 Fails to identify patterns and implications when analyzing data and information 

SAFETY 

This includes an Officers attitudes and actions with regard to personal safety, safety of other officers, and safety 
for the public. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Takes effective, expedient action in crisis situations 
 Resolves problems in ways that does not rouse unnecessary antagonism 
 Thinks things through before acting 
 Carefully uses and maintains equipment, weapons, etc. 
 Consistently possesses all issued equipment 
 Follows Department policy in all actions that have safety implications (e.g., contact with suspects, use 
of force, etc.) 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Provokes suspects 
 Careless 
 Underestimates risk 
 Reacts in a knee-jerk manner to emergency events 
 Acts without thinking 
 Overreacts when challenged or criticized 
 Fails to take action when required or requested 



DEMEANOR 

This includes an Officers physical demeanor and field presence; ability to present to the public positive and 
confident image in the face of adverse situations; and his/her uniform and grooming. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Recognizes the impact of ones own verbal and nonverbal communications on others (and makes sure 
both are consistent and appropriate) 
 Shows sensitivity and concern towards the feelings of others 
 Displays tact and impartiality in treating all members of society 
 Confronts problems, even in potentially explosive situations; doesnt back away unless tactica lly 
necessary 
 Able to persuade/mediate disputes and conflicts 
 Able to use voice commands to control conflict, speaking calmly, clearly and authoritatively 
 Can appropriately take control in group situations, coordinating resources, etc. 
 Maintains skill and fitness level 
 Maintains uniform and equipment 
 Proudly wears uniform 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Displays submissiveness and insecurity in challenging or threatening situations 
 Is hesitant to exert influence in uncomfortable/stressful situations 
 Overbearingly takes over control of situations, thereby escalating tensions and risks 
 Fails to maintain skill and fitness levels 
 Uniform is shoddy and grooming is disheveled 

OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE 

This includes an Officers ability to operate a motor vehicle in a safe manner; and his/her adherence to Department 
policies related to vehicular operation and safety. 

Positive Behaviors: 

 Drives within limits of the situation 
 Takes proper precautions during and after vehicle pursuits, traffic stops, etc. 
 Driving practices are safe during routine and high arousal activities 
 Shows attention to and awareness of traffic hazards 
 Complies with safety rules 

Counterproductive Behaviors: 

 Drives recklessly and at excessive speeds 
 Gets in avoidable/excessive traffic ccidents 
 Fails to follow Department policy (e.g. pursuit driving, use of emergency equipment) 
 Fails to leave vehicle in appropriate condition at end of shift 


A Model for Police Officer Performance Appraisal 

The term 360o evaluation has come to mean the consideration of input from a variety of sources, beyond the 
traditional supervisory perspective. In the case of Police Officer performance appraisals, 360o appraisal process 
will include the supervisors direct observations, as well as consideration of information from such sources as 1) 
input from others in the Police Department who have observed this Officers performance (e.g., peers and support 
personnel), 2) data from the official personnel file (i.e., the employee appraisal file on the divisional level), 3) 
consideration of unit achievements that are a direct reflection of team effort, and have been impacted and/or 
influenced by the Officer being evaluated, and 4) self- appraisal by the Officer. 

A traditional 360o appraisal model will formalize various sources of input, and go so far as to collect performance 
ratings from people other than the supervisor, either by questionnaires or one-on-one interviews. This is not what 
is intended for this performance appraisal process. Instead, this 360o process should include multiple sources of 
data, already available to the supervisor, that are considered in the overall appraisal. For example, it is not intended 
that an Officers performance be evaluated by either community members or other Officers; this would not be fair 
to any of the involved parties. Instead, it is intended that the supervisor seek out sources of information regarding 
an Officer, beyond his/her immediate observations. This can be accomplished throughout the appraisal term (e.g., 
over the course of year), from input that is provided or requested by the supervisor. For example, it is expected 
that a supervisor will hear both positive and negative feedback about an Officers performance; this can come from 
peer Officers, other supervisors, or support personnel. Such multiple sources of input will ensure fair and reliable 
overall appraisal by the Officers immediate supervisor. Each of these sources of information are discussed below. 

Input from Police Department Personnel 

It is recommended that the Supervisor go directly to the Officers peers and others in the Police Department who 
will know the Officers work, and ask for verbal, informal input regarding performance. 

Data from Personnel Files 

Data from the official personnel file (i.e., the employee appraisal file on the divisional level) may include 
commendations and/or sustained complaints which will assist in rating the Officer on one or more of the 
performance Appraisal Dimensions. 

Unit Performance 

The City of Sacramento, and the Sacramento Police Department have adopted an Organizational Assessment model 
that can be applied to any program of the Department, or any unit, section, division or office of the Department. 
Although these evaluations may not be formally in place in every organizational unit/section/program, the 
supervisor will have some good ideas about overall performance. In consideration of this, the supervisor should 
consider the Officers impact or contribution to the overall achievement of unit/section/program goals. 

Self Appraisal 

It is recommended that the Officer complete a self-appraisal prior to meeting with the supervisor to discuss the 
results of the appraisal process. This self-appraisal can assist both the Officer and supervisor in determining any 
needed changes, training, or development. 



References 

Bennett, Wayne W. and Hess, Karen M. (2001). Management and Supervision in Law Enforcement, Third Edition. 
Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, Belmont, CA. 
California Government Code Sections 3300-3311. Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act. 
California Penal Code Sec. 832.8. 
Kramer, Michael. (1998). Designing an Individualized Performance Evaluation System: A Values Based Process. 
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 20-26. 
Lepsinger, Richard and Licia, Anntoinette D. (1997). The Art and Science of 360o Feedback. Pfeiffer, An Imprint of 
Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers. San Francisco, CA. 
Marr, Cecil and Marchant, Diane. (2001). Pocket Guide to the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights 
Act. California Public Employee Relations, University of California, Berkeley, CA. 
More, Harry W., Wegener, W. Fred, and Miller, Larry S. (1999). Effective Police Supervision, Third Edition. 
Anderson Publishing Company, Cincinnati, OH. 
Sacramento Police Department General Orders. 
Travis, J. and Brann, J. (1997). Measuring What Matters: Developing Measures of What the Police Do. National 
Institute of Justice Research in Action. Washington, D.C. Department of Justice. 


Sacramento Police Department 
Police Officer Performance Appraisal Form 

Instructions to supervisors: In addition to your direct observations of this Officers performance, consider 
information from such sources as 1) input from others in the Police Department who have observed this Officers 
performance (e.g., peers and support personnel), 2) data from the official personnel file (i.e., the employee appraisal 
file on the divisional level), 3) consideration of unit achievements that are a direct reflection of team effort, and 
have been impacted and/or influenced by the Officer being evaluated, and 4) self-appraisal by the Officer. 

At the conclusion of the appraisal process, conduct formal Performance Appraisal Meeting with the Officer. 
At least two weeks prior to this meeting, inform the Officer that the appraisal process in underway, and agree on a
meeting time and date. Provide the Officer with his/her blank copy of this appraisal package, and request that he/ 
she complete self-appraisal that will be addressed during the meeting. 

During the meeting, the Officer should be asked to discuss his/her self appraisal. As the supervisor, you will 
discuss your appraisal. The purpose of the meeting is to conclude the appraisal period, recognize the Officers 
achievements and strengths, and develop goals for any needed improvement. 

General Order 257.01 Employee Appraisal File specifies that an employee appraisal file shall be maintained on 
every employee on the divisional level, and material in the file shall serve as a supervisory aid to identify weak 
areas as well as special accomplishments of an employee while working in particular division. 

The appraisal report completed by the supervisor will become part of the Employee Appraisal File. Nothing 
adverse to the Officers interest can be entered into the this report without the Officer having first read and signed 
it. If the Officer refuses to sign the appraisal report, the refusal shall be indicated on the report with the date, time 
and supervisors initials. The Officer may add written comments to any document placed in the file. 

Refer to the Performance Appraisal Manual for complete definitions of each Appraisal Dimension. These will 
include specific examples of positive behaviors, and counterproductive behaviors. Use specific examples of the 
Officers performance based on his/her assignment when providing comments on the appraisal forms. 

Officer Instructions. You should review this appraisal package and be prepared to provide your supervisor with 
self appraisal, by dimension. You may wish to recall specific examples of achievements and positive actions that 
you have had, by dimension, during this rating period. 

Supervisors Name: 

Division: 

For each Performance Appraisal Dimension provide 1) a rating of the Officers performance, and 2) comments that 
provide the basis for the rating. After the dimensions, provide an Overall rating with comments. Allow the Officer 
to enter his/her comments at the end of the form. Make sure that the Officers name, a date of appraisal are entered 
on every page. 



