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8101149

PARSONS, ROBERT LORENZ

TASK ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
NECESSARY TO PERFORM AS A MICHIGAN POLICE OFFICER
Michigan State University

University
Microfilms
International

300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106

PH.D.

1980

TASK ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
NECESSARY TO PERFORM AS A MICHIGAN POLICE OFFICER
By
Robert Lorenz Parsons

A DISSERTATION
Submitted to
Michigan S t a t e U n iv e rs ity
in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t of the requirements
f o r the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department o f Administration and Higher Education

ABSTRACT
TASK ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
NECESSARY TO PERFORM AS A MICHIGAN POLICE OFFICER
By
Robert L. Parsons

The purpose o f t h i s study was t o :

(1) i d e n t i f y the physical

t a s k s req u ired to be performed by Michigan p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in the
r e g u l a r completion o f t h e i r d u t i e s , and (2) to determine i f d i f f e r e n t
types o f po lic e agencies have s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s in physical p e r ­
formance requirements.
In o r d e r to ob tain a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e sample the Michigan
p o lic e population (22,464 sworn p o lic e o f f i c e r s employed in 608
individual law enforcement agencies) was s t r a t i f i e d i n to seven d i s ­
t i n c t department types as follo w s:

Type I - Michigan S t a t e P o l i c e ,

Type II - D e t r o i t Po lice Department, Type I I I - m etropolitan agencies
100-500; Type IV - m etrop o litan agencies 30-99; Type V - metro politan
agencies 1-29; Type VI S h e r i f f departments; and Type VII - nont r a d i t i o n a l a g en c ie s, i . e . , DNR, park p o l ic e .

A p r o p o r t io n a te random

sample was then obtained from each o f th es e agency typ es.

The f i n a l

sample co n sisted o f 67 d i f f e r e n t agencies and approximately 1950
p o l ic e o f f i c e r s .

Robert L. Parsons
The r es ea r ch q u e s t io n n a ir e was two pages and was developed
s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r t h i s study u t i l i z i n g the d i a r y approach.

The

isntrument was f i e l d t e s t e d on fo u r s e p ara te occasions with regard
to r e l i a b i l i t y and i n t e r n a l c onsistency.
Two 7-day survey periods were used:

the f i r s t was November

27-December 3 and the second was April 10-22, 1979.
The study design i s d e s c r i p t i v e in n a tu r e , employing two
research qu estio ns f o r which the p rincip al fin d in g s in department
types I-VI were:
Research Question I
What a r e th e i d e n t i f i a b l e physical requirements o f the job
of p o l ic e o f f i c e r s in Michigan?

The average p o l i c e o f f i c e r in Michi­

gan w ill be involved in a physical in c i d e n t once in every 5.46 e i g h t hour work s h i f t s o r 40.99 times a ye ar.

The o f f i c e r will have a

success ful outcome in 70% o r approximately 28.69 times out o f 40.99
physical i n c i d e n t s .

Approximately 65% of the physical a c t i v i t i e s

were deemed p o t e n t i a l l y c r i t i c a l .

For the purpose o f a n a l y s i s the

physical a c t i v i t i e s were divided in to two broad c a t e g o r i e s , t h a t i s
those a c t i v i t i e s involving a t h l e t i c s k i l l s , and those a c t i v i t i e s
involving de fe n siv e s k i l l s .
A t h l e t i c s k i l l s were defined as l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g , pushing,
d r a g g i n g / p u l l i n g , running, climbing, jumping and cra wling .

The

a c t i v i t i e s of l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and pushing were the two most freq u en t
a c t i v i t i e s in occurrence and crawling occurred the l e a s t o f t e n .
o b j e c t most o f ten l i f t e d / c a r r i e d and dragged/pulled was a person.

The

Robert L. Parsons
Defensive s k i l l s were measured when an o f f i c e r encountered
physical r e s i s t a n c e during the performance of h i s j o b .

A Michigan

p o l ic e o f f i c e r can expect to encounter physical r e s i s t a n c e approxi­
mately 11.47 times per y e a r .

E ig h t y - f iv e (85) pe rcent o f the persons

r e s i s t i n g were found to be males.

The average height o f a su b j e c t

o f f e r i n g r e s i s t a n c e was 5*9" and the average weight was 165.66
pounds.

