cliifs sergeant examination preparation guide, 2nd edition · police chiefs and personnel directors...

POLICE SERGEANT

EXAMINATION

Preparation Guide, 2nd Edition

The Way of the Sergeant

By Larry F. Jetmore, Ph.D.

Captain, retiredHartford, Connecticut

Police Department

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Cliffs™ Police Sergeant Examination Preparation Guide, 2nd Edition

Published byIDG Books Worldwide, Inc.An International Data Group Company919 E. Hillsdale Blvd.Suite 400Foster City, CA 94404www.idgbooks.com (IDG Books Worldwide Web site)www.cliffs.com (Cliffs Web site)

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Any project as complex as writing a reference book involves many people otherthan the author. In particular, I would like to thank Professor Jerry Edelwich for hisencouragement and helpful comments; Michele Spence, editor of Cliffs Notes, forher faith in me and in this project; my daughter, Amy Heald, for the many hours shespent typing the manuscript; and of course my wife, Judy, who is the inspirationbehind all that I am.

Larry Jetmore, Ph.D

Other books by Larry Jetmore, Ph.D.

Cliffs Police Officer Examination Preparation GuideCliffs Police Management Examination Preparation Guide

The Path of the Warrior

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forewordThe method by which people are selected for supervisory positions in police

departments is gradually shifting from the traditional 100-question written exam andsubsequent oral examination to a variety of innovative testing systems. Progressivepolice chiefs and personnel directors have recognized the limitations of traditionaltesting and are searching for ways to make the examination process more job-relatedand a better indicator of which candidates have the knowledge, skills, abilities, andpersonal traits necessary to be a successful police sergeant. Although written examsand oral boards continue to be the most frequently used tests, many cities and townsare now incorporating modified assessment center testing and situational exercisesinto the examination process. Such additions to the testing process often include struc-tured essay questions or videotapes recreating an incident requiring supervisory action(such as a hostage situation), followed by candidates taking written tests or oral exam-inations that assess how they would handle the incident as police sergeants. Othertesting processes use exercises in which candidates assume the role of police ser-geants who must resolve situations through interaction with actors playing the partsof civilians or police employees. Because of these changes to testing procedures, thisedition has been updated to show you how to achieve high scores, whether traditionalexaminations or these new types of tests are used in your city or town.

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vii

contents1 the path to the way

FIRST STEPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

BEFORE THE TEST ANNOUNCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6WHAT’S ON THE TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Generic and Procedural Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7THE TEST ANNOUNCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Eligibility Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Duties and Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Example of Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Methods of Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Submitting Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Resumes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2 footprints along the path

WRITTEN TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

APPEALING WRITTEN TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17CONSTRUCTING WRITTEN TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Test Validity and Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Advantages of Multiple-Choice Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Predicting Future Competence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

MOTIVATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20STUDYING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Arranging Study Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Highlighting Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Repeating the Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Other Important Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Reading Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Practicing Test-Taking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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TAKING THE MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Your Physical Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Test Booklet and Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Understanding Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Marking Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Returning to Unanswered Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Changing Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

3 language along the path

ORAL TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33The Difference Between Oral and Written Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33The Oral Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Other Types of Oral Examinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35More About Your Panelists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36The Dimensions of the Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Conducting the Traditional Oral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Conducting the Technical Oral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Conducting Oral Exams That Include Mini In-Basket

Scenarios, Video Presentations, or Situational Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42PREPARING FOR YOUR ORAL TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

POSDCORB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Answering Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Creating Your Own Mock Oral Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Achieving High Scores on Oral Exams that Include Mini In-Basket Scenarios,

Video Presentations, or Situational Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Other Significant Factors in Your Test Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Checklists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

APPEARING BEFORE THE ORAL BOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Resumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61First Impression/Last Impression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63The Panelists’ Viewpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63A Flash to the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Back to the Present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Questions Frequently Asked on Oral Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

4 crosswords along the path

THE ASSESSMENT CENTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79History of Assessment Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79How Situational Exercises Are Developed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80How Assessment Centers Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

PREPARING FOR THE ASSESSMENT CENTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83The In-Basket Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83The Supervisor/Subordinate Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88The Leaderless Discussion Group Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90The Community Meeting Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Important Elements in the Physical Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Certifying the Promotion List (Rules of Three and Five) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

5 theory and concept study guide

STUDY GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

LEADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Leadership Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

MOTIVATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Motivational Theories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