Police Officers Name: ___________________________ Date of Appraisal: ___________ 
Rating Scale: 
E = Exceeds Expectations 
M = Meets Expectations 
D = Does Not Meet Expectations 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS. This includes an Officers written communication and police reports; and oral communication with 
individuals and groups both inside and outside of the Police Department. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. This includes an Officers attitude, compassion, empathy, tolerance and respect with regard to interactions 
with individuals and groups both inside and outside of the Police Department; his/her acceptance by others; and his/her ability to function 
as a member of a team. 
Comments: 
Rating:
 
INTEGRITY. This includes an Officers attitude, performance and commitment with regard to following and enforcing rules, regulations 
and laws; maintains high standards of personal conduct; demonstrates honesty, impartiality, and trustworthiness. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

COMMITMENT TO SERVICE. This includes an Officers commitment to provide excellent service to individuals and groups both 
inside and outside of the Police Department. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

WORK ETHIC. This includes an Officers work patterns, personal responsibility for accomplishment of assignments, perseverance, lack 
of procrastination, loyalty to the organization, and personal goal setting actions. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

PROBLEM SOLVING. This includes an Officers observational skills, common sense, ability to address problems in a systematic and 
safe manner, and ability to make appropriate and timely decisions under pressure, and his/her willingness to confront problems. 
Comments: 
Rating: 


SAFETY. This includes an Officers attitudes and actions with regard to personal safety, safety of other officers, and safety for the public. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

DEMEANOR. This includes an Officers physical demeanor and field presence; ability to present to the public a positive and confident 
image in the face of adverse situations; and his/her uniform and grooming. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

OPERATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE. This includes an Officers ability to operate a motor vehicle in a safe manner; and his/her 
adherence to Department policies related to vehicular operation and safety. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

OVERALL PERFORMANCE. 
Comments: 
Rating: 

Officers Comments: 

Signature of Officer: 
Date: 

Sign ture of Supervisor: 
Date: 


 
Appendix E 

Use of the Hilson Job Analysis Questionnaire (HJAQ) 
for Identifying Desired Characteristics of Community 
Oriented Police Officers 

Robin Inwald, Ph.D. 
Hilson Research, Inc. 

As part of government-sponsored research project, the Hilson Job Analysis Questionnaire (HJAQ) was 
administered to 291 individuals, including two groups of currently employed police officers (n = 90), their 
supervisors (n = 30), and a group of civilians from the local community (n = 171). The police officers were part 
of a special squad of community-oriented police officers and were divided according to those who were currently 
assigned to special community-oriented positions (n = 56) and those who were once assigned to this group but were 
no longer working in this unit (n = 34). 

Participants in these four groups endorsed items on the HJAQ indicating which characteristics they believed to be 
essential, important or not important for success as a community-oriented police officer. Since it is difficult 
to carefully screen for more than a few key characteristics during the pre-employment or selection phase in a police 
agency (without screening out the majority of candidates), the top three areas that were rated as most important by 
the respondents were identified first. 

It was found that the top three areas endorsed by the community members (see Table 1) were Admission of 
Shortcomings, Communication Skills and Frustration Toler nce. This suggests that the civilians were 
most concerned about selecting community relations officers who would be honest and insightful about their 
own boundaries, able to communicate with the public, and would not be prone to temper outbursts or to other 
impulsive behaviors. These results match the top three areas identified by the police supervisors (see Table 2). 
This finding suggests that the community and the police administration in this agency agree on the most important 
characteristics to assess for community-oriented police officer positions. 

A review of the responses from the community relations officers themselves shows a match with the other two 
groups on the first two characteristics rated as most important, Admission of Shortcomings and Communication 
Skills (see Tables 3 and 4). The third are rated as most important by both the current and past community 
relations officers was Lack of Procrastination. This difference may reflect the organizations internal requirements 
for finishing projects/tasks in a timely manner. Perhaps the failure of fellow community-oriented police officers 
to complete work on time puts pressure on the other officers, creating friction among the staff. In any case, the 
fourth area of importance rated by both current and past community relations officers was Frustration Tolerance, 
suggesting that all four groups had similar results. By attending to the top four areas in the selection process, a
screening program will be able to meet the standards requested by both employees and civilians (see Table 5). 

If the next three most important areas identified by the HJAQ are evaluated (rankings 4, 5, and 6 in each group), 
it can be seen that both the current and past community relations officers agreed with their community members 
concerns for selecting officers with good Frustration Tolerance (ranking 4). Work Patterns (indicating a lack of 
absence, lateness, and other job-adjustment problems) and Lack of Asocial Behaviors were also added by both 
groups of community relations officers (rankings 5 and 6). 


The next three most important areas for supervisors included Work Patterns, Lack of Procrastination, and 
Lack of Asocial Behaviors, all areas endorsed by the two community relations officer groups as well. The 
community members group added Lack of Procrastination, Work Patterns, and Attention to Safety Issues 
as their next most important characteristics. It should be noted that Lack of Asocial Behaviors followed as the 
seventh most important area rated by the community members, suggesting that there were no major differences in 
the ratings of community members when compared with those of police personnel in this study. 

Since the areas identified above as most important for screening successful community-oriented police officers 
are included in a comprehensive test battery used by the agency for this purpose, these results lend support for the 
use of such testing in the law enforcement field. However, it is important not to overestimate the value of survey 
of this kind. Regardless of which characteristics police personnel and civilians identify as most important, it is 
longitudinal research and cross-validation of such research that will identify which characteristics actually predict 
successful performance. The results of this survey verify that both civilians and the law enforcement community 
are in greement as to the general direction such pre-employment screening should take. 

Finally, it should be noted that the supervisors in this study had lower adjusted scores on the HJAQ when compared 
with participants in the three other groups. The supervisors did not seem to value these characteristics as much as 
did the officers and civilians. A study of the performance of these supervisors would indicate whether or not they 
are adhering to the standards of their officers and their community. 



Table 1 
Weighted Percentages of Overall HJAQ Scores 
OCCUPATION ANALYZED: COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICE OFFICER 
ANALYZED BY: COMMUNITY MEMBERS (HJAQ = 171) 

HJAQ Scales                               Adjusted Scores     Rankings 
Learning Ability  I&E                    59.53 

Work Ethic: 
Work Patterns  I&E                       77.24               5 
Perseverance  I&E                        65.53 
Lack of Procrastination  I&E             78.25               4 
Loyalty to Organization  I&E             73.44 
Goal Setting Behavior  I&E               69.74 

Social Skills: 
Social Acceptance by Others  I&E         63.16 
Communication Skills  I&E               *81.77               2 
Extroverted Behavior Patterns I&E        53.97 

Enterprising Spirit: 
Willingness to Compete  I&E              56.81 
Self-Confidence  I&E                     71.35 

Social Judgment: 
Admission of Shortcomings  I&E          *84.21               1 
Social Awareness  I&E                    70.15 
Lack of Social Wariness  I&E             61.81 
Frustration Tolerance  I&E              *78.65               3 

Conscientiousness: 
Lack of Asocial Attitudes I&E            59.21 
Lack of Asocial Behaviors  I&E           73.98 

Safety Beh viors: 
Attention to Safety Issues  I&E          77.05               6 
Managerial Ability  I&E                  66.37 
Persuasiveness/Sales Ability  I&E        49.06 
Caregiving Interest  I&E                 60.82 


Appendix E 

Table 2 
Weighted Percentages of Overall HJAQ Scores 
OCCUPATION ANALYZED: COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICE OFFICER 
ANALYZED BY: SUPERVISORS, GROUP 2 (HJAQ = 30) 

All HJAQ Scales                       Adjusted Scores       Rankings 
Le rning Ability  I&E                49.67 

Work Ethic: 
Work Patterns  I&E                   73.33                 4 
Perseverance  I&E                    53.13 
Lack of Procrastination  I&E         72.67                 5 
Loyalty to Organization  I&E         68.89 
Goal Setting Behavior  I&E           65.83 

Social Skills: 
Social Acceptance by Others  I&E     53.61 
Communication Skills  I&E           *76.11                 2 
Extroverted Behavior Patterns I&E    50.71 

Enterprising Spirit: 
Willingness to Compete  I&E          50.24 
Self-Confidence  I&E                 64.00 

Social Judgment: 
Admission of Shortcomings  I&E      *76.67                 1 
Social Awareness  I&E                62.17 
Lack of Social Wariness  I&E         52.33 
Frustration Tolerance  I&E          *75.00                 3 

Conscientiousness: 
Lack of Asocial Attitudes I&E        55.83 
Lack of Asocial Behaviors  I&E       72.33                 6 

Safety Behaviors: 
Attention to Safety Issues  I&E      67.92 
Managerial Ability  I&E              59.33 
Persuasiveness/Sales Ability  I&E    46.67 
Caregiving Interest  I&E             48.06 

 


Table 3 
Weighted Percentages of Overall HJAQ Scores 
OCCUPATION ANALYZED: COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICE OFFICER 
ANALYZED BY: CURRENT COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICERS, GROUP 1 (HJAQ = 56) 

All HJAQ Scales                      Adjusted Scores       Rankings 
Learning Ability  I&E               55.89 

Work Ethic: 
Work Patterns  I&E                  79.91                 5 
Perseverance  I&E                   67.86 
Lack of Procrastination  I&E       *81.07                 3 
Loyalty to Organization  I&E        76.04 
Goal Setting Behavior  I&E          77.90 

Social Skills: 
Social Acceptance by Others  I&E    60.71 
Communication Skills  I&E          *87.20                 1 
Extroverted Behavior Patterns I&E   67.22 

Enterprising Spirit: 
Willingness to Compete  I&E         59.57 
Self-Confidence  I&E                76.07 

Social Judgment: 
Admission of Shortcomings  I&E     *83.93                 2 
Social Awareness  I&E               72.05 
Lack of Social Wariness  I&E        54.82 
Frustration Tolerance  I&E          80.06                 4 

Conscientiousness: 
Lack of Asocial Attitudes I&E       62.05 
Lack of Asocial Behaviors  I&E      79.46                 6 