The m a jo r ity o f times r e s i s t a n c e was encountered by a

p o l ic e o f f i c e r (58%) involved the s u b j e c t p u l li n g away or w r e s t l i n g .
Research Question II
Does the d i f f e r e n c e in type of agency, i . e . , th e Michigan
S t a t e P o lice vs. Oakland County S h e r i f f ' s Department, a f f e c t the type
of physical t a s k s performed by p o lic e o f f i c e r s ?

The answer t o t h i s

que stion was ye s; various types o f departments have s i g n i f i c a n t d i f ­
feren ces o f physical task s performed.

Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l )

departments were by f a r the most p h y s i c a l ly a c t i v e in a c t i v i t i e s
involving l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and d r a g g i n g / p u ll i n g .

Type II ( D e tr o i t )

department was shown to be l e a s t involved in a l l physical a c t i v i t i e s .
Type I I I (metro 100-500) departments proved to be the most highly
a c t i v e departments p h y s i c a l ly and in encountering r e s i s t a n c e , across
the board.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The a u th or wishes to express his h e a r t f e l t thanks t o a number
o f i n d i v i d u a l s without whose a s s i s t a n c e t h i s endeavor could not have
been completed.
F i r s t o f a l l , a very spe cial thanks to Dr. John Vinsonhalor
who, in a d d i t i o n to being a very f u nction al member of my guidance
committee, made two s i g n i f i c a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n s to t h i s res earch
effort:

f i r s t , long before I had embarked upon the Ph.D. program,

he s t r o n g l y encouraged me to continue my education a t the graduate
level and, se condly, provided a tremendous amount o f a s s i s t a n c e in
the res ea rch methodology f o r t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n .
Next, to tny wife Nancy f o r many ye ars of continued su p p ort,
encouragement and unders tanding, a l l o f which helped smooth out the
rough sp ots and keep me motivated toward the completion o f t h i s
project.
To th e l a t e Dr. William Sweetland f o r hi s strong support in
a s s i s t i n g me in admission i n to the doc toral program and f o r his
guidance through t h e course work and comprehensive p ortio n s o f the
d octo ral program before h is death in 1976.
To Dr. Walter Johnson, chairman o f my guidance committee, who
always had tim e, notwithstanding his own busy schedule, to o f f e r the
proper guidance, c r i t i q u e and encouragement toward the completion of
this dissertation e ffo rt.

Also, my a p p r e c i a ti o n extends to

Dr. Robert Trojanowicz and Dr. Samuel Moore who, r e g a r d l e s s o f the
extended time period needed f o r completion o f t h i s program, never
gave up on me and were more than w i l l i n g to provide any and a l l
a s s i s t a n c e I needed.
To Mrs. Betty Beaton who a s s i s t e d in much of the typing and
e d i t i n g o f t h i s study as well as providing a l i s t e n i n g e a r whenever
needed (which was o f t e n ) .
To Mr. Pat Judge, Mr. B i ll Nash and Mr. Dale Rothenberger of
the MLEOTC Research and Development Section and members of the proe c t research team, without whose help t h i s p r o j e c t would not have
been.
To Dr. Stephan Wollack who provided an e x c e l l e n t r o l e model
o f a successful r e s e a r c h e r in the criminal j u s t i c e f i e l d .
To Mr. Les VanBeveren, and MLEOTC members a t l a r g e f o r
supporting my p a r t i c i p a t i o n on the res ea rch team f o r the Michigan
Task Analysis Study.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................
LIST OF F I G U R E S

vi
vi i i

Chapter
I.

II.

III.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM..........................................................

1

Intro d u ctio n ...................................................................................
Statement o f the P r o b l e m ............................................
Purpose of This Study ................................................................
Research Questions ......................................................................
Limit and Scope o f This Study
...............................................
D e f in i t io n of Terms ......................................................................
Format o f the S t u d y ......................................................................

1
4
5
5
5
7
10

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.........................................................