DISCIPLINING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Types of Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

COMMUNICATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112What Is Communication? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113The Sergeant’s Role in the Communication Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Effective Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

DELEGATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Roadblocks to Delegation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116How to Delegate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

CONTROLLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116SUPERVISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

What the Department Expects from Its Sergeants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117EVALUATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Formal Evaluation Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Informal Evaluation Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

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6 multiple-choice practice tests

ANSWER SHEET FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125ANSWER SHEET FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

SCORING MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Self-Evaluation Topic Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

ANSWERS AND ANALYSIS FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 1 . . . . . . . 151

MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

SCORING MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Self-Evaluation Topic Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

ANSWERS AND ANALYSIS FOR MULTIPLE-CHOICE PRACTICE TEST 2 . . . . . . 182

7 oral practice test

ORAL BOARD QUESTIONS AND ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

8 assessment center practice test

HOW TO TAKE THE IN-BASKET PRACTICE TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

IN-BASKET EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211IN-BASKET ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221PHONE CALLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259INDEX OF IN-BASKET EXERCISE ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF IN-BASKET EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Prioritized Items, Phone Calls, and Model Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

9 glossary of key terms

GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

the path

11THE PATH

TO THE WAY

FIRST STEPS

Now that you fully understand how vital it is to commit yourself to achieving yourgoal, it’s time to take some preliminary steps. First, get yourself a set of sergeant’s stripes— from your department’s supply clerk, the store that has your uniform account, or a mil-itary-supply outlet. While you’re out shopping, also pick up the following supplies:

1. Some highlighters. Get red, yellow, and blue — not little skinny ones, but the nice,big, fat ones.

2. A package of rubber bands, the thick kind.3. Three or four large, loose-leaf notebooks, the ones that have three giant rings.4. About 300 three-by-five, white index cards.5. A tape recorder and some blank tapes.6. Three stuffed animals. Get large ones, preferably a lion, a tiger, and a bear.

Sound silly? It gets worse! Now take one of the sergeant’s stripes and tape it on your bath-room mirror. From now until test day, it will be the first thing you see in the morning andthe last thing you see at night. Take the second sergeant’s stripe and carry it with you wher-ever you go, on or off duty. In the martial arts, we call this technique continuous concen-tration. In psychology, it’s termed visualization. This simple process will help keep yourmind focused on your goal. In today’s fast-paced world, there are many people and manythings that distract you — that can keep you from concentrating on your objective. Youneed to develop a variety of techniques to increase both your attention and your motiva-tion so that you’ll stay focused on your studies. See yourself as a sergeant; convince your-self that you have what it takes. Getting promoted to the rank of police sergeant is moredifficult than achieving other ranks. There are more competitors, and you may not havehad the advantage of taking previous promotional exams. By making sergeant at your firstopportunity, you start building the time in grade necessary to become eligible for the lieu-tenant’s exam.

Take a long, slow look around at who’s wearing sergeant’s stripes right now in yourdepartment. If they can do it, so can you. We both know that you sneaked that sergeant’sstripe up on the sleeve of your uniform to see how it would look. If you’re willing to paythe price by studying and perfecting your craft, the next person wearing sergeant’s stripesin your department will be you!

The purpose for the other items on your shopping list will be explained later.

When a man is no longer anxious to do better than well,he’s done for.

—Anonymous

Cliffs Poli e Sergeant xamination Preparation G ide 2 • 8538-X Ch01 5 • Chapter 1 • MbT • 9/24/99 • 6

6 / THE PATH TO THE WAY

BEFORE THE TEST ANNOUNCEMENTMany officers make the mistake of waiting for a “test announcement” to be posted

before they begin to study. Achievers, on the other hand, are always studying for the nexttest, and you can’t afford to wait if you want to be competitive. If your organization’s rumormill is rumbling about a sergeant’s test coming up, it’s probably true. In most jurisdictions,the sergeants’ list (those who took the last test are put on an eligible list according to theirfinal test scores) is kept in effect for two and sometimes even three years before expiring.Naturally, if lieutenants or above are promoted or retire, the sergeant’s level will eventu-ally have some vacancies. It’s also common for departments to allow for the extension ofthe eligible list for one additional year, mainly because of the cost of creating and admin-istering promotional examinations.