Safety Behaviors: 
Attention to Safety Issues  I&E     74.55 
Managerial Ability  I&E             71.43 
Persu siveness/Sales Ability  I&E   50.89 
Caregiving Interest  I&E            59.23 


Table 4 
Weighted Percentages of Overall HJAQ Scores 
OCCUPATION ANALYZED: COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICE OFFICER 
ANALYZED BY: PAST COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICERS, GROUP 3 (HJAQ = 34) 

All HJAQ Scales                      Adjusted Scores      Rankings 
Learning Ability  I&E               50.29 

Work Ethic: 
Work Patterns  I&E                  79.66                5 
Perseverance  I&E                   61.95 
Lack of Procrastination  I&E       *81.18                3 
Loyalty to Organization  I&E        73.28 
Goal Setting Behavior  I&E          71.69 

Social Skills: 
Social Acceptance by Others  I&E    61.27 
Communication Skills  I&E          *86.76                1 
Extroverted Behavior Patterns I&E   62.18 

Enterprising Spirit: 
Willingness to Compete  I&E         56.09 
Self-Confidence  I&E                68.24 

Social Judgment: 
Admission of Shortcomings  I&E     *84.71                2 
Social Awareness  I&E               68.38 
Lack of Social Wariness  I&E        61.47 
Frustr tion Tolerance  I&E          81.13                4 

Conscientiousness: 
Lack of Asocial Attitudes I&E       56.99 
Lack of Asocial Behaviors  I&E      78.53                6 

Safety Behaviors: 
Attention to Safety Issues  I&E     75.37 
Managerial Ability  I&E             68.04 
Persuasiveness/Sales Ability  I&E   52.94 
Caregiving Interest  I&E            57.11 
 

Table 5 
Weighted Percentages of Overall HJAQ Scores 
OCCUPATION ANALYZED: COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICE OFFICER 
ANALYZED BY: COMMUNITY MEMBERS & POLICE PERSONNEL (HJAQ = 291) 

All HJAQ Scales                     Adjusted Scores      Rankings 
Learning Ability  I&E              56.74 

Work Ethic: 
Work Patterns  I&E                 77.63                5 
Perseverance  I&E                  64.28 
Lack of Procrastination  I&E       78.56                4 
Loyalty to Organization  I&E       73.45 
Goal Setting Behavior  I&E         71.13 

Social Skills: 
Social Acceptance by Others  I&E   61.48 
Communication Skills  I&E          82.82                2 
Extroverted Behavior Patterns I&E  57.14 

Enterprising Spirit: 
Willingness to Compete  I&E        56.58 
Self-Confidence  I&E               71.13 

Social Judgment: 
Admission of Shortcomings  I&E     83.44                1 
Social Awareness  I&E              69.48 
Lack of Social Wariness  I&E       59.45 
Frustration Tolerance  I&E         78.84                3 

Conscientiousness: 
Lack of Asocial Attitudes I&E      59.15 
Lack of Asocial Behaviors  I&E     75.40 

Safety Behaviors: 
Attention to Safety Issues  I&E    75.43                6 
Managerial Ability  I&E            66.82 
Persuasiveness/Sales Ability  I&E  49.62 
Caregiving Interest  I&E           58.76 


Appendix F 

Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office: 
Officer Recruitment and Selection 

A Plan for Community Inclusion (Part II of II). 

Prepared by Innovation Group, March 2004 

Introduction 

This is the second and final deliverable under the Hiring in the Spirit of Service project, regarding community 
inclusion in the officer selection process in the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office. 

The goal of Hiring in the Spirit of Service is to allow HCSO to help select in applicants with traits that 
predispose them to success as community oriented law enforcement deputies. This document describes ten ways 
that the citizens of Hillsborough County could appropriately participate in the recruitment and selection processes, 
in support of that goal. These ten approaches to inclusion range from nominal to substantial, allowing for HCSO to 
choose one or more approaches that fit the agencys unique culture and business needs. 

Reasons for Including the Community in Officer Selection Processes 

The basis for community policing is that law enforcement and community members work together to promote 
public safety. Both parties have valuable and different perspectives on the jurisdiction and its issues. Both parties 
also have different legal authorities, resources, and motivations to address community issues. Separately, citizens 
or officers can address problems, but together, the impact of their separate efforts is augmented by their mutual and 
coordinated focus. For example, a homeowners association can take steps to prevent loitering in a drug trafficking 
area, or the Sheriffs office can initiate enforcement efforts, but if the two can agree upon a strategy in advance, the 
end product is likely to be more satisfactory to both the association and the Sheriff. According to the departments 
Community Oriented Policing Summary, June 2003, these kinds of partnerships have been encouraged in 
Hillsborough County since at least the 1980s, and are pervasive today, countywide. 

In many law enforcement agencies, this has become the way business is done, rather than simply a program or 
grant initiative. In fact, many agencies have abandoned the community-based and community-oriented titles 
that used to be prominent in community oriented initiatives, and just call it policing gain. HCSO is one of 
these agencies. As laud ble as this level of progress is, even great successes do not eliminate the need to continue 
evolving. HCSO is considering the best way to evolve to an even better partnership with the community, by 
including the community in key administrative process. 

Inviting the community to participate in the officer selection process, even in a small way, yields several benefits 
for HCSO and the citizens it serves. Among them: 

1. As described above, it extends the police/community partnership to another level. It allows 
citizens to not only partner with the officers chosen for them, but to weigh in on which officers 
appear to be a good fit for that partnership in the first place. 

2. This extension of the partnership increases the communitys ownership of the agency. This is 
healthy for the community, which must expect accountability and responsiveness from the Sheriffs 
Office. It is also positive for the Sheriffs Office, which avoids an unnecessary level of insularity 
from the people it serves. 



3. 
Moving away from insularity means moving towards transparency 
todays corporate culture must accommodate a substantial shift in this 
direction. While there are many law enforcement matters that must be kept out 
of the public eye, there should be a perception that the Sheriffs methods and 
criteria for choosing one person over another for employment are not secret. 
This is also good for the applicants, who are not always aware of how they were 
selected or not selected. 

4. 
It promotes more informed investment choices by the Sheriff. If 
department is investing a large sum of money in something as valuable as an 
officer, the Sheriff wants investment advice from as many credible sources as 
possible. Currently, the main advice comes from within the department, via the 
Recruitment Section. Community inclusion means at least one other investment 
advisor, and directly from the agencys customer base. 

Once community inclusion efforts are successfully integrated into the officer selection process, it 
would become simply the way business is done, rather than a special initiative that is perceived to 
require extra effort and time. That would be the true measure of success for community inclusion 
efforts. 

How the Community Has Been Included in Other Jurisdictions 

Many sources were consulted to determine what has been done already to include the community 
in officer selection processes (see Appendix A). There are no known books or book chapters 
published in this area, and no known scholarly or magazine articles on the subject. A survey of 
several experts in the field yielded similar results. What little was found, pertained to: 

1. Community participation in advertising committees or periodic focus groups 

2. Community participation in Chief selection panels 

3. Selecting designated community officers from among already-hired officers 

4. Using civilian command staff as a way to enhance community relations. 

These four examples represent interesting ways of managing agency policies and processes, but 
are tangential to this particular project. This project is about direct participation of citizens in 
determining who will be hired as officers. 

A forthcoming Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) publication reports that about 20% 
of all community policing agencies1 report using citizens in their officer selection processes. 
However, it is not clear how, exactly, citizens are used in those instances. The lack of printed 
literature about citizen inclusion in officer selection processes could suggest that including 
citizens is so common (one of five gencies would still mean about 3,000 gencies, nationwide) 
that no one would think to write up any case studies. It is more likely that other forms of citizen 
inclusion are considered more interesting and relevant to a broad udience. In comparison, 
over 90% of PERF study respondents reported that citizens regularly participate in community 
(1. As defined in that study)


meetings with police and participate in neighborhood watch programs. In 2002, almost 80% of respondents 
reported sponsoring citizen police academies, and similar numbers reported using citizens as civilian volunteers 
within the department. All of these topics have received more attention in the research literature, perhaps in part 
due to their pervasiveness. 

Although no printed literature was found that describes this particular kind of citizen involvement, contacts 
identified several examples of agencies that systematically use community members in the officer selection 
process. What was learned from them informed some of the recommendations made in this document. 
Summaries of their practices are summarized in Figure 1. Examples of agencies that use volunteer groups 
to generally advise the chief law enforcement officer on variety of matters, including recruitment, are not 
included here. The Sheriff of Clark County, NV, for example, has Womens, Hispanic and African American 
Advisory Panels that meet regularly. Because Hillsborough also sponsors several advisory boards already, 
additional examples of this form of citizen participation were noted, but not deeply explored. This study 
focuses on applied examples of citizens participating in recruitment and selection. 

Figure 1. Community Inclusion Practices of Six Law Enforcement Agencies 

Durham (New Hampshire) Police. Chief Dave Kurz is responsible for hiring new officers for his department of 
about 20. He also invites two prominent business leaders, school board members, or other well-regarded civilians 
to participate in the applicants oral board. These citizens can ask questions, just as the other board members do. 
Afterwards, the board members share overall impressions. Chief Kurz reports that citizens and officers both benefit 
from the interaction with each other, and the citizens are usually impressed with the quality of the candidates. 

Gallatin (Tennessee) Police. Former Chief Walter Tangel used three to four clergy, members of the Chamber of 
Commerce, NAACP officials, or other community leaders on applicant oral boards. His former department has 
complement of about 50. Citizens and officers like sked the applicant standardized questions, then completed 
comment sheet afterwards that informed the chiefs hiring decision after all applicants had been interviewed. 