12

An Overview o f P olice Personnel P r a c t i c e s N a tio n a ll y .
Federal Regulations A ffe ctin g P o lice S e le c tio n
P r o c e s s .........................................................................................
The " S ta te of th e Art" o f General Task In v e n t o r i e s
in Police Work Within th e United S t a t e s
. . . .
P r o j e c t S T A R ............................................................................
National Manpower Survey
...............................................
United S t a te s Air Force Occupational Research
P r o j e c t ...................................................................................
S p e c i f i c Task Analysis Studies on t h e Physical
Requirements o f the Police Function ...................................
Summary...............................................................................................

13

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

19
32
34
42
49
57
65

...............................................................

67

Population and Sample ..................................................................
Development o f Survey Instrument
.......................................
Instrument Validation - Field Test I .................................
Instrument Va lidation - Field Test I I .................................
Administration o f Questionnaire
......................................
D i s t r i b u t i o n o f Survey Forms
.............................................
A n a l y s i s .........................................................................................

68
70
72
73
76
80
81

iv

Chapter

Page
Summary Data Requested—Side 1 .......................................
Summary Data Requested—Side 2 .......................................
S u m m a r y ........................................................................................

82
84
86

IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA........................................

87

Highlights of Data C olle ction Procedures
. . . .
Data R e f i n e m e n t s .....................................................................
Research Question I
...............................................................
............................
Incidents involving A t h l e t i c S k i l l s
A c t i v i t i e s Involving L if tin g /C a rry in g .........................
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Pushing ...........................................
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Dragging/Pulling ........................
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Running ...........................................
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Climbing
.....................................
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Jumping ...........................................
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Crawling
.....................................
Incidents Involving Defensive S k i l l s .........................
Research Question II ...............................................................
Physical A c t i v i t i e s Encountered/Officer/Year
. .
C r i t i c a l Physical In cidents Encou ntered/Officer/
Y e a r ........................................................................................
Physical A c t i v i t i e s
Involving
Running ................
Physical A c t i v i t i e s
Involving
Pushing ................
Physical A c t i v i t i e s
Involving
Dragging/Pulling .
Physical A c t i v i t i e s
Involving
L if t i n g /C a r r y in g .
Physical In cidents Involving Resistance . . . .
Summary of Analysis
...............................................................
Research Question I ...............................................................
Research Question II...............................................................

87
91
92
98
100
101
103
104
105
107
108
109
Ill
120
120
120
121
.121
.121
122
122
122
123

V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS..........................................................

125

S u m m a r y ........................................................................................
Research Question I
.......................................................
Research Question II
.......................................................
C o n c l u s i o n s .................................................................................
Recommendations ...........................................................................

125
129
130
131
132

Appendices
A. Michigan Act 203, P.A. 1965
B. Workshop P a r t i c i p a n t s ................................................................
C. Narrative Description of Four Role Playing Scenes
Used in Field Test II of the Survey Instrument . .
D. Law Enforcement Physical A c t i v i t y Questionnaire
and I n s t r u c t i o n s
...............................................................
E. Brochure:
S e l e c t Your Future P a r tn e r
..........................
Bibliography

........................................................................................

v

135
142
145
148
153
157

LIST OF TABLES
Table
2.1

Page
Po lice Minimum Standards Programs as of January 1
1975

16

2.2

Summary of Responses t o Survey of Operational Personnel .

39

2.3

Numbers of Law Enforcement Agencies a t Which NMS Field
S i t e V i s i t s were Conducted by Size and Type . . . .

44

2.4

Texas Police Departments Completing the Police Physical
Task Q u e s t i o n n a i r e ............................................................................62

2.5

Types of Physical A c t i v i t i e s Reported by Police Survey
Group and Expected Annual Frequency ......................................

64

S t r a t i f i c a t i o n o f Michigan Police Agencies i n to Seven
Basic Department Types ...............................................................

69

3.2

Random Sample Derived from Type I-VII S t r a t i f i c a t i o n . .

71

3.3

Desc rip tive Data from October 24, 1978 F e r r i s Role
Playing Experiment
.....................................................................

75

4.1

Analysis of Survey E ffe ctiveness

90

4.2

Summary Data: Frequency of Physical In cidents . . . .

92

4.3

Outcome o f Physical In cidents

95

4.4

C r i t i c a l i t y of Physical In cidents

..........................................

98

4.5

Description of A t h l e t i c S k i l l s Performed ..............................

