Police Assessment Testing: An Assessment Center Handbook for Law Enforcement Personnel.

Police Assessment Testing: An Assessment Center Handbook for Law Enforcement Personnel by John L. Coleman, Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, Springfield, Illinois, 2002.

Selecting and maintaining competent law enforcement personnel at all levels is a never-ending and critical task. Law enforcement agencies focus testing of new hires and promotions of onboard personnel based on methods, such as a written examination, time in the department, and demonstrated performance, all of which represent necessary criteria. Some departments use the assessment center testing process integrated with these other methods for a more comprehensive assessment effort.

Police Assessment Testing: An Assessment Center Handbook for Law Enforcement Personnel is an outstanding handbook for departments using the assessment center process, planning to implement the integrated concept, or in need of professional assistance in upgrading their current testing procedures. The author commences the handbook with assessment center testing evolution, advantages, and disadvantages, along with sound performance strategies. The handbook identifies valuable information for the candidate of any position, recruit or rank-and-file member, concerning the "how to" in developing the necessary attitude and approach to participate in an assessment center testing challenge.

The work contains an analysis involving previous legal actions against departments, including 10 actual case law summaries and court rulings with an accompanying observation statement for each case. One chapter addresses 14 key areas that assessment centers should consider. It identifies how a candidate in the assessment process must display the dominant skills required during the in-basket exercise testing. The chapter further identifies dominant skills and how those skills should be displayed in critical areas while participating in leader and leaderless group exercises. To assist in each exercise, the author has provided an example of a written instruction sheet for the reader to use to ensure proper assessment of the candidate.

Included in the handbook is an exercise that deals with effectively handling a counseling situation, with emphasis on the critical dominant skills to be tested in each candidate. The author presents a chapter on effective documentation of a problem analysis exercise that covers a candidate's performance display, or lack thereof, while appearing before the assessment center process.

Although this police assessment testing handbook contains several strong points, three significant ones rise above all of the others. First, a total of 30 dimensional skills are identified that may or may not be dominant in current departments, supported with a listing of seven sound tips that most departments can implement. Second, one chapter contains the principles of handling 16 different in-basket exercise examples that require candidate responses with numerous identified skills. Some of these skills include decision making, development of subordinates, and judgment and planning. Third, the handbook has an in-basket dimension matrix that identifies which of the dominant skills fall in specified overlapping areas, such as dealing with people, analysis, problem solving, organizing, leadership, and accountability, in and out of group situations.

Police Assessment Testing: An Assessment Center Handbook for Law Enforcement Personnel is essential for all law enforcement agencies at the city, county, state, and federal levels that are using or needing to use a well-designed and documented integrated process of selection and promotion of personnel. It is a vital tool for law enforcement commissioners, managers, administrators, and supervisors, as well as line and staff members. Most elements of the handbook may be considered for training in the academy setting and in-service programs to give members an idea of what to expect during the process. As a handbook, it also contains information for procedure and policy writers, citizen review boards, and the university classroom setting.

Reviewed by Major Larry R. Moore (Ret.)

U.S. Army Military Police Corps 

Certified Emergency Manager

International Association of Emergency Managers 

Knoxville, Tennessee