Course Details

Course TitleSPCP 2025 - Pre-Employment Psychological Screening of Peace Officers: Why the Candidates of 25, 50, or 100 Years Ago Look Different Than Today
Date 9/26/2025
ProviderSociety for Police and Criminal Psychology Annual Conference
Phone 
Emailconference@policepsychology.org
Website https://www.policepsychology.org/conference
LocationAnaheim, CA
Credit Hours0.5
Instructor(s)S. McKinny, CalHR, Psychologist
Method of InstructionWorkshop/Seminar
Approving AgencyAPA
Course Syllabus

Course Description

Pre-employment psychological screenings have evolved from (only) one non-police psychologist (Lewis Terman) administering (only) the Stanford revision of the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale to 30 (only) American born (only) men (only) 21 to 38 year olds and (only) for speculative results to hire (only) "policemen" and "firemen." 50 years later, three critical incidents (i.e., the 1963 Onion Field, the 1965 Watts Riots, and the 1966 Austin Tower shooting) as well as the Presidential Commission (1967) and the National Advisory Commission (1967) led to the expansion of psychologist roles and applications in law enforcement and, in turn, more advanced psychological screenings. The post-9/11 era brought a new focus on counterterrorism, The Patriot Act, military policing strategies, and using force to respond to threats. 21st Century policing aimed to attract a wider range of candidates, including women, people of color, and those seeking "white-collar" status with a focus on service. Since COVID, the MMPI-3 was released, and candidates continue to evolve.

Course Objectives