99

4.6

L if tin g /C a r r y in g Objects

4.7

P u s h i n g ........................................................................................................102

4.8

Dragging/Pulling Objects

4.9

R u n n i n g ....................................................................................................... 105

4.10

C l i m b i n g ................................................................................................. 106

3.1

..........................................

.................................................

.............................................................

.............................................................

vi

100

104

Table

Page

4.11

J u m p i n g ..............................................................................................

107

4.12

C r a w l i n g ..........................................................................

108

4.13

Desc rip tion of Subjects Who Resisted

.................................

109

4.14

Type of Resistanc e E n c o u n t e r e d ...........................................

110

4.15

Comparisons by Department T y p e .............................................

112

vi i

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure

Page

4.1

Physical A c t i v i t i e s Encountered/Officer/Year by
Department T y p e .........................................................................113

4.2

C r i t i c a l Physical I n c id e n ts Encountered/Officer/Year
by Department T y p e .................................................................. 114

4.3

Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving Running Encountered/
Office r/Y ea r by Department Type
......................................

115

Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving Pushing Encountered/
O ffice r/Y ea r by Department Type
......................................

116

Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving Dragging/Pulling
Encountered/Officer/Year by Department Type

.

.

.

117

Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving L if t i n g /C a r r y in g
Encountered/Officer/Year by Department Type

.

.

.

118

4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7

Physical In cid e n ts Involving Resistance Encountered/
Office r/Y ea r by Department Type
..........................................

vi i i

119

CHAPTER I
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
I n tr o d u c tio n
The requirement to rec eiv e and s u c c e s s f u l l y complete a
minimum amount o f b asic p o l i c e t r a i n i n g p r i o r t o becoming a sworn
p o l i c e o f f i c e r in Michigan i s o f r e l a t i v e l y new o r i g i n .
P r i o r to 1965 t h e p o lic e t r a i n i n g t h a t was conducted in
Michigan varied g r e a t l y in q u a l i t y and q u a n t i t y .

The l a r g e r metro­

p o l i t a n departments provided t h e i r r e c r u i t s with s t r u c t u r e d schools
p r i o r to placement in the f i e l d .
had only lim ite d c l a s s time.

Generally, medium si zed departments

The emphasis here was on f i e l d t r a i n i n g

with a more experienced o f f i c e r .

With few exceptions th e small

p o l ic e departments r e l i e d s o l e l y on t r a i n i n g through f i e l d e x p e r i ­
ence.

During th e two decades preceding 1965, t h e Michigan S t a te

Police and the Federal Bureau o f I n v e s t i g a t i o n can be c r e d i t e d with
providing the bulk o f sta ndardized p o lic e t r a i n i n g a c t i v i t i e s within
Michigan.
Statewide sta ndards f o r the t r a i n i n g o f Michigan p o l ic e
o f f i c e r s began with the passage o f Public Act 203, on July 16, 1965.
This l e g i s l a t i o n c re ate d the Michigan Law Enforcement O f f i c e r s T r a in ­
ing Council (MLEOTC).*
★

The Council was a po lic y making board

In the remainder o f the d i s s e r t a t i o n t h i s Council w ill be
i d e n t i f i e d as MLEOTC.

2
c o n s i s t i n g o f eleven members; t h r e e from the Michigan S h e r i f f s '
A s s o c ia tio n , t h r e e from t h e Michigan Asso cia tio n o f Chiefs o f P o lic e ,
and one member each from th e D e t r o i t P o lice O f f i c e r s ' A s so c ia tio n ,
The F ra tern a l Order o f P o l i c e , and th e Metropolitan Club.

The o th er

two members a re th e D ir e c to r of the Michigan S t a t e Po lice and the
Attorney General of Michigan.
The l e g i s l a t i o n o f P.A. 203 empowered th e Council to
e s t a b l i s h and p u blis h recommended minimum standard s with regard to
the r e c r u i t m e n t , s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g o f a l l p o lic e o f f i c e r s
employed in Michigan.

The i n i t i a l b a sic p o l i c e t r a i n i n g program was

developed in 1966 by the Council and was 120 hours in leng th.

This

curriculum was only recommendatory to a l l p o l ic e agencies u n t i l the
passage o f mandatory p o lic e t r a i n i n g l e g i s l a t i o n which became law
January 1, 1971.

