A psychological study of self, peer, and citizen ratings of police performance

Abstract

Police performance ratings as measured by the Job Performance Description Scales (JPDS) for police and developed by Heckman, Grover, Dunnette, and Johnson (1972) were evaluated. Descriptive data in the form of self ratings, peer ratings, performance data, psychological tests (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Strong Vocational Interest Blank and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), and citizen ratings of police were obtained from the police in a southeastern industrial city (Birmingham, Alabama) and the population served by those police. Analysis revealed significant differences between police precincts on various scales of all instruments except the psychological tests, Various questions on the self, peer, and performance data instruments were successfully used to predict citizen ratings of perceived police effectiveness. This evaluative and predictive study provided evidence on the validity and utility of selection and screening tests in conjunction with behaviorally anchored rating scales and their external validation by use of citizen ratings.