midterm Flashcards
What is police psychology?
The delivery of psychological services to and on behalf of police agencies, their executives, and employees, involving the application of psychology to policing and research to inform applied practice.
What do police psychologists do?
They perform tasks in assessment, intervention, operational support, and consulting roles.
What do Canadian police psychologists look like according to the 2013 survey?
30 psychologists participated, 93% were Caucasian, 17 males, 13 females, with an average of 14.17 years working with the police
What are the main challenges faced by police psychologists in Canada?
Lack of funding, difficult security clearance procedures, limited officer cooperation with research, and miscommunication between psychologists and officers.
What ethical issues do police psychologists face regarding confidentiality?
They must respect confidentiality, inform individuals about its limits, and determine exceptions when there’s a duty to warn someone of harm.
What ethical challenges do police psychologists face related to competence?
They must only provide services in areas where they are qualified and ensure they stay current with scientific and professional information.
What ethical concerns are associated with multiple roles for police psychologists?
Psychologists often have more than one relationship with clients, requiring openness and clear discussions about roles to avoid conflicts.
What is evidence-based policing (EBP)?
A movement where police practices are based on scientific evidence about what works best in policing strategies, policies, and programs.
What is the primary goal of evidence-based policing (EBP)?
To answer the question “What works in policing?” through rigorous research for developing sound strategies and policies.
What are common methods used in evidence-based policing?
Spatial-temporal crime mapping, surveys, qualitative interviews, observational field research, systematic literature reviews, and randomized control trials (RCTs).
What is the EBP Matrix?
A tool that categorizes evaluation studies of policing strategies based on type, proactivity, and specificity, to assess their effectiveness.
What does the EBP Matrix reveal about policing strategies?
Proactive, place-based, focused strategies tend to be more effective, while reactive, individual-focused strategies are often less effective or may backfire.
What is the Crime Reduction Toolkit?
A framework (EMMIE) designed to evaluate crime reduction strategies based on effect, mechanism, moderators, implementation, and economic assessment.
What are the key components of the Crime Reduction Toolkit’s EMMIE framework?
Effectiveness, mechanisms, moderators, implementation, and economic assessment of crime reduction strategies.
How does evidence-based policing differ from traditional policing methods?
EBP moves away from decisions based on untested assumptions, experience, and gut instinct, focusing instead on scientific research and evidence.
What is police recruitment?
Police recruitment involves activities like advertising campaigns and career fairs to attract potential applicants to policing, with the goal of developing a pool of qualified individuals.
What is police selection?
The process by which police agencies select officers from a pool of applicants, either by screening out those with undesirable qualities or selecting in those with desirable qualities.
What does the screening out process in police selection focus on?
Screening out focuses on identifying undesirable qualities such as failure to meet essential requirements, serious physical or mental health issues, serious drug or alcohol use, or criminal activity.
What are desirable qualities focused on during the police selection process?
Desirable qualities include fitness, cognitive aptitude, personality, knowledge, and personal qualities like honesty, reliability, and problem-solving skills.
What does a typical police selection process in Canada (e.g., RCMP) involve?
Steps include an online application, entrance assessment, interviews, background checks, health assessments, and security clearance.
What are the three stages of research in developing a police selection procedure?
The three stages are job analysis, construction of selection instruments, and validation of these instruments.
What happens during the job analysis stage of police selection research?
The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to be a good police officer are defined through methods like surveys, interviews, and observational research.
What are potential challenges in the job analysis stage?
Challenges include identifying stable KSAs, differences in KSAs required for different roles, and ensuring KSAs meet legal criteria.
What occurs in the construction stage of police selection research?
Instruments to measure KSAs are developed using methods like background checks, interviews, exams, personality questionnaires, and situational tests.
What challenges might arise during the construction of police selection instruments?
Challenges include deciding whether to use pre-existing tools or create new ones, assessing difficult-to-measure KSAs, and determining the best method (e.g., interviews vs. tests).