E f f e c t i v e January 1, 1971, P.A. 203 was amended

and th e Council was given the power t o e s t a b l i s h mandatory standards
in the above c i t e d are as o f r e c r u i tm e n t , s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g .
Based upon the 1971 r e v i s i o n o f P.A. 203 the Council
e s t a b l i s h e d a 256 hour b a sic p o l ic e t r a i n i n g program (see Appendix
A).

Curr ently a 296 hour program i s in e x is te n c e and i s p r a c t i c a l l y

unchanged from the o r i g i n a l 256 hour curriculum.

The design o f the

mandatory b asic p o l ic e t r a i n i n g program was a t t h a t time the "best
shot" so t o speak, o f th e members o f t h e Council and s t a f f during
the period o f 1970-1971.
L i t t l e o r no empirical examination was conducted of the
p o l ic e jo b w ith in Michigan in th e design o f t h e 296 hour curriculum.
A t a s k a n a l y s i s o f t h e jo b o f policemen w ith in t h i s s t a t e had not

3
been conducted as o f the w r i t in g o f the proposal f o r t h i s d i s s e r t a ­
tion.

In r e a l i t y no p o s i t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n had been e s t a b l is h e d

between the completion o f the e x i s t i n g basic p o lic e t r a i n i n g curric u
lum and job performance in one o f Michigan's 608 p o lic e agencies.
At the presen t time, Michigan, via c o u n c i l - c e r t i f i e d basic
p o lic e t r a i n i n g academies, i s t r a i n i n g between 1500-2000 polic e
o f f i c e r s under the 296 hour t r a i n i n g curriculum.

The Council

e x e r c is e s the following types o f control over t h i s t r a i n i n g :
1. Basic p olic e t r a i n i n g i s administered in one of
fourteen Council approved regional t r a i n i n g
facilities.
2. Each academy i s administered by a c o ordinato r
approved by the Council.
3. All i n s t r u c t o r s in the regional academies are
c e r t i f i e d by the Training Council.
4.

Standardized prepublished curriculum g uidelines
are u t i l i z e d by the i n s t r u c t o r f o r each su b je c t
module taug h t.

5.

All t r a i n e e s are t e s t e d by a Council administered
Post Examination covering the e n t i r e curriculum
conte nt. This Post Exam i s administered the l a s t
day o f each school and a statewide norm o f 70%
has been e s t a b l i s h e d on the examination.

In e f f e c t the Council has attempted to e s t a b l i s h uniformity
and consistency in t h e i r r o l e o f p o l ic e t r a i n i n g within Michigan.
However, the r a p i d l y expanding f i e l d o f p o lic e work has perhaps
o u t s t r ip p e d the e x i s t i n g t r a i n i n g system.

Several immediate concerns

are apparent in l i g h t of the p r e s e n t system:

4
1. The expense of placing a p o lic e o f f i c e r "on-thes t r e e t " has increased to a poi nt t h a t average c o s t s
run in excess of $2,0 0 0 /tr a in e e .
2

.

The Council i s c o n ti n u a l l y being challenged by court
actio n and/or t h r e a t o f co urt actio n which challenges
the v a l i d i t y of a portio n o f the e s t a b l i s h e d p o lic e
t r a i n i n g program. The m ajority of th ese challenges
never get t o co urt but each time the Council
concedes-'Standards weaken.

3. Since the l a t e 1960s t h ere has been a strong national
movement toward p o lic e profes si onalism .
4.

Professionalism by i t s very nature e n t a i l s a un ifie d
body o f knowledge.

5.

There i s incre asin g pres sure to consider l ic e n s in g
Michigan p olic e o f f i c e r s . Obviously the lic e n s in g
concept req u ire s an accepted "v alidated" statewide
examination.

6.

The est ablis hm ent o f a statewide l i c e n s i n g examina­
t i o n must be d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d to the job performance
requirements of t o d a y 's p o lic e o f f i c e r in Michigan.

Based upon the above s t a t e d concerns, MLEOTC decided to
conduct a general statewide t a s k analy sis of the job of p olic e
o f f i c e r in Michigan.

A d d i t io n a l ly , c e r t a i n se ctio n s of the c u rr e n t

mandatory s e l e c t i o n standards were to be singled out f o r an "in
depth" study.

