RESEARCH WAS UNDERTAKEN TO LEARN AS FULLY AS POSSIBLE EXACTLY WHAT ACTIVITIES OR JOB BEHAVIORS ARE CRITICAL TO EFFECTIVENESS OR INEFFECTIVENESS IN FOUR DIFFERENT POLICE JOBS - GENERAL PATROL OFFICER, PATROL SERGEANT, INVESTIGATOR/DETECTIVE, AND THE INTERMEDIATE COMMAND FUNCTION. THE CRITICAL DIMENSIONS OF POLICE PERFORMANCE WERE USED TO DESIGN NEW METHODS OF RATING CURRENT JOB PERFORMANCE EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICE OFFICERS AND TO DESIGN SIMULATIONS AND STANDARDIZED SITUATIONAL TASKS FOR EVALUATING CANDIDATES FOR PLACEMENT OR PROMOTION. THE PRODUCTS OF THIS RESEARCH INCLUDE AN INVENTORY USED IN PRELIMINARY SCREENING OF APPLICANTS AND CANDIDATES CALLED THE POLICE CAREER INDEX AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT REGIONAL ASSESSMENT CENTERS. (SNI ABSTRACT)