Ocean City (Maryland) Police. This department has 100 officers, but each summer it swells to accommodate 100 
more for the seasonal increase in beachgoers. This translates to a lot of hiring  about 30 new and 70 returning 
seasonal officers each year. One officer, one supervisor, and one graduate of the Citizen Police Academy interview 
applicants, and provide a score for each applicant. The averaged interview score counts as half the applicants 
overall score, with the written exam score comprising the rest. Because this department had the most formal 
community inclusion of those detailed here, a more complete summary of the departments citizen inclusion 
practices is in Appendix B. 

Sacramento (California) Police. Sacramento has added civilians to the oral board that interviews prospective 
officers. The board is responsible for rating candidates in each of six dimensions via a structured interview, and 
must individually provide scores within a certain range, relative to the other scorers. Citizen participants are selected 
from focus groups, the chiefs Advisory Committee, and other sources, using snowball sampling. Participants go 
through mock interviews as part of a training process. There is second interview, occurring later in the process, 
that is not scored, and that does not include civilian. Citizens also serve on promotions panels for Captains and 
higherranked supervisors, and will soon sit on SPDs panels for sergeant and lieutenant. This agency has about 700 
officers. 


Figure 1. Community Inclusion Practices (contd) 
 
Sacramento County (Califormia) Sheriff. Citizen volunteers who have some training on the departments 
policies, and who have some knowledge of the law enforcement function, attend recruitment events with the 
departments recruitment deputies. Most likely to participate are Cadets (younger volunteers who may pursue 
law enforcement careers) and Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff (VIPS), who have completed a 40-hour, 
department-provided training program, in one of three areas of specialization. This agency employs about 1,700 
officers. 

Orange County (California) Sheriff. This 1,700-deputy agency uses a citizen on its three-person oral board for all 
applicants; the other spots are filled by a deputy and Sergeant. The interview is highly structured, and an average 
of the three scores is taken. There is no requirement for the three scores to resemble each other. The average score 
determines whether the applicant is eligible to continue in the selection process. Citizen interviewers are briefly 
trained before conducting their first interview; they are selected by Human Resources from the sheriffs advisory 
council, or from list of former grand jurors. Sgt. Tom Slayton reports that while some citizen interviewers are 
better than others, everyone has been invited back to interview again. Citizens seem to appreciate the responsibility, 
and officers value the different perspective they provide. He also reports no applicant complaints, and the intent to 
continue this practice, which is at least 17 years old for this department. 

Discussion of the Current Officer Selection Process 

In order to propose ways for citizens to become stronger participants in some future officer selection process, 
it was first necessary to map out the current process. This was accomplished by examining some existing HR 
flowcharts, and conducting interviews with key Recruiting officers. The current process map is depicted in 
Figure 2. The current process is consistent in appearance with many U.S. law enforcement selection processes. 
For qualified candidates, the entire process takes from 3 months to 6 months, which is not unusual in the 
government sector, especially for law enforcement. Each applicant who makes it to Step 6 is paired with 
single background investigator for the remainder of the process, which provides continuity that benefits both the 
applicant (who is likely to want contact with the same HCSO representative for the duration) and the recruiting 
staff (who can then put forth a more confident recommendation during the final steps of the process). The steps 
depicted on top relate to the applicants commitments during the process, while those on the bottom describe what 
efforts HCSO makes to move the applicant through those steps. An in-depth discussion of the process is deferred, 
in favor of focusing on possible community inclusion spects. 

One of the notable things about this hiring process flow is its lack of any select in data. The flowchart 
accurately shows that at each step, an applicant is either eliminated, or not eliminated. There is no scoring, 
ranking, or categorizing that occurs on a formal basis to differentiate among those who find themselves in 
the stack of applications presented to the Sheriff at Step 10. This means that the Sheriff is simply brought 
for consideration every single applicant who does not get eliminated. This lack of quantitative or qualitative 
information was, in fact, one of the main reasons HCSO asked to participate in the Hiring in the Spirit of Service 
initiative. There is a desire to have more reliable information presented that differentiates between candidates that 


are promising, and those that simply pass all the tests put before them.2 This is challenge 
that most law enforcement agencies in the country face  what is rare is finding an gency 
that is willing to consider alternative ways of measuring applicants to address not only 
eligibility, but validated job competencies.3 

2. This does not 
obviate the need 
for the Sheriff to 
have the ultimate 
decision in who gets 
hired; he alone is 
legally responsible 
for the quality of 
the hiring choices. 
This document was 
developed with 
the intent to have 
community inclusion 
promote better hiring 
decisions made by the 
Sheriff, as opposed 
to somehow diluting 
the Sheriffs decision- 
making authority. 

3. This part of 
the study focuses 
less on what the 
competencies are, and 
more on how 
to involve the 
community in 
applying them. Dr. 
Robin Inwald is 
completing the 
majority of work 
on HCSOs law 
enforcement deputy 
competencies. 

Current Community Inclusion in the HCSO Officer Selection 
Process 

Members of the community currently help to decide which applicants are selected or not 
selected for deputy Sheriff positions, albeit in very limited ways. 

1. 
Background investigators contact the applicants neighbors and personal 
references to help assess the applicants basic eligibility. Assuming that 
these contacts live in unincorporated Hillsborough County, one could make 
the argument that the community is consulted. However, many applicants 
and their references live outside of the county, so that technically the HCSO 
community is not always consulted. Even when the contacts are within 
the community, the community recommendations are not always merit-
based, because the applicant provides the references himself. Finally, the 
purpose of these community consultations is only slightly related to who to 
select in, and much more intended to weed out candidates who lie on their 
pplications or fail to disclose personal information during other parts of the 
recruitment process. For these reasons, the community contacts made during 
the background investigations are too little, too late to really meet the standard 
of community inclusion. 

2. 
Another way that the community is currently involved in selection processes 
is the employer check. This is where the applicant lists recent employment, 
why she left, who her boss was, and so forth. that employer is then contacted 
to verify the information. This method of community inclusion features the 
same drawbacks listed for the personal references and residence check listed in 
the previous item. Most importantly, this is weed-out step, more than it is 
rating or ranking measure. 

3. 
HCSO is developing a program that would allow citizens to nominate 
applicants for pre-academy acceptance for an officer job, through specific 
community groups. Successful nominees would receive scholarships to attend 
the academy, and stipends to support themselves during that time. Because this 
is a prospective measure, it is listed here only for reference purposes. 

4. 
Citizens frequently volunteer recommendations for existing applicants, through 
phone calls and letters to the Sheriff. From current practice, this is the best 
example of community participation in the selection process. The citizen 
usually advocates for the candidate, so these letters rarely serve to eliminate 
candidates as the first two examples do. However, the drawbacks to this kind 
of citizen input are: 



 the citizens who offer advice do not know the other candidates, so the recommendation is 
offered with no context for how well that person would fare relative to others 

 the citizens may or may not know what kinds of skills are required to be solid officer in that 
jurisdiction 

 it is likely that not all applicants know that spontaneously-volunteered letters of 
recommendation are beneficial to applicants (if, in fact, they are) presenting an issue of fairness 
in using them in selection 

These current community inclusion activities, while common among law enforcement agencies, do not accurately 
reflect the Sheriffs expressed commitment to community partnerships. This document will describe additional 
ways to include the community in meaningful aspects of the officer selection process. 

Ten Ways that HCSO Could Include the Community More in the Officer 
Recruitment and Selection Processes 

So far, this document has described what the current HCSO recruitment and selection processes are, and how other 
departments have used the community to assist in their own selection processes. After extensive consideration 
of the existing examples, and liberal consultation with HCSO recruiting and command staff, the following ten 
ideas are set forth for consideration. They are listed in no particular order. Some of these are more appealing than 
others, and for different reasons. One may involve major organiz tional change, for example, but yield the greatest 
long-term benefit to the agency. Another may be less dynamic, but less expensive or less difficult to implement. 
Ultimately, these are possibilities that were devised with HCSOs unique culture and business needs in mind. 

1. Citizens serve on one-time or recurring focus groups to determine what kinds of qualities are 
important in officers. 

Pros: This concept is well-documented in many contexts, and involves a very small time 
commitment from both citizens and HCSO, relative to the other possibilities that follow. It provides 
for citizen involvement in a facilitated setting, with specific questions and report to the Sheriff 
and/or the recruitment staff following each session. It can be repeated as frequently as desired, and 
it provides extremely current, communityspecific data to the Sheriff and/or recruitment staff. 
Cons: This is a relatively low-imp ct step to add to the existing process. While citizens can offer 
ideas, and the Sheriff makes selections, the connection between the two is somewhat undetermined. 
The greatest weakness of this kind of input is that even if the Sheriff were to agree 100% with what 
the citizens identified as the qualifications they were seeking, the testing instruments to measure 
those qualities are not always fully established in the field. 
To implement: HCSO would need to establish citizen selection criteria , meeting schedule, 
facilitator, meeting space, and an established set of questions to be discussed. There would also 
need to be time allotted for report to be completed each time, and a way to transmit that report to 
relevant parties prior to recruitment and/or selection. 

2. Citizens hand-deliver the Sheriffs offers of employment to the selectees, either alone or in 
conjunction with CSOs/command staff. 