One o f t h e areas to receive primary focus was the

area o f physical

standards f o r police o f f i c e r s .

This area was the

d i r e c t concern of the w r i t e r ' s d i s s e r t a t i o n research .
Statement o f the Problem
At p r e s e n t , MLEOTC s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g standards f o r the
physical requirements o f the p o lic e job are the r e s u l t o f c o l l e c t i v e
judgments by p r o f e s s i o n a l s based upon t h e i r s u b j e c t iv e estim ate s of

5
what s k i l l s and a t t r i b u t e s an o f f i c e r should po ssess.

T herefo re, a

syste m atic ta s k a n a l y s i s o f Michigan law enforcement physical s k i l l
requirements i s the necessary f i r s t ste p in determining j o b - r e l a t e d
pre-employment and t r a i n i n g sta n d a r d s.
Purpose o f This Study
The purpose o f the r e s e a r c h e r in t h i s study was t o :
(1) i d e n t i f y t h e physical tasks req u ired to be performed by Michigan
p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in the r e g u l a r completion of t h e i r d u t i e s ; and
(2) to determine i f d i f f e r e n t types of po lic e agencies have s i g n i f i ­
cant d i f f e r e n c e s in physical performance requirements.
Research Questions
This study addresses two primary research questio n s which
a re s t a t e d below:
1.

What are th e i d e n t i f i a b l e physical requirements of
the jo b o f p o lic e o f f i c e r s in Michigan?

2.

Does th e d i f f e r e n c e in type o f agency, i . e . , Michigan
S t a te Police vs. Oakland County S h e r i f f ' s Department,
a f f e c t t h e type o f physical t a s k s performed by
police o ffice rs?
Limit and Scope o f This Study

Several l i m i t a t i o n s to t h i s study must be emphasized because
they d i r e c t l y a f f e c t t h e sample s e l e c t i o n process and the scope o f
the data a n a l y s i s .
1.

While th e Michigan p o l i c e system i s believed to
comprise approximately 22,464 sworn po lic e
p e rs on n el--o n ly t h e uniform p a trol fu nction i s of
concern t o t h i s s t u d y ; i . e . , o th er primary d u t i e s

6
o f p o l ic e de partments, d e t e c t i v e s , command
p e rso n nel, j u v e n i l e o f f i c e r s are s p e c i f i c a l l y
excluded from the scope o f t h i s study.
2.

An a d d it i o n a l research question de als with the
p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t d i f f e r e n t types o f p o lic e agencies
a re l i k e l y to impose d i f f e r e n t s e t s o f physical
requirements w ith in t h e i r job s e t t i n g . To
a c c u r a t e l y measure t h i s concern, the sample must
be r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f the following agency ty pes.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Michigan S t a te Police
D e t r o i t Po lice Department
Metropolitan Police Departments 100-500
Metropolitan Po lice Departments 30-99
Metropolitan Police Departments 1-29
S h e r i f f Departments and Contract Townships
Non-Traditional Police Agencies

3. Although i t i s p ro jec te d t h a t many o f the physical
t a s k s i d e n t i f i e d as performed by Michigan po lic e
o f f i c e r s w i l l be s i m i l a r to o f f i c e r s in o t h e r s t a t e s ,
the r e s u l t s o f t h i s study can only be applied to the
design o f standards f o r Michigan p o l ic e o f f i c e r s .
4.

I t i s recognized a t the o n se t t h a t some o f the p o lic e
o f f i c e r s s e l e c t e d as p a r t i c i p a n t s in th e survey w i l l ,
e i t h e r because o f lack o f i n t e r e s t , or " o v e r k i l l , "
r e p o r t in c i d e n t s in an i n ac cu r a te manner.
The impact
o f t h i s i n a c c u r a te r e p o r t i n g i s expected to be kept
a t a minimum by the use o f a l a r g e sample (approxi­
mately 10,000 man s h i f t s surveyed) and by a c t i v e
monitoring by d a ta c o l l e c t i o n personnel.

5.

I t i s recognized t h a t o n - s i t e obse rvation o f the p o lic e
tas k s performed would be more a c c u ra te than the
q u e s t io n n a ir e method but th e magnitude of the survey
and the f i n a n c i a l c o n s t r a i n t s of t h i s resea rch e f f o r t
made t h i s type o f data c o l l e c t i o n impossible a t t h i s
time.

