ABSTRACT
As central parties responsible for selecting prospective police officers and other law enforcement employees to work in municipal or governmental agencies, psychologists are charged with screening out applicants showing instability, bad judgment, addictive tendencies, and other traits incompatible with successful functioning as peace officers. Apart from administering standardized tests and reviewing applicants’ background records, they must employ face-to-face interviews to assess the demeanor, candor, and intelligences of those potential police officers. That portion of the evaluative process—where the applicant provides unexpected or spontaneous revelations during the oral interview—is this chapter’s principal concern.