Pros: This is great for community relations and press exposure and adds unique, personal 
touch to very significant and long- waited event. It establishes an awareness on the part of 
the new officer, at a very early stage, that he or she has been offered the job by the department 


and the community. It also provides sense of empowerment to the citizen participants, who are 
symbolically empowered to act on behalf of the countys chief law enforcement officer. It is low 
cost, with no need to change other, existing processes. 
Cons: This could be an unwanted gesture from the applicants perspective, especially if he or she 
intends to turn down the offer, or if the candidate eventually fails the polygraph or psychological 
test, which are administered following the offer. It requires time commitment from HCSO and 
citizen, as well as some coordination, and does not involve the citizens directly in deciding whom 
to select, even though it does involve the citizen in the process in an important way. 
To implement: The Sheriff would need to decide how citizens could be selected for this duty. 
Someone in HCSO would be responsible for appointing specific citizens to deliver offers to 
specific candidates, bringing the letter to the citizen, and offering script and guidelines for that 
citizen. Someone (citizen or HCSO contact) would need to coordinate the delivery time and place, 
and ensure delivery in timely fashion. 

3. Have citizens and applicants interview each other, informally, outside of a formal setting. 

Pros: Citizens could speak with applicants about expectations for effective law enforcement in the 
county, in very personal way. The same citizens could learn about what kind of applicants HCSO 
attracts. Applicants could meet several citizens, and citizens could meet multiple applicants. Could 
be formal, like series of timed interactions, or informal, like reception. Something like this has 
been tested, but at the post-hire stage, in at least one HCSO District, as a result of this study. The 
Chamber of Commerce meets with recruits during the FTO period, and the District commander 
reports very positive feedback from recruits, their FTOs and the Chamber members. 
Cons: If used during the already long application process, this would be yet nother step. It would 
likely involve a substantial amount of an applicants weekend or evening time, which would be 
devoted to meeting and greeting a series of strangers. It could adversely impact more introverted 
applicants. It is unclear which citizens would volunteer to participate, and how much training 
(if any) and supervision would need to be provided to ensure appropriate interaction. If this is 
considered part of selection, interactions would need to adhere to standard interviewing protocols 
for legal reasons, which minimizes any informal status to this step. If this is not considered part 
of selection, it will not be perceived as important by most HCSO staff and applicants, and thus be 
poorly attended, even though the humanizing benefits described above would, theoretically, still 
be gained by both parties. Logistics for coordinating dozens of applicants and many more citizens 
would be challenging. 
To implement: HCSO would need to establish whether this would be formal/required or informal/ 
voluntary. It would need to find series of times that all applicants would be able to choose from 
to attend. It would need to find pool of citizens from which to draw participants, and schedule 
them for all sessions. Citizens would need to be trained if this would be part of selection. A place 
(or several places) would need to be reserved, and refreshments purchased and provided. Some 
kind of citizen and applicant reflection assignment could be used, or not (What did you learn 
about the citizens of Hillsborough? What did you learn about the applicants you met tonight?); 
it could become part of the applicants package if it were part of selection. 

4. Have applicants attend a session of the Citizen Police Academy program, to meet with 
citizens. 

Pros: Like the previous suggestion, this allows applicants and citizens to interact. As part of 
the CPA experience, citizens would learn yet another aspect of the department; as part of the 



applic tion process, the applicants have sole opportunity to interact with potential customers. 
The CPA dates are fixed some time in advance, so it is easier for HCSO and applicants to plan 
ahead to attend. Applicants and students could simply introduce themselves to each other, avoiding 
any EEO complications but still allowing there to be some exchange of information, followed by 
separate debriefings. Applicants could subsequently meet with a recruiter or other officer to learn 
about how community expectations fit into the day-to-day work; students could meet with the 
instructor to talk about the challenges of recruiting, and how the process is very long and very 
stringent, etc. Other than check-off in the process, this would require no preparation on the part 
of the applicants or the students. 
Cons: This would require adding another CPA session to the existing curriculum, or modifying an 
existing session to accommodate the meeting. The potential benefits would rest with the applicants 
and citizens, but no additional information would be provided to the Sheriff for decision making. 
This is an additional time commitment from applicants who already participate in a very lengthy 
and involved process. The quantity of applicants and students, in one place at the same time, is 
challenging logistically, in addition to the prospect of holding up someones application for many 
months just because he or she was unable to attend specific CPA session. 
To implement: HCSO would need to append its existing recruitment literature and regulations to 
reflect an additional requirement, and the recruitment officers would need to coordinate attendance 
and documentation of it. Facilitators for both the citizens and applicants would need to be 
arranged. 

5. Citizens volunteer to help recruit at police academies, whenever recruitment officers do so. 

Pros: This is very early stage at which citizens can participate in who gets to be an HCSO 
deputy, but it falls outside of the actual selection process. The benefits are to HCSO, applicants 
and the citizens: HCSO can supplement scarce recruiting staff with volunteers in an innovative 
way; applicants see the department as a true partnership between officers and citizens; citizens can 
advocate informally for the kinds of applicants they want serving their communities, and can talk 
with applicants about things like housing, cost of living, and schools, so that recruitment officers 
can focus on personnel-related questions like salary, benefits, and work schedules. Involves no 
additional time commitment for applicants, and may save time for HCSO staff. Citizens would be 
expected to speak strictly from the vantage point of citizens, so no additional training would be 
required. The Sacramento County (California) Sheriffs Office uses citizens in fashion similar to 
this. 
Cons: This may involve additional expense for travel, and full day time commitments (or more) 
from citizens. Recruitment officers may feel threatened, at least at first. Does not involve any 
actual participation in selection all applicants recruited by citizens could be summarily 
eliminated without any additional citizen input. Without clear guidance, both citizens and officers 
could become frustrated with expectations and duties. 
To implement: Explore issues of liability on travel, and explore citizen interest in participating. 
Establish criteria for participating, if any. Explore costs for sponsoring citizens during recruitment 
days. Develop feedback methods to determine return on investment (Does this save officers 
time? Do citizens enjoy it? How many of your new hires remember meeting with citizen at the 
academy? Did it make a difference?) 


6. Applicant is assigned to call a Citizen Police Academy graduate at home or work, to complete 
a brief interview, in order to continue in the selection process. 

Pros: Small time commitment from both applicants and citizens. Additional HCSO time 
commitment is negligible. Very personal, one-on-one interaction between the parties. Similar 
benefits to #3 and #4 above, without logistical challenges and public speaking requirements. 
Cons: Benefits applicants, but does not inform the Sheriff in his selection decisions. Citizens do 
not have input into selection  one-person interview panel is too tiny to provide reasonably fair 
feedback to the Sheriff on the qualifications of the applicant. 
To implement: HCSO would need to append its existing recruitment literature and regulations to 
reflect an additional requirement, and the recruitment officers would need to coordinate completion 
of the interview. Citizens would need to be identified, one per applicant, and the applicant and 
citizen would need to somehow be introduced in order to set up phone interview. 

7. Citizens (who have been served by a recruit) provide feedback to FTOs, post-hire, during the 
FTO period. 

Pros: Substantive feedback to HCSO, during a time when feedback is already being sought and 
considered from other sources. The Sheriff still makes selections based on the existing information, 
but the citizens impact the agencys retention decisions. Additional administrative burdens are 
avoided for the recruitment staff. Feedback is provided by real customers of the recruit, based on 
experiences in purely professional context. Citizens feel valued for their opinions and feel there 
is true accountability for recruit performance and conduct. Recruits learn that they are accountable 
to superiors and citizens. Supervisor/FTO m kes more informed decision. 
Cons: Shifts additional administrative burdens to the FTO and/or supervisor. Some additional 
paperwork. Relatively unorthodox compared to other departments known practices, but very 
consistent with agency culture. 
To implement: Some administrative forms for collecting citizen feedback, and some training 
for FTOs or supervisors on how to select citizens for interviewing, and how to incorporate their 
feedback into the retention decision. HCSO has already used this method of citizen input, as a 
result of this study, with very positive results. The initial feedback form developed is included here 
as Appendix C. 

8. Add an Oral Board step to the selection process, and encourage citizen participation on the 
Board. 

Pros: The oral board is the most common, documented, place for agencies to include citizens in 
the selection process (see summary of research in an earlier section). HCSO does not currently use 
an oral board, though it has in the past. The oral board would provide an appropriate forum for 
citizens to participate in selecting candidates who met all eligibility criteria . There is some, limited 
precedent for successfully including citizens at this stage. 
Cons: HCSO eliminated this step because it was not consistent with agency culture and/or business 
needs. Also, among organizational psychologists, interviews are consistently viewed as very 
unreliable predictors of success on the job, regardless of who conducts them. Serious consideration 
must be accorded to any decision to re-implement, to ensure that it is cost-effective, worth the 
additional delay in hiring, and valuable in informing the Sheriffs selection decision in some way. 
This would involve a large time commitment from HCSO and applicants, and also involve cost 
and time to develop valid interview instruments, training for citizens and officers, and appropriate 



locations and times for these events. Time commitments for HCSO, applicants, and 
citizens could be significant. 

To implement: Revise selection protocols to include an interview step. Train 
officers and command staff on appropriate interview questions. Devise and approve 
questions. Develop feedback forms and rating/ranking criteria . Decide candidate 
minimum cutoff score, if any. 

