Police psychology has been a rapidly growing field since the 1960s (see Bartol, 1996; Kurke and Scrivner, 1995; Reese and Horn, 1988; Reiser, 1982; Scrivner, 2006). Today, it is typical for police departments to rely on police psychologists for support of organizational activities. Primarily, though, psychologists are expected to conduct personality assessments to help select candidates for employment and assess whether an officer is fit for duty during the initial hiring process or following various points throughout the officer's career. However, the unfortunate caveat to the quickly developing occupation is that there is a lack of practical and scholarly resources available to police psychologists that supply specificity and guidance with regard to recent, common, and best practices. Weiss and his colleagues set out to remedy this shortcoming through their book Personality Assessment in Police Psychology: A 21st Century Perspective.
In spite of surprisingly frequent typos and grammatical errors, the book provides a “how‐to” approach to personality assessments in policing and targets currently practicing police psychologists and those aspiring to become police psychologists. In targeting these specific populations, the book acts as a tool for practitioners to use as a manual for strategies that are often depended on in the field along with assessing their own methods. Moreover, budding practitioners and students of police psychology may use it to recognize how to best proceed in viewing job expectations and challenges. Several qualified contributors offer solid input into the demands, potential pitfalls, benefits, and justifications of personality assessments in policing. The text also identifies professional difficulties in the development of trust and credibility among individual officers and in the general department.
Though the content of the text is very specific in its analysis and recommendations, as was intended, and the style in which it is written lends itself to a range of readers between upper‐level undergraduates through professional degree students and practitioners. In general, the format of the book also allows the reader to recognize the main facets of police psychology. With that being said, Weiss explains in the introduction to the book that this volume is not intended to be an all encompassing text that covers all subjects in detail and depth. Rather, it is designed to be an introduction and guide to the major aspects of being a police psychologist, placing particular emphasis on personality assessments of policing personnel. In this effort, the book succeeds easily and well.
Due to the complex nature of the job, an all‐encompassing book would be impractical on several levels. The authors recognize this, yet they are able to provide a thorough description of the job and its perks and problems. One such element that I, as a criminal justice scholar, must emphasize to anyone who is considering using this book for personal or teaching purposes is the importance of the police subculture and the interpersonal relationships between officers and the supervising brass. This political dynamic is discussed briefly in chapter two and in more detail among chapters scattered through Part IV. The significance of this political dynamic in shaping work within a police organization cannot be stressed enough.
Although Weiss supplies a precise and brief summary of the history of policing psychology, the authors do not establish a theoretical basis for the reader to evaluate the methods used by police psychologists, though that basis is consistently and understandably assumed throughout the text. The authors do however, report many advantages and disadvantages of commonly used personality assessment tools. Such discussions are thorough in their emphasis on credible empirical evaluations as well as of key court decisions in each tool's use in the job placement and policing sector. For instance, chapters three through eight (in Part II) present the commonly relied on assessment instruments in police psychology: the MMPI‐2, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI), the Rorschach Comprehensive System, and the M‐PULSE inventory. This string of chapters is arguably the essence of the text for most beginning practitioners as each of these tests are explained in moderate to high detail regarding delivery, situational appropriateness, and reliability in scales and output. In their description of each instrument, Weiss and his colleagues illustrate how, when, and why each test is and should be administered, as well as how assessments can be problematic when used in the wrong circumstance. Rightfully so, these discussions are often in the context of ethical issues surrounding the profession. In these instances, the authors strongly advocate for strict adherence to guidelines set by organizations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the American Psychological Association (APA).
The only inherent downside to the book is its tailored specificity. As it is a text that focuses on such a narrow topic as personality assessments in policing, in spite of the field's many other facets, the uses for it will inevitably mirror the focus. Few graduate programs could use this book as it does not provide enough depth with regard to the personality assessment concentration of each chapter. Even a seminar that touches on several topics in practical psychology would be hard‐pressed to find it very useful. Unfortunately even fewer undergraduate programs would be able to utilize this book outside of single chapters due to the text's specificity and the breadth which most undergraduate classes are designed to maintain. Subsequently, the only potential classroom usage would be a program tailored specially for psychology practices in criminal justice fields. In the same regard, the only colleagues whom I would suggest this book to are those teaching or practicing in the policing psychology field, and possibly to colleagues researching a topic in policing or psychology that closely relates to the areas discussed in the book.
In somewhat separate light, there is the question as to how a book like this will impact the way police recruits will not only respond to the tests given and to psychologists if it becomes commonly read among cadets. While there is a somewhat extensive presentation as to what to do and how to look for “faking good” scenarios where officers or cadets are trying to supply a false answer in an attempt to make themselves seem like a better candidate or fit for duty, there is the potential that recruits and acting officers may prove to be troublesome for the general reliability of policing personality assessments. Similarly, I question the manner in which a book like this will impact the relationships among officers, cadets, brass, and psychologists if the book becomes a typical read among the client population.
Overall, the book does not add to the current knowledge regarding practice and some research on police psychology and the operational use of personality assessments. However, its significance is more so realized in the way it centralizes what is known about current practices and how they may hinder or favor the police psychologist function. This book is only worth investing in if you are one of previously mentioned targeted readers, for whom it may become one of the most useful tools available.
