THE FAIRFAX COUNTY ASSESSMENT STRATEGY INVOLVES A GROUP ORAL, AN IN-BASKET EXERCISE, AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS. IN THE GROUP ORAL, CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN SEVERAL WRITTEN PROBLEMS AND ARE TOLD TO TAKE THE POSITION OF A TASK FORCE CONVENED BY THE POLICE CHIEF TO DISCUSS AN ISSUE. ASSESSORS ARE TRAINED TO LOOK FOR LEADERS WHO COULD DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISSUES AND IDENTIFY POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS. THE IN-BASKET EXERCISE WAS DEVELOPED AFTER A JOB ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED AT THE DIFFERENT RANKS. EACH CANDIDATE IS ASKED TO ASSUME THE ROLE OF A CERTAIN POLICE SUPERVISOR IN A GIVEN DEPARTMENT AND IS GIVEN ADDITIONAL FACTS. THE CANDIDATES THEN RESPOND TO A SERIES OF 10 EXERCISES, SOME OF WHICH ARE SEVERAL PAGES IN LENGTH. RESPONSES WERE REQUIRED WITHIN 75 MINUTES. ASSESSORS HAD DEVELOPED A LIST OF REASONABLE RESPONSES FOR EACH OF THE EXERCISES TO MAINTAIN RATING CONSISTENCY. THE EXERCISES WHICH INVOLVED CONFLICTING DATES AND SCHEDULES, EMPHASIZED CANDIDATES, ABILITY TO ESTABLISH PRIORITIES AND PICK OUT CENTRAL ISSUES FOR EACH CASE, EXPLAIN REASONS FOR THEIR HANDLING OF THE ISSUES, AND RECOMMEND SPECIFIC ACTION ON EACH ITEM. A ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW FOLLOWS TO CLARIFY THE CANDIDATE RESPONSES. IN PART A OF THE ORAL PRESENTATION, CANDIDATES REVIEW THE FACTS OF A POLICE INCIDENT AND PRESENT A PRESS CONFERENCE. IN PART B, CANDIDATES PREPARE AN ORAL PRESENTATION DESCRIBING THEIR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE RANK BEING SOUGHT AND THEIR VIEW OF THE JOB. ALL CANDIDATES BELIEVE THE PROCESS TO BE MUCH BETTER THAN THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF EVALUATING PERSONNEL. THE KEYS TO ITS SUCCESS IS THE QUALITY AND TRAINING OF THE ASSESSORS, THE QUALITY OF THE EXAMINATION MATERIALS AND EVALUATION INSTRUMENTS, AND FEEDBACK TO THE PARTICIPANTS. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE INCLUDED. (AOP)