9. Citizens nominate applicants, pre-academy, for consideration. 

Pros: Under current procedures, HCSO only ccepts applications from those who 
are already certified law enforcement officers, which limits the pool of potential 
applicants substantially. Although many Florida departments share in this practice, it 
does little to ensure the selection of the best possible candidates  it simply allows 
for selection from among existing officers from the academy or other gencies. An 
investment banker or dishwasher who wanted to apply would not be eligible, no 
matter how well-suited to the job, and no matter how devoted to the community. 
A preacademy nomination for the job would address this; HCSO would accept 
someone for employment, sponsor them through an academy  including living 
expenses  and have handpicked employee upon graduation. It allows for 
citizens to play an important role in nominating potential officers, applicants to pay 
for the academy and living expenses, and the department to assert more control 
over whom it chooses to hire. Less wealthy applicants would find this option more 
attractive, because they invest less time and money up front to achieve the same 
objective. 
Cons: Widespread use of this practice, in addition to the existing practice of strictly 
post-academy hire, would add an administrative burden to the recruiting staff, 
which would have to track more candidates, and then through two separate but 
parallel processes. Although relative bargain for the value added (the estimates run 
about $7,000 per candidate chosen), cumulatively the costs would comprise quite a
large amount. For twenty new hires the cost would be $140,000 more than for the 
same number hired post-academy. This cost would have to be weighed against the 
anticipated benefits.4 There could be perceptions of nepotism or unfair treatment, 
depending on how the new process was handled and who was accepted or passed 
over. The Sheriff may feel undue pressure to choose nominee over self-sponsored 
academy graduate, all other qualifications being equal. 
To implement: This is an option that the department has already implemented, in 
connection with nother grant program. An expansion of that program would be 
required. 

4. An extended 
discussion of the 
relative benefits of 
the less expensive, 
passive recruiting 
approach, versus the 
more expensive and 
proactive approach, 
and their relative 
dollar costs, is a
whole different study. 

10. Retool the existing process to be score-oriented, using rating, ranking, or both, 
to assist in selecting in candidates. 

Pros: This option is about repositioning the Sheriff to make more informed 
decision. In order to involve the community, it would have to be effected in 
conjunction with another of the other nine suggestions above. The reasoning is as 
follows: at all stages of the selection process, all candidates (on paper) maintain 
one of two statuses: eligible or ineligible. With the assumption that citizen input 


should not directly accept a candidate for employment, nor disqualify candidate outright, 
such input must place candidate high or low relative to other candidates, in order to 
be meaningful. Under current practices, it cannot, because there are no mechanisms to 
quantitatively or qualitatively indicate that an applicant is of either high or low caliber, in 
shorthand form. While the recruitment staff can make verbal recommendations upon request, 
they are only based on how well candidates performed on the eligibility screens, and much 
less on how well candidates interact with the community, complete technical writing tasks, or 
exercise professional judgement. While completely numbers-based system is unnecessarily 
bureaucratic, the completely numberless system it now uses has its own shortcomings. Using 
rating, ranking, or both for at least some steps of the selection process would allow for more 
meaningful community input, as well as more relevant presentation of application files to 
the Sheriff at selection time. Cons: This is a major organizational change. Not only would it 
change the way that candidates are viewed at selection time, it puts an additional burden on 
the Sheriff if the decision is made to select someone with lower scores or rank than another 
who is not selected. This does not mean it is ill-advised, just additional effort to document 
the reasons for the decision. Current personnel systems that use scores and ranks almost 
exclusively are considered vastly inferior to the one HCSO currently uses, so heading too far 
in that direction is not prudent. The idea would be to add some elements of formal rating and 
ranking to the existing process. 
To implement: HCSO is exploring the possibility of implementing rating/ranking of 
sorts, through nother part of this grant, using the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI). Pre 
employment test scores would be used to predict success as a CRD. Because it is already 
underway, this is the most likely way to begin using rating/ranking as part of the selection 
process. 

A Word About Selection of Citizens and Community Members 

After much consideration, we recommend graduates of the Citizen Police Academy (CPA) as 
the default pool of citizens for use in any of these new aspects of selection. Although HCSO 
does maintain close ties with several ethnic and racial groups through appointed advisory 
boards, as well as with the business and worship communities, the CPA is the one program 
for which all members of those groups are eligible, and citizens from all parts of the county, 
and all ages, can participate. It includes people who worship and those who do not, business 
owners and non-business owners. It also ensures that participants share a common eligibility 
criterion, and understand some of the basics of law enforcement in Hillsborough County. The 
CPA graduates people who are very supportive of law enforcement, and some who are not, 
providing balanced community input. Finally, the program is so popular that there is a steady 
stream of new faces that can replace past volunteers on a regular basis. 



Resources Consulted During This Endeavor 

Before proposing ways that HCSO could improve its hiring process by including members of the community, 
it was important to seek out agencies that have already tried to do so. In this way, HCSO can learn from others 
successes and challenges, avoiding foresee able mistakes and adopting best practices. Little, if anything, has been 
written about including the community in the officer selection process. Finding actual people who could talk about 
this kind of community inclusion was challenging, as well. Nevertheless, the lack of information available was a
clear message that community inclusion of this kind is not widely used, conveying all the benefits and challenges 
of proposing entirely new ideas. 

Library Resources Consulted 

University of MD Library Catalog 
Criminal Justice Abstracts 
Criminal Justice Periodicals 
National Criminal Justice Reference Service 
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe 
Sociological Abstracts 
EBSCO Academic Search Premier 
Social Science Abstracts 
Social Sciences Citation Index 
Behavior Sciences and the Law 
Crime and Delinquency 
Criminal Justice and Behavior 
The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 
International Social Science Journal 
Journal of Criminal Justice 
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 
Policing: An International Journal 
Social Science & Medicine 
The Social Science Journal 
Social Science Research 
Theoretical Criminology 


Professional Resources Consulted 

Gary Cordner, Ph.D. 
Kentucky Regional Community 
Policing Institute 

Philip Lyons, J.D., Ph.D. 
Texas Regional Community 
Policing Institute 

Ed Brodt 
Kentucky Regional Community 
Policing Institute 

Rob Chapman 
Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services (COPS) 

Steve Edwards, Ph.D. 
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 

Rana Sampson, President 
Community Policing Associates 

Karen Amendol , Ph.D. 
Police Foundation 

Ed Barajas 
Police Foundation 

Jessie Lee 
Nat. Org. of Black L w 
Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) 

Lt. Greg Guiton and Pfc. Doug Collier 
Ocean City (MD) Police 

Chief Dave Kurz 
Durham (NH) Police 

Chief Walter Tangel (ret.) 
Gallatin (TN) Police 

Kim Kohlhepp 
Intern tion l Assoc. of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 

Lorie Fridell, Ph.D. 
Police Executive Research Forum 

Samantha Brinkley, HR Director 
Sacramento (CA) Police 

Peter Cuthbert 
Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police 

Det. Steve Brock 
San Bernadino County (CA) Sheriff 

Officer Martin Wright 
Las Vegas (NV) Metropolitan Police 

Sgt. Adam Ferrari 
Jefferson Parrish (LA) Sheriff 

Dep. Stacie Hill 
Sacramento County (CA) Sheriff 

Mr. George W lton, 
Analyst/Recruiter 
Bexar County (TX) Sheriff 

Deputy Tiffany Kuehn 
Harris County (TX) Sheriff 

Sgt. Tom Slayton 
Orange County (CA) Sheriff 
 


Case Study of the Ocean City (MD) Police Hiring Process 

Focusing on Community Inclusion Practices 

Management consultants David Bachrach and Tara Carpenter conducted site a visit to the Ocean City Police 
department on December 10, 2002. The purpose was to document the nature and extent of community participation 
in selecting new police officers. Lt. Greg Guiton and Pfc. Doug Collier hosted the half-day visit. Here are the major 
aspects of the agencys hiring practice, and how citizens are involved. 

 Citizens participate most directly in the applicant interview. Citizens very much enjoy participating. 
They are given equal voice on a panel of three: one non-sworn citizen, one supervisory officer, and one 
road officer. Interview is scored, and it is integral to the process that the same questions are asked of 
every applicant. An interview sheet with the same questions is distributed to all interview participants. 
After each interviewer issues rating, the average of the three scores is taken. 

 Have to attend Citizens Police Academy. In order to participate in officer selection, citizens need 
knowledge about law enforcement, and its context within the community. Therefore, they are required 
to graduate from the citys Citizens Police Academy, which meets one night week, for 10 weeks. The 
CPA is offered twice a year, at 25 students per class. It meets February through April, and September 
through November. Citizens are provided with background information about special units, traffic 
enforcement, firearms, arrest procedures, and other topics considered to be interesting for non-officers. 
Participants are volunteers. During the lesson on recruiting and selection, participants are told that there 
is an opportunity for them to volunteer as citizen interviewers after graduating from the academy. 

 No serious legal hurdles faced before, during, following implementation. This aspect of the hiring 
process was accepted as a matter of course, normal business process adjustment. No known appeals 
of decisions, based on interview panel composition. 

 Officers apprehensive of process at first, but no longer. Citizens very satisfied. This innovation 
allows for additional police-citizen interaction, during an important administrative process. It provides 
transparency for citizens, new perspective for officers, and a message to applicants that they are 
ultimately accountable to both superior officers and city residents. 

 Since 1996 the process has been in place. For the better part of a decade, citizen participation has 
worked and has become a natural part of doing business. 

 Get the department behind you first. OCPD did not work on buy-in, and had some troubles getting 
credibility for this aspect of the process at first. 

