Police Promotional Preparation
Specializing in individual and small group
promotional tutoring. We have been producing top candidates in all
ranks since 1999. Students will be able to practice with professional material
that simulates actual test. Mock scenarios are usually done prior to the test.
Written Exams are generally multiple–choice questions covering material
selected by the agency. We also have a list of recommended promotional books.
Administrators decide the quantity of written testable material, balanced with
time frame given to applicants to study.
Practice written exams can
be purchased for:
1 |
Be Know Do book |
2 |
BSO Policy Manuel, BSO
Legal Guidelines |
3 |
Coral Gabels; Policy &
Procedures, Directives, Rules & Regulations |
4 |
Critical Issues in
Policing 5 Edition, Dunham/ Alpert |
5 |
Davie PD SOP/
Bargaining Agreements |
6 |
Effective Police
Supervision, 5 edition. by Anderson publishing. |
7 |
Effective Supervision
Practices: better Results through teamwork 4th edition by ICMA. |
8 |
Emotional Survival for
Law Enforcement; by Gilmartin |
9 |
For The Record 6th
Edition |
10 |
Miami-Dade Legal
Guidelines, first 90 pages |
11 |
Police Administration
5th or 4th edition; by Swanson/Territo/Taylor |
12 |
Police Management 3rd
Edition by Lynch |
13 |
Supervision of Police
Personnel; 6 Edition, Iannone |
14 |
The 7 Habits for Law
enforcement; Executive Summary, Franklin Covey. |
15 |
The Servant Leader:
Unleashing the power of your people |
Written Exams can also be used to test writing ability by utilizing essay
questions. In
this type, the applicant is given several specific topics to write about in a
given time frame. Word processing can be used in a controlled environment.
Example: Stop & Frisk. The Supreme Court has recently
decided that flight a t the sight of the police in a high crime area in and of
itself constitutes ______. Wardlow v. Illinois
1. Insufficient and is protected
under the fourth amendment
2. Sufficient for investigative detention
3.
Probable cause
4.
Enough to follow but not
physically detain
Oral Board Interviews
are very common utilizing subject matter experts
from other agencies or having our team as assessors. There are two types of oral
interviews Structured or Unstructured. Done with strict guidelines, this type of
testing can be useful, especially as a financial factor for smaller agencies.
1. What have you done to
prepare yourself for this position during the last year?
2. What are your short range objectives?
3. What are your long range objectives?
4. What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?
5. Discuss leadership ethics.
Roll Call exercises
are usually done only for the Sergeants level and
comprise of delivering material at a simulated Roll Call to assessors utilizing
role players. Some of the criteria being measured is the applicant’s ability to
prioritize and decipher information, synopsis material, command presence and
group control.
Example: You are the supervisor on the evening shift.
At line-up, you notice you have three more officers than needed to cover
zone assignments. It is a heavy day. There are no special details you must take
care of except those problems which exist on this shift and within your package.
What will you do with these additional officers?
Community Meeting/ Media Interview
are used to test community relation
skills of the applicants, job knowledge, time management, information released,
decision making and communication skills. Role players make this
testing challenging.
Example: The residents of Silver Lakes Assoc. have
called for a special community crime meeting and have requested a representative
from your agency to present the agency’s plan to address current crime problems.
Your supervisor has assigned you the task. You have fifteen minutes to prepare your written plan
and fifteen minutes to present this plan.
Staff Presentation Exercise
in order to move ahead with initiatives and
programs most departments have positions that spearhead changes for the Chief.
This demands being able to sell concepts and ideas to staff, line supervisors
and even governing bodies such as county and city commissions. This exercise
measures the applicant’s ability to do research, conceptualize and
process ideas for implementation, while being able to present it in a sellable
fashion.
Example: the police department needs to cut $1 Million
from its budget.
Suppose each Officer=$100,000.
and civilians= $50,000. Where would you make the cuts? Why?
In-Basket
(structured or unstructured) are used to simulate a
supervisors daily work flow. The structured In-Basket can be also be done as a
written test and graded later by assessors. Prioritization, time management,
decision making, interpersonal skills and leadership are some of the areas
measured. Depending on the structured of the In-Basket, grammar, spelling and penmanship can also
be measured. This is the most time consuming of all the exercises, but it is one
of the best tools to measure multiple dimensions of leadership.
Item 1- Permit Application-
July 4th Parade utilizing Memorial Drive.
Item 2- Letter Department of
Transportation- Memorial Drive street closure for renovation July 1-7
Tactical
In today’s age of terrorism, target hardening, and Critical
incidents, having leaders in your organization able to make autocratic correct
decision on hot scenes is just as critical as the events themselves. This
testing utilizes the most current standard practices to measure how the
applicant deals with critical incidents. This type of testing is a great
addition to any other component of an assessment center or testing. There are
also two types of tactical:
One is the traditional questioning of a tactical situation which requires the
applicant to verbally answer scenario based questions. This testing can be done
with time/ event release of information, aerial photos or diagrams. This type
can be structured or unstructured.
Another type of Tactical is a written tactical with a predetermined list of
choices to select. This test can also be administered with time released
information.
Example: It is 8:30am Friday, dispatch advices of a Traffic Accident with
serous injuries with possible fatality. Helicopter landing anticipated.
Northern lane of major intersection blocked.
Citizen Complaints are very common exercise
for first line supervisors. It can be done with or without a role player and it
can measure the applicant’s ability to deal with the public. In short, it tests
interpersonal skills, job knowledge and a few other dimensions depending on the
scenario. It is also considered a Fact-Finding Exercise.
Example: Mrs. Rodriquez called the station and
advised Officer X stopped her 17yold daughter for a taillight violation. Daughter
came home in tears said Officer X propositioned her then searcher her. Officer
X says she came on to him and asked him to meet her after work, but he
refused.
Leaderless Group is usually utilized for Lieutenant testing. A small
group of same rank applicants, all of whom are competing against each other for
promotion is tasked with a project. Evaluators grade their involvement,
participation, conflict resolution, and decision making during their discussion.
Leaderless Group exercises are one of the least used methods due to the
unpredictable directions that group dynamics can cause.
Example: The Chief wants to implement a
performance evaluation system for the department’s patrol officers. However, the
chief is unsure as to which types of evaluation system should be used. Therefore, he has formed an advisory group
of supervisors to discuss the matter and to make a recommendation.
Employee Counseling
can be utilized for any rank and deals ewith basic
supervision applicable even in the private sector. This is one of the oldest
testing scenarios. It measures a multitude of dimensions that can help weed out
weaker supervisors. It is also considered a Fact-Finding Exercise. This type of
exercise can also be part of the Oral Board or a role player exercise.
Example: It is one hour before roll-call. Officer
Bruiser has called to tell you that his father-in-law is gravely ill and being
admitted to ICU. He wants the night off to be with his wife. You know the
Officer has a pending divorce with his wife and has not spoken with her for
months. Approving his request would put you two below minimum staffing. How
would you handle this situation?
Questioner/ Résumé
Exercise-
In this type of exercise applicants are
asked to turn in a work history and accomplishment Resume. This Résumé's are
graded on a set criterion (usually set by the employer) with points given, for
example, number of specialized assignments, etc.
Example: Measuring- Education, Training, Supervisory experience,
Well rounded, Calm-decisive in stress, Community activities, Fair and impartial
treatment, high level integrity
Video Simulation Exercise- is a written assessment exercise in which a
candidate views a police related scenario on a video monitor and is then asked
questions about the appropriateness of the actions taken by the officers
portrayed in the scenario.
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