Check your department’s seniority list to see how many officers have the necessarytenure to be eligible for sergeant (know who your competitors are) or who currently aresergeants and could retire soon. Historically, raises and other benefits specified by thelabor-management contract have a bearing on when officers choose to retire, creatingvacancies that may motivate your agency to administer a promotional exam.

Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.—Benjamin Franklin

WHAT’S ON THE TESTThere are other significant things you can do before the promotional examination

announcement is officially posted. Find out the names of the officers who took the last ser-geant and lieutenant exams and who came out No. 1 and No. 2 on each list. Officers who’vebeen promoted are eager to talk about how they “aced the test.” They’ll usually be willingto answer any of your questions, and there’s nothing wrong with picking the brains of peo-ple who’ve already succeeded. Your competition will be doing the same thing. Ask thesepeople the following questions:

1. What type of examination did you take? Was it a written test, consisting of multi-ple-choice questions? Did it contain any true/false or essay questions?

2. What were the major subject areas covered? Was it patrol-supervision oriented? Didit ask questions about criminal investigation, crime scenes, lost-time management,etc.?

3. What type of marking system was used to correct the written exam? Did wronganswers count against you or were only correct answers totaled? Were those whoscored less than 70% allowed to take the oral examination or were they eliminatedfrom the process?

4. How long did you have to wait to receive your score? Was it immediately correctedby computer or was there an extended wait?

5. What type of oral examination was given — one oral with three panelists or a seriesof different orals scheduled throughout the day or over a series of days? Was it a“technical” oral or a “traditional” oral?

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6. Were assessment center situational exercises used? If so, what type of exercises?Were role-players used? Videos?

7. What books were listed on the examination reference posting? Do you still havethem? If so, may I borrow them? From which books were most of the questionstaken?

8. Was a physical examination part of the promotional process? What did the physicalexam cover: blood pressure, eyesight, sugar test, height/weight restrictions, body fatcomposition?

9. Did the test cover department orders and procedures, rules and regulations, depart-ment manuals?

Because the source material that promotional examinations are derived from (bookson policing, department orders, rules and regulations, procedural manuals, training bul-letins, etc.) change infrequently, it’s likely that the material used on the last test will alsobe used on yours. Promotional exams are extremely costly to create and administer, andgiven the reality of shrinking city budgets, it’s not always cost-effective to create a newtest. Undoubtedly, there will have been new court decisions and department orders or pro-cedures since the last time the test was given; however, concepts evolve slowly in our pro-fession. For example, topic areas, such as “span of control” or “unity of command” havechanged very little over the past ten years. So it’s worth the investment to obtain thesematerials and begin to study before the official examination announcement. In largerdepartments, you can find promotional reference material in the police academy library.In smaller organizations, check with your department’s training officer to see if you canget a copy of the last test announcement. The books and materials used for that exam willbe listed. You can buy or order the books at your local bookstore and find the other studymaterial in department binders or manuals. The following reference sources have oftenbeen used in the past by test analysts in creating police promotional examinations and area valuable addition to any police officer’s library.

• Iannone, N. F. Supervision of Police Personnel, 5th Edition. Prentice Hall, EnglewoodCliffs, New Jersey, 1994.

• Osterburg, James W. & Ward, Richard H. Criminal Investigation: A Method of Recon-structing the Past. Anderson Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1996.

• Wilson, O. W. Police Administration. McGraw Hill, New York, 1977.• Geller, William A. Local Government Police Management. The International City Man-

agement Association, Washington, DC, 1991.

A head start in the studying process will pay you large dividends on test day. It’s beenmy experience that high promotional test scores are directly related to the amount of effortexpended in preparing and studying.

Generic and Procedural Questions

Ordinarily, there are two types of test questions used in written and oral police exam-inations — generic and procedural. Generic questions are not specific to the duties per-formed by a sergeant in your department. They are broad in scope and deal with a

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generalization of what all sergeants should do in any police department. Proceduralquestions are specific to what a sergeant in your department would be required to dobased on its orders, guidelines, procedures, and rules and regulations. For example, ifthe exam question deals with setting up a command post in an emergency situation, thereare general things all first-line supervisors would do (whether in Los Angeles, Chicago,or Memphis) and specific responsibilities for sergeants in your department. The formerare generic, and the latter are procedural. Consider the following test question:

Officer Steven Jones signed out for portable radio No. 19 at 1600 hours. An inspec-tion by Sergeant Lawson at 0020 hours revealed that portable radio No. 19 was notturned in. Officer Jones was contacted and submitted a report indicating he “lost theradio.” The proper action for Sergeant Lawson to take is to

(A) advise Officer Jones that his failure to properly care for department property willresult in a referral for disciplinary action against him.