 Get both groups (officers and citizens) together for  day before the interviews are conducted. 
OCPD didnt do that, and it made the interviews less enjoyable, less professional. 

 Citizen and officer training needs taper off. After several years, no additional training is required 
 the process kind of perpetuates itself. EEO/diversity training is less important because the interview 
questions are standardized. No follow-up questions. 

 
OCPD counsels citizens if they do not seem to fit in with the process. Do not hesitate to move them 
to other volunteer opportunities if interviewing is not their thing. OCPD has had to ask people not to 
return, on occasion. 


 OCPD tries to overstaff, choosing 8-10 citizens per day. OCPD sends out the 
four possible interview dates to the CPA graduates. Each day has six panels, and 
citizens can serve all day, or part of a day. One citizen per panel. Overstaffing 
allows for substitutions and no-shows. 

 OCPD sponsors a barbecue for volunteers who participate in the interviewing. 
This sets a positive tone, and encourages repeat participation. Coffee and orange 
juice in the morning, and thats when logistics are worked out for the day. 

 CPA has a broad range of participants, chiefly from local businesses and 
retirement population. 

 450 eligible interviewers 18 citizen academies have been run (x25 people) 

 Range of scoring  Although individual members of the panel can give 
different scores within a range (a range is low, medium or high), everyone on 
panel needs to score within the same range. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF OCPDS RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS, 
IN GENERAL 

 Selection criteria are not complex. The interview comprises half the applicants 
score, and the written test makes up the other 50%. All other procedures are 
pass/fail, such as the background check and physical agility exercise. 

 Applicant participation in testing is mostly compressed into two days. On 
Saturday (day 1), everyone who shows up for the testing brings a completed 
application and drivers license.5 The test is scored right away, and 
participants who do not pass are informed right away. The next step is physical 
agility: an obstacle course. Again, those who do not pass are excused on the 
spot. Agility test is usually completed by 13:00. Those who pass both tests are 
scheduled for the next days activities. This is considered the easier of the two 
days for police personnel to administer. Non-sworn citizens do not participate in 
day one selection activities. 

On Sunday (day 2)6, applicants p rticip te in video test that involves memory, 
n lytic l thinking, and ttention to det il, using three self-cre ted scen rios. 
Videos re viewed twice, and applicants re encour ged to t ke notes. This 
video test is linked to the subsequent interview, where the applicant is quizzed 
on what he or she remembers about the scenarios, and is asked situationally- 
based questions about the scenarios. Applicants notes are not used. The 
interview involves other, more typical job-related items as well. Interviews are 
scheduled earliest for those that have the greatest driving distances following 
the testing. This is considered the h arder of the two days for police personnel to 
administer. 

Two-day compression is generally convenient for applicants, and generally 
arduous for police department personnel. It is believed to be the best possible 
option for meeting this departments hiring needs. 

5. The old method 
was for the person to 
submit an application, 
then be informed of 
the assigned testing 
date. Under that 
method, less than half 
of the applicants 
showed for testing, 
and no initial 
screening was 
performed on the 
applications, 
anyway. Rescheduling 
was not practical. 
The process was 
reengineered to 
be more efficient 
and effective. Now 
applicants just show 
up on the weekend of 
their choosing, with 
their drivers license 
and application. 

6. Tax forms are 
completed on day 2. 



 Practice is uniform. OCPD hires both seasonal and full-time (year-round) officers. Same testing 
process is used for seasonal and full-time staff. When someone comes to test, they specify that they 
want consideration as season l, full-time, or both. Need to retest each year to be an eligible applicant. 
Written test is off the shelf. Civilian applicants have a separate process. 

 Selection occurs in two stages. (1) About ten days after the testing weekend, the participants who 
qualify receive initial (contingent) offers of employment. (2) The final (binding) offers are extended 
after background checks are completed on those who accept the initial offers. In general, department 
does not wait for all testing to be completed before extending initial offers. 

 99% of full-time hires are from an experienced seasonal officer pool. Some civilian cadets are hired 
as well. It is rare to hire people outside of the seasonal program, unless it is lateral from another PD. 
Some laterals were seasonal in OC at some point. Use of seasonal officers cuts down on training costs. 

 Scores are entered in a spreadsheet continuously, with testing cut-off. A high enough scorer is 
conditionally hired for maximum of ten days until background checks are completed. Recruits are 
hired to fill slots, and when they are filled, there are no more hires. Therefore, earlier testers get an 
advantage. If the first picks decline, additional testing may be done. A high-scoring seasonal may be 
evaluated for full-time. Time to complete background checks varies based on workload. OC expects 
large turnover in the next few years and may have to look to other options for background checks. 
Checks for seasonal and full-time are similar  copy of driving record along with a questionnaire 
including arrests and traffic citations. Full-time hires also have background investigators sent to where 
they live. 

 Recruit is done at universities, in and out of classrooms. Focus is currently on parts of Pennsylvania 
and Ohio. There has not been much success in Delaware, Maryland, or New Jersey. We have not 
explored Virginia. OC started fall recruiting to allow for greater lead time in preparing for applicants 
big job decision. OC proctors exams to accommodate training schedule, if needed. There is little 
success at job fairs, even those focused on law enforcement. 

 Example of 2003s four testing dates: 
o February 8th and 9th, 2003 
o March 1st and 2nd, 2003 
o March 22nd and 23rd, 2003 
o April 5th and 6th, 2003 
o Training is conducted April-June 

 OCPD CID (5 detectives and Sergeant) conducts all background checks on applicants. They consist of 
a 20-page questionnaire, certified copy of driving record, and phone-based background interviews. 

 30-35 seasonal officers return each year  more when the economy is bad. 70-75 are new  including 
many college students. 900 applications for seasonal, 300 test. Variable testing dates will likely get 
more people to test. Job fairs havent been very fruitful for seasonals. OC has started coming to 
universities and speaking to criminal justice classes. We offer internships and final exam proctoring to 
get students early, and have also started seasonal recruiting in the fall to give people from far away the 
lead time to take job. Western, North, and Central Pennsylvania may have 300 applications more this 
year. OC gets more people from Pennsylvania then Maryland and Delaware and doesnt recruit in New 
Jersey. 

 80-90 applicants interviewed each year, one hour each max. 


OCPD APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS FLOW 
Applies to Both Seasonal and FullTime Police Officer Applicants 

Flow Chart

Day 1                                            
Application and Written Test 
Physical Agility Test

Day 2 
Video Test and Oral Board 
Conditional Offer 
Background Check 
Final Offer 
Academy Training (If Not Certified) 
FTO Period / Road Patrol 
 


Sample Citizen Feedback Form 

This form could be used by citizens who were served by a recruit during the FTO period. An FTO or 
supervisor could provide upon the conclusion of a call, or could return some time fter the call. It is 
short enough to allow for on-the-spot completion. The FTO/supervisor could use this feedback as part of 
the decision-making process: does the recruit continue in field training, proceed to full deputy status, or 
end his/her employment as deputy? In this way the community has input, while HCSO still maintains 
complete decision-making authority in the matter. 


HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE 
CITIZEN FEEDBACK ON RECRUIT PERFORMANCE 

RECRUIT NAME: _____________________________ PHASE: I II III IV 
FTO NAME: __________________________________ DATE: ___________ 

The Sheriff depends on the citizens of Hillsborough County to provide feedback on how well 
patrol deputies respond to community needs. You have been served recently by a field training 
officer and a recruit  a fully-certified law enforcement officer who is still learning about the 
specific expectations of Hillsborough County residents and business owners. This is your 
opportunity to convey your own feelings on behalf of the community. Please consider taking a 
moment to think about why you called for assistance, and how well your needs were met, under 
the circumstances. Your responses will be used for purposes of helping the recruit improve the 
way he or she conducts business or renders services in the future. 

OVERALL, DID THE RECRUIT UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM OR SITUATION? 
(Circle One) YES NO 

OVERALL, DID THE RECRUIT RESPOND IN AN EFFECTIVE FASHION? 
(Circle One) YES NO 

OVERALL, HOW FAIR WAS THE RECRUIT IN DEALING WITH THE SITUATION? 
(Circle One) Very F ir Somewh t F ir Not F ir 

DID THE RECRUIT APPEAR TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE? 
(Circle One) YES NO 

IF YOU NEEDED TO CALL THE SHERIFFS OFFICE ABOUT ANOTHER MATTER, WOULD 
YOU WANT THIS DEPUTY TO RESPOND TO HANDLE THE SITUATION? 
(Circle One) YES NO 
 
PLEASE TURN THE SHEET OVER TO COMPLETE THIS EVALUATION 


 
Please include any other feedback you would like to share about the way your situation was handled. 
This can include praise for work performed well, or aspects of your interaction that you didnt like. 
This is only used to help the recruit. 

Citizen Name (optional) : 

Event #: 
Survey Conducted By: 


Appendix G 

Proposed Recruiting Ambassadors Program 
Detroit Police Department 

E. Lynise Bryant-Weekes, Director of Personnel Detroit Police Department 
Inspector Morris Wells, Commanding Officer, Personnel/Recruiting Section 

OVERVIEW: 

The Detroit Police Departments Recruiting Ambassador program was initially instituted to reward internal 
recruitment efforts. The concept was to reward Department members for their efforts in assisting in recruiting by 
recommending individuals who possess the qualities necessary to become Detroit Police Officer. A member 
recommending an applicant who successfully completes the hiring process is thereafter rewarded for his/her efforts. 

