THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A LEVELING OFF IN THE USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING IN THE 1960'S FOR POLICE OFFICER SELECTION. ALTHOUGH MANY STUDIES PROVIDE NO SUPPORT FOR THE USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING, THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE INDICATING THE USEFULNESS OF PERSONAL HISTORY DATA, SITUATIONAL TESTING, AND SOME WRITTEN TESTS FOR POLICE OFFICER SELECTION. THE ASSESSMENT CENTER APPROACH HAS SEVERAL ADVANTAGES OVER TRADITIONAL PAPER-AND-PENCIL TEST AND INTERVIEW SELECTION METHODS. THE BASIS OF ITS ADVANTAGES LIES IN THE SIMULATION OF REAL LIFE SITUATIONS IN WHICH APPLICANTS CAN BE APPRAISED. TYPICAL ASSESSMENT CENTER EXERCISES INCLUDE BOTH GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR SAMPLES TO FORM A COMPOSITE PICTURE OF EACH APPLICANT. ASSESSMENT CENTER TECHNIQUES WERE EMPLOYED IN THE SELECTION PROCESS USED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN FORT COLLINS, COLO. THE GOAL OF THE ASSESSMENT CENTER SELECTION PROCESS WAS THE HIRING OF POLICE OFFICERS FROM A POOL OF APPLICANTS BY DETERMINING WHICH APPLICANTS SHOWED THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO PERFORM AS POLICE OFFICERS. PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS WERE IDENTIFIED AS MOTIVATION FOR POLICE WORK, SELF-ASSERTION AND SELF-CONFIDENCE, EMOTIONAL STABILITY UNDER STRESS, SENSITIVITY AND SOCIAL SENSE, FLEXIBILITY IN HANDLING COMPLEX SITUATIONS, MATURE RELATIONSHIP TO AUTHORITY, ORAL COMMUNICATION, ETHICAL-MORAL CHARACTER, PRACTICAL JUDGMENT, GENERAL PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS, INTELLIGENCE AND APTITUDE, AND HEALTH. THESE DIMENSIONS FORMED THE BASIS FOR THE SELECTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF APPLICANT SCREENING METHODS. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ASSESSMENT CENTER TECHNIQUES ARE ENUMERATED, AND A FLOW CHART OF SCREENING ACTIVITIES FOR POLICE APPLICANTS IS INCLUDED. (DEP)