(B) advise Officer Jones that he has 24 hours to locate the missing radio or he willbe brought up on charges.

(C) determine the cost of the radio and deduct the amount from the officer’s salary.(D) immediately issue a written reprimand to Officer Jones for failure to properly

care for department property.

Whether you’re answering this question from a generic or procedural viewpoint,both answers (B) and (C) are incorrect. Answer (B) doesn’t address the officer’s failureto care for the radio and implies that, if it is located later by the officer, any negligencewill be negated. Answer (C) improperly places a monetary value on officer negligenceand doesn’t address future behavior other than to indicate that a fine will be assessedfor negligence — a procedure contrary to the principles of effective discipline.

After eliminating answers (B) and (C), you have only two remaining possibilities,either of which may be correct depending on whether you’re answering the questiongenerically or as required by your department’s policies and procedures. Answer (A) iscorrect in all police agencies unless your department regulations mandate that sergeantsissue discipline for lost property. If that’s the case, the correct answer is (D).

It’s critical to determine whether the test you’ll be taking will have generic ques-tions, procedural questions, or a combination of both. Many personnel agencies sendaway for “canned” promotional examinations, which are devised by companies that spe-cialize in creating police tests. If your test wasn’t created by your own city or town, the“canned” exam will have only generic questions. On the written test, it often comesdown to choosing the most correct answer between two similar alternatives. Knowingwhether your selection should be based on the requirements of your department, asopposed to a generic response, will add points to your final score.

THE TEST ANNOUNCEMENTThe test announcement will be posted in a prominent place in your department.

Usually, it’s the union bulletin board or the roll-call room. The announcement containsa wealth of information vital to you in planning your study program. If it’s not

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distributed, take it down and make yourself a copy. A description of each section follows,with an explanation of how you can use the information to plan your studying.

Eligibility Criteria

One of the reasons the Civil Service testing system was created was to protect policeselection and promotion systems from political interference. Central personnel agenciesnow go to great lengths to ensure that promotional exams and the process under whichthey are created will withstand court review. The minimum requirements for promotionare becoming more stringent. Many departments require a combination of job position,tenure, and advanced education. Invariably, the minimum standard will include a length-of-service requirement, which varies from city to city. However, if the time in grade require-ment is three years, for example, and you fall several months short, immediately beginpetitioning your personnel department to be allowed to take the test using the followingrationale: Your tenure may qualify you for eligibility at the time the test is actually given.The cut-off date for applying may be in March, for instance, but the written test won’t begiven until May and the oral until June. Will you have enough tenure by the time the test-ing process is completed to meet the seniority requirement? You have nothing to lose andeverything to gain by asking questions or contacting your union representative. This isespecially true if many other officers also fall within this category. Union officials canapply pressure to revise the length-of-service restriction because of the effect the flexibil-ity will have on a large number of their members.

Duties and Responsibilities

This area outlines what those giving the test have determined are the duties andresponsibilities of a sergeant in your department. Using one of the highlighters you bought,mark the major topic areas. You’ll see general headings such as “Patrol,” “Deployment ofPersonnel,” and “Supervision of Patrol Officers.” Write each of these major headings acrossthe top of an index card. You’ll have to use several to complete this process.

Example of Duties

The promotional announcement illustrates the types of duties (job tasks and func-tions) that sergeants perform in your department. Highlight these and write them on theindex cards directly under the major topic areas that apply. In every department, there’s anorder or procedure outlining the duties of a sergeant. Get a copy and correlate it with thissection of the job announcement.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

This section is of particular significance because in many ways it tells you what’sgoing to be on the test. For the examination to be valid, it must be job-related. Both crite-ria are especially important in the creation of police tests and will be explained later.

