The reliability of the behavioral‐personnel assessment device (B‐PAD) in selecting police recruits Available to Purchase

A recent entry into the police selection tools market has been the behavioral‐personnel assessment device (B‐PAD). Applicants view videotaped scenarios and are instructed to respond as if they were the officer handling the situation. Participant responses are preserved on tape for subsequent review by panels of three raters. Given the instrument’s limited reliability checks to date and literature that questions the reliability of the oral board process, the present study examines whether B‐PAD ratings are influenced by the demographic backgrounds of raters and ratees. The data were based on 113 subjects exposed to eight scenarios graded by panels of three judges. The results indicate that B‐PAD scores are independent of rater race and sex, as well as ratee race and sex. While the B‐PAD appears to be reliable and free from bias, the study cautions that a need for an independent validity check still remains.