CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT IS A PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT PLAN DEVELOPED BY THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DESIGNED TO FACILITATE A SYSTEMATIC AND EFFECTIVE USE OF THE DEPARTMENT'S HUMAN RESOURCES. THIS WORK, ONE OF A SERIES OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PUBLICATIONS FUNDED BY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATION, REPORTS THE FINDINGS OF THE FIRST YEAR'S OPERATION OF THIS SYSTEM. FOUR ELEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM ARE PRESENTED - THE IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS, THE IDENTIFICATION OF INDIVIDUAL OFFICER ATTRIBUTES AND INTERESTS, THE COMPARISON OF THESE ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS WITH HUMAN RESOURCES, AND THE DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS. A TASK FORCE APPROACH WAS USED TO INSURE A WIDE PARTICIPATION IN BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM. ONE OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TASK FORCE WAS THE FORMULATION OF A POSITION SPECIFICATION CATALOG LISTING DUTIES, REQUIREMENTS, AND OTHER DATA RELATING TO POSITIONS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. AN AUTOMATED PERSONNEL INFORMATION SYSTEM (APIS) IS SUGGESTED TO ALLOW RAPID COMPUTER ACCESS TO PERSONNEL RECORDS. CAREER COUNSELING, THE 'LINKING' COMPONENT OF THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM, IS ALSO DISCUSSED IN DEPTH. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS A SURVEY OF INDUSTRIAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT, A POSITION SPECIFICATIONS TASK FORCE MANUAL, AND AN APIS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. (SNI ABSTRACT)