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This part of the test announcement outlines the basic knowledge a sergeant shouldhave and be able to demonstrate (skills and abilities). Many personnel analysts confusethese two terms. An ability is an individual trait you possess. You’re either born with it ordevelop it as you mature. A skill is your ability to do something after you receive trainingin a specific area. The reason this distinction is so important is that many police tests eval-uate officers for skills that wouldn’t be present until they’ve been trained to be sergeants.This area on the test announcement may be quite specific, giving further clues to what thetest will cover. Highlight these topics and place them on your index cards next to the appro-priate example of duties. Your index cards now look like this:



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Methods of Selection

This is the most important part of the announcement. It explains the type and variousparts of the examination, the skill level and depth of understanding required, the relativeweights of each type or part of the test, and the minimum passing score, if there is one. Italso explains how the test will be graded. Methods of selecting officers for promotion varyfrom city to city, but here’s an example of how this section might look.

Parts Weight Passing Score

Written Test 55% 70

Oral Test 30% 70

Time in Service 5% -

Performance Evaluation 10% -

In some jurisdictions, the oral examination counts for up to 50% of the final grade.Others add points for veterans’ preference, education, residency, seniority, performanceevaluations, and being a member of a protected class. This section informs applicants ofthe “suggested reference material” from which the test is constructed. Invariably, there’salso a caveat that states that the examination will “not be limited to these announcedsources.” Listed will be books, manuals, department procedures, rules and regulations, etc.Obtain all of these materials as quickly as you can and begin studying.

Qualification processes for different phases of the examination are also explained. Aminimum passing grade on the written test is often required in order to be eligible to takethe oral examination. Any physical examination requirements or eliminators will beexplained, along with the date of expiration of the promotion list.

The date and location of the first phase of the test will also be given. Usually, there’sa sentence stating that further information on test specifies will be mailed to candidates.

Submitting Applications

This section explains where applications may be obtained and the deadline for theirsubmission. Do not write out your application unless the directions specifically requireyou to do so. Type it. The application will be reviewed at many different levels and mayeventually end up at your oral exam board. Be certain that all of the blocks are filled incompletely. Make yourself a copy and, if possible, hand-deliver your application. Obtainthe name of the person that you give it to and request that it be dated and time-stamped inyour presence. In some departments, ties on the exam are broken by the time the applica-tion was submitted — a fact usually not mentioned on the test announcement or by theperson to whom you hand your application. In other departments, job-classification sen-iority breaks ties. Your standing on the department’s seniority list is often determined byyour date of appointment and further classified by your final standing in the police acad-emy. You can verify whether either of these methods is used to break ties on your promo-tional tests by reviewing your state, city, or town personnel rules. Familiarize yourself withthe process and photocopy the relevant sections.

The following is an example of a typical test announcement:

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THE CITY OF SMITH FALLS

An Equal Opportunity Employer Announces a Promotional Opportunity for

POLICE SERGEANT

Weekly Salary Range $951.50-$984.00

POSITION

Supervises and directs the work of law enforcement personnel in the protection of lifeand property and the enforcement of criminal and traffic laws and local ordinances.Responsible for the efficient and prompt performance of the work of an assigned patrolunit; supervises and participates in the work of booking and communications opera-tions. May also supervise and participate in the work performed by the various inves-tigative and inspectional units in the police department. Performs other related work asrequired.

QUALIFICATIONS

Four years of experience as a regularly appointed police officer in the Smith FallsPolice Department or four years combined experience as a regularly appointed policeofficer on special assignment in the Smith Falls Police Department.

EXAMINATION

The promotional procedure for police sergeant will consist of a written test and an oralexamination. The written test will be given a weight of 49%. The oral examination willbe given a weight of 51%. The written test will consist of questions based solely uponthe Police Sergeant Reading List attached. Scores from the written test and oral exami-nation will be combined to obtain a total score.

Candidates will be required to pass a physical examination administered by a cityphysician before appointment and will be required to also pass a working test period ofone year. This examination is subject to all municipal, state, and federal laws, rules,and regulations. The written examination is scheduled for Saturday, October 28.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL 4:30 P.M. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6.

Exam No. 1457 Issued 9/4

Applications are obtained from and submitted to

DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNELMunicipal Building

550 Main St.



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Resumes

In some departments, applicants are required to attach a resume to their applications.Submission of resumes will be covered later in this book.

By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day.

