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Psychology Test, Suits and Minority Applicants

NCJ Number
115820
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 62 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-March 1989) Pages: 22-30
Author(s)
C A Winters
Date Published
1989
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The use of a standardized psychological test or an oral psychological interview to deny someone employment as a police officer places a police department at risk for a lawsuit based on discrimination.
Abstract
The only way that police agencies can use such tests to screen out any applicant is to make the test job-related or to have independent corroborating data to support a decision. Employment discrimination cases can be brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These cases are expensive and time-consuming. Employers should be aware of judicial decisions that require that tests administered by an employer be 'content valid.' Thus, the test makers must have done proper job analysis, the test must be related to and representative of the content of the job, and the test must be scorable so that it can properly distinguish between who can and who cannot perform the job well. However, written psychology tests generally lack effective validation research in the area of law enforcement screening. In addition, oral psychiatric interviews can be challenged due to their subjectivity and the lack of validation research. Moreover, the Federal court in the case of Grizzell v. Jackson Police Department has ruled that the MMPI has a disparate impact on blacks. Therefore, police agencies should generally use psychology tests as selection procedures only in conjunction with other selection procedures. 28 references.