Under the Hiring in the Spirit of Service initiative, the Department has expanded the scope of the Ambassadors 
Program to include participation from the community. This expanded program reflects community involvement 
in the initial stages of the selection process of the Detroit Police Department. The expanded initiative involves 
community groups and faith-based organizations that will recommend individuals for service as a Detroit Police 
Officer. 

Implementation 

It is the desire of the Detroit Police Department to engage the Community in our hiring and recruiting efforts. 
Recognizing the need for and value of citizen input in the hiring process, the Department currently utilizes 
citizens in the applicant oral board process. To further utilize and involve citizens in selection of police officers, 
the Department is soliciting the assistance of the community in its recruiting efforts by expanding the internal 
Recruiting Ambassador Program, which encourages department members to assist in recruitment efforts. 

To introduce the Recruiting Ambassador Concept, the Detroit Police Department will host meeting in October 
2003, with Community Groups and Faith Based Organizations, to roll out the Recruiting Ambassador program. 
These groups will be provided the Departments basic criteria for hiring and selection and given an overview of the 
hiring process. The Detroit Police Department will encourage the organizations to play major role in assisting 
with the Departments recruiting efforts by challenging their members to recommend individuals who they believe 
fit the criteria necessary to serve as Police Officers. 

Members of the Detroit Police Department, including executives, will address Faith Based and Community Groups, 
on a weekly basis, to discuss the benefits and opportunities of being a Detroit Police Officer and to encourage 
participation in our Recruiting Ambassaador Program. In addition to the bove, the Recruiting Unit will again roll 
out the internal Recruiting Ambassador program encouraging Department members of all ranks to participate 
and recommend individuals for police service. 

Organizations will register with the Department by completing Recruiting Ambassador application form 
indicating their interest in assisting the Department with its recruiting efforts. The organization will then be 
provided with referral cards to be given to potential applicants that identify the particular organization as the 
referring entity. This referral card will be maintained with the application and upon the applicants entry into the 
Academy will be placed in the entities Recruiting Ambassador file. 


 
At the end of the Recruiting cycle, the Department will recognize and reward department members, organizations, 
and community groups that provide the most applicants, who successfully enter the Detroit Metropolitan Police 
Academy, in specified time period. At the conclusion of each specified time period the Department will host 
recognition ceremony to reward the group and Department member whose efforts have brought the greatest number 
of Student Police Officers to the Academy. 

Time-line 

October 2003  Program Roll-out 
November 2003  March 2004 Community Presentations by DPD Executives. 
April 2004  Completion of first cycle and recognition ceremony 


Appendix H 

Hiring in the Spirit of Service 
Focus Group Report 
Detroit Police Department 

Executive Summary 

Moore & Associates, Inc. was contracted by Berg Muirhead & Associates, Inc. to conduct focus group study on 
behalf of the Detroit Police Department (DPD). The purpose of the research was the gather baseline information in 
support of marketing and outreach effort to increase the number of minority applicants for police officer jobs in 
Detroit. 

Participant Demographics 

Four focus groups were conducted; two among African-American males, one among African-American females, 
and one among Hispanic males. Three fourths (75%) of the focus group participants live in Detroit and one-fourth 
live in the surrounding community. Participants ranged from 21-26 years old and had personal incomes of $30,000 
or less. 

The groups were held on May 11th and 12th, 2004. A total of forty-five (45) individuals participated. Groups lasted 
approximately one and one-half hours and participants were paid a cash incentive of $75 each. 

Education and Current Occupation 

The educational background of participants range from high school diplomas to college degrees. The African-
American female participants were by far the most educated group, with five college graduates, and six participants 
with some college. 

The Hispanic male group was comprised predominately of men who had some college education, although none of 
the recruited Hispanic males were degreed. 

Among the African-American males participating, some had high school diplomas, some had attended college, and 
others were college graduates. 

Group participants represented a wide range of occupations, including labor, retail, sales, education, management, 
and medical technician. 

Many individuals went into careers they were familiar with because a relative or friend was in the profession. 

Other Job Considerations 

When asked what other jobs they had considered, participants seemed to fall into one of the three segments: the 
first one that hired me, the job that was familiar, and the job I always wanted to do. 

Other jobs which had been considered included police officer, lawyer, military, nursing, teaching, engineering, and 
medicine. 



As part of a pencil and paper exercise, the occupations characteristics which were rated as most important 
included opportunity for advancement, job security, health benefits, and starting pay. 

Career Options 

Focus group participants were asked if they had considered other careers. Most participants had considered other 
career choices after high school. 

When the career of police officer was discussed, the conversations became more diverse. Many indicated they 
had not considered it. The job was considered by most to be dangerous, low paid, and socially unrewarding. 
Several participants said although they had considered it; they did not like the nature of the job. Others indicated 
they wouldnt be eligible. Most of the women said they would not consider job as police officer under any 
circumstances. 

Image of Suburban Police 

Suburban police departments were preceived to be better staffed, have better equipment and better service, 
particularly in terms of response time. Police officers in suburban communities were thought to be paid more and 
have better education. Suburban police were also perceived to be racist at worst and bored or scared at best. 

Image of Detroit Police Department 

While it was commonly held belief corruption is problem in the Detroit Police Department, participants were 
able to discern there were some good, hardworking police who were trying to improve the city by reducing crime. 

In general, participants felt the size of Detroit, the nature of the crimes, and the lack of resources were the basis for 
the negative image of the Detroit police force, rather than the officers themselves. 

Although most of the participants had stories about lack of response or encounters that ranged from insensitivity to 
incompetence, they seemed to be sympathetic to the Department as a whole. 

Policing as a Career 

Participants in each group were asked to describe the type of person who becomes police officer and what type 
of person should become police officer. The ideal personality for an applicant for the position of Detroit Police 
Officer would have respect for the law, as well as for power, but would not be petty or a power seeker. 

Desired qualities included the following: 

 Disciplined 
 Responsible 
 Sterner than the current police 
 Serious 
 Committed 
 No silliness 
 Fair 
 Good with people 

When asked if they would apply for job as a Detroit police officer in the future, most of the participants indicated 
they would not. This was due to the perception of low pay, poor benefits, and danger. 


Most participants were reasonably accurate in their estimates of the starting pay for a Detroit police officer 
($26,000  $28,000). Overall, they were uninformed as to the pay progression, the opportunities for advancement, 
and the level of pay a sergeant or lieutenant could attain after 3 to 8 years. 

Marketing Messages and Spokespersons 

When asked What would it take for the job to be more appealing to you? respondents indicated in addition to 
increasing the pay, they would have to have more inform tion. They also suggest the hiring standards be raised and 
require college for recruits. 

With the exception of those who had or were applying for jobs in law enforcement, there was virtually no 
information as to the various careers that are open to Detroit police officers. There was also little information about 
benefits offered to police. 

Respondents were asked how the Detroit Police Department should to about attracting more young applicants. 
Beyond raising salaries and improving both benefits and image, they said young people needed to know more about 
the opportunities available through the Detroit Police Department, and that they needed to learn about it in middle 
school or before. 

Participants in all of the mens focus groups suggested campaigns patterned after those being used by the Army, Air 
Force, and Marines because they show not only the diversity of job opportunities, but also the diversity of people 
doing those jobs. 

A discussion of preferred spokesperson indicated that police officer with experience would be effective. Each 
group had slightly different idea of what that officer should look like; mature but not old, authoritative, but not 
intimidating. Someone I can relate to, was the prevailing suggestion. 

Respondents were asked if the Detroit Chief of Police was present, What would they like to ask her about a career 
as a Detroit Police Officer? Some of the responses included: 

 Why is the pay so low? 
 Where does she see the reputation of the City going? 
 What are the life insurance benefits? 
 What are you doing to change the image? 
 How she made it through...What did she have to go through? 
 Was this a career choice? 
 Tell about the trial and tribulations? 
 Why wont you hire me? 


 
Appendix I 

Site Contact Information 

Sacramento Police Department
5770 Freeport Blvd., Suite 100  
Sacramento, CA 95822
Samantha Brinkley, Director of Personnel
William Donnoe, Ed.D., Consultant 

Burlington Police Department 
1 North Avenue  
Burlington, VT 05401 
Deputy Chief Stephen Wark, Project Manager
James Borrow, Project Coordinator 
William Nash, Ph.D, Consulting Psychologist

 

Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office 
2008 E. 8th Avenue  
T mp , FL 33605 
Colonel Carl Hawkins, HSS Project Manager
Lorelei Bowden, HSS Project Coordinator
Lt. Julie Edwars, HSS Project Implementation 
Consultants: Robin Inwald, Ph.D., Hilson Research 
Bill Blount, Ph.D., Research Coordinator 
Michael Brannick, Ph.D. 
David Bachrach, Innovations Group

Detroit Police Department 
14655 Dexter  
Detroit, MI 48238 
Lynise Bryrant, Personnel Director
Elsie Scott, Ph.D. Project Manager 
Consultant: Terry Eisenberg, Ph.D. 

King County Sheriffs Office 
516 Third Street  
Seattle, WA 98104
Ralph Cady, Personnel Director
Rebecca Connolly, Web Site Manager 
Consultants: Dunnette Group Ltd. 
Leatta Hough, Ph.D. 
Deniz S.Ones, Ph.D. 


For More Information: 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
1100 Vermont Avenue, N.W. 
Washington, D.C. 20530 

To obtain details on COPS programs, call the 
COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770 
Visit COPS Online at the address listed below. 

www.cops.usdoj.gov