—Robert Frost

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WRITTEN TESTS

As well as the personnel rules, one or more of the following sources — which mayhave a different name in your area — may explain the manner in which your departmenttests candidates for promotion:

1. city charter2. labor agreements3. labor board decisions4. court decisions

In most police organizations, there are strictly regulated procedures for administer-ing promotional examinations, outlining the who, what, where, when, and how of testing.Obtain a copy of everything related to testing, promotions, filling vacancies, appeals, eli-gible lists, etc. Highlight all pertinent material and place it in your own “promotional file,”along with a copy of your application. If your test score ends up tied with another officer’sor if the mandated process hasn’t been followed, you may need this research material ifyou decide to file an appeal or protest.

APPEALING WRITTEN TESTSPolice promotional examinations are only as good as the people who create and

administer them. You have a right to question any part of the test process. Ordinarily, thecity’s personnel rules outline a formal procedure for protesting various parts of the exam-ination. For example, after the written test is administered, most departments supply can-didates with a tentative answer key to the test. Protests of specific questions are thensubmitted, which may result in the elimination of particular questions from the exam. Thisis usually the case when study reference material contradicts the answer key. If you’re notsatisfied with the test administrator’s decision, you can take the matter to court, but thiscourse is often time-consuming and costly. It may take years before your case is heard. It’simportant to keep carefully documented records on the entire testing process in case thetest isn’t administered properly.

CONSTRUCTING WRITTEN TESTSOne of the reasons that so many officers fail written examinations for promotion is

that they study the wrong material or use the wrong study techniques. Do not make themistake of studying for a promotional test the same way you studied for exams in highschool or college. Those tests usually required you to recall specific facts from a relativelynarrow band of subject matter. Promotional exams cover much wider topic areas, and tobe successful on them, you must emphasize basic principles and concepts rather than spe-cific facts. For instance, in studying criminal investigation, you’ll eventually come to a

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section that lists the stages the body goes through after death. Definitions of “muscularflaccidity,” “rigor mortis,” and “postmortem lividity,” among others, will be given alongwith a timetable in which these effects can be expected to occur. Memorizing these defi-nitions will result in a correct answer on the test only if the question is phrased like this:“How soon after death is rigor mortis most likely to occur?” The question you should beasking yourself when you study is “Why?” Why is it important for a sergeant to be famil-iar with the various stages the body goes through after death? What supervisory and inves-tigative concepts and principles are involved here? It’s important to memorize somematerial, but if the fact you memorized isn’t one of the questions on the test, it will be oflittle help to you. Gear your studying to the understanding of basic principles and concepts.Using this technique will ensure that regardless of whether the question concerns super-vision, patrol techniques, administration, or principles of investigation, you’ll have a bet-ter chance of choosing the correct answer.

0. W. Wilson’s famous book, Police Administration, first published in 1963, is as validtoday as it was back then. He wrote, “In promotion to sergeant, supervisory content shouldbe stressed in written examinations. A good balance of subject matter might provide 40percent of material on supervision, 20 percent on principles of administration, 10 percenton departmental procedures, 10 percent on criminal law and procedures, and the balanceon police investigation and procedures.” You’ll find that the majority of test analysts cre-ating sergeant’s exams follow his advice.

Knowing “how to play the game” can make the difference between getting promotedand not getting promoted. Knowing how police tests are constructed, what process is used,and with which criteria your performance will be judged is of immense help to you. Infact, by the time you’ve finished this book, you’ll be able to write a 100-question, multi-ple-choice test of your own and find that it contains most of the subject matter that will beon your test.

Test Validity and Reliability

There are two theories of testing essential to the creation of any exam: validity andreliability. Tests which successfully withstand the increasing civil litigation have both. A1968 Supreme Court decision, Griggs v. Duke Power, mandates that promotional exami-nations have some relationship to success on the job and that a “test which fails a higherpercentage of minority applicants is discriminatory.” The Police Foundation’s researchindicates that “what is prohibited is the use of tests and other selection techniques whichtend disproportionately to reject members of various classes heretofore discriminatedagainst (minorities, women, etc.) and which cannot or have not been demonstrated by theemployer to measure and reflect occupational requirements.” In another important courtdecision, Brito v. Zia, the Tenth Circuit Court ruled that a “performance evaluation” is a“test” and must be “validated according to the Equal Opportunity Employment Act of 1972relative to employment testing.”

For a test to be valid, the questions must specifically relate to “job performance.” Ina sergeant’s exam, for example, it would be improper to ask a test question involving thespecific duties performed by a captain. There are several ways that those who create thewritten examination can be sure that the test is related to job performance and that the exam

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