6.

The concept of c r i t i c a l i t y o f job t a s k s i s v i t a l to the
e stab lis h m en t o f sta te wide stan d ards. For the purpose
o f t h i s study c r i t i c a l i t y has been defined and measured
only as a r a t i o o f th e number of physical a c t i v i t i e s
deemed c r i t i c a l to th e number of physical a c t i v i t i e s
a c t u a l l y performed during the study. Phase II of the
sta te w id e study (which continues beyond the scope of
t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n ) w i l l deal with a thorough a n a ly sis
o f the c r i t i c a l i t y o f each of th e a t h l e t i c and defensive
s k i l l s performed by a Michigan p o l ic e o f f i c e r .

7
7.

Expected annual frequency (EAF) o f a c t i v i t i e s i s the
primary format used to d e scr ib e th e data obtained in
t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n . The EAF q u o t ie n t has been computed
and applied in accordance with the procedures developed
by Wollack & As sociates and has been s u c c e s s f u l l y used
in physical t a s k a n a l y s i s s t u d i e s in th e s t a t e s o f Texas,
Washington and Kentucky.
D e f in i t io n o f Terms

In an e f f o r t to c l a r i f y a number o f terms used in a p a r t i c u l a r
manner in t h i s stu d y, th e following d e f i n i t i o n s are provided:
A thletic s k i l l :

This term r e f e r s s p e c i f i c a l l y to th e physi­

cal a c t i v i t i e s o f running, climbing, pushing, l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g ,
d r a g g i n g / p u l l i n g , cra wling, and jumping.
Agency or local department c o o rd i n a to r s:

Because o f the

s i z e o f the survey sample, local department c o o rd in a to rs ( u su a lly a
person in a mid-management p o s i t i o n ) were chosen from each d e p a r t ­
ment.

These c o o rd in a to rs were s p e c i a l l y t r a i n e d in workshops held

by MLEOTC in the techniques o f a d m i n i s t r a t io n o f the q u e s tio n n a ir e s
w ith in t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e departments.

Two weeks p r i o r t o each of the

two survey periods a package o f survey instruments plus i n s t r u c t i o n s
was mailed ou t to each o f th e c o o rd i n a to r s .
C r i t i c a l physical a c t i v i t y :

A physical a c t i v i t y was con­

sid e r e d to be c r i t i c a l in t h i s study i f one of the following t h r e e
c r i t e r i a were p r e s e n t:
1.

F a i lu r e to s u c c e s s f u l l y complete th e a c t i v i t y might
have r e s u l t e d in the d e a t h / i n j u r y o f th e o f f i c e r
and/or o t h e r persons.

2.

F a i lu r e to s u c c e s s f u l l y complete t h e a c t i v i t y might
have r e s u l t e d in the escape o f a s u b j e c t .

8
3.

F a i lu r e to s u c c e s s f u l l y complete the a c t i v i t y might
have r e s u l t e d in th e l o ss damage to pr o p er ty .

Defensive s k i l l :

This term i d e n t i f i e s each s i t u a t i o n where

a po lic e o f f i c e r meets physical r e s i s t a n c e from one o r more s u b j e c t s .
Resistance i s defined as a s u b j e c t :

p u l l s away, w r e s t l e s , o f f e r s

passive r e s i s t a n c e (going lim p), h i t / k i c k e d , ran away (escape or
a t t e m p t ) , th r e a te n e d with a weapon, threw an o b j e c t , used a b a rric ad e
(door, e t c . ) , used o t h e r s p e cia l t a c t i c s .
Expected Annual Frequency (EAF):

The number of physical

i n c i d e n t s was r e l a t e d t o the t o t a l number o f o f f i c e r / w a t c h e s 10,212
f o r the purpose o f computing the frequency r a t e .

One thousand

e i g h t hundred and seventy-two (1,872) physical i n c i d e n t s were
recorded , as i n d i c a t e d , which i s 18.33% o f th e t o t a l number o f
o f f i c e r / w a t c h e s (10,212).

T here fo re , the r a t e o f occurrence i s

18.33% o r , more p r e c i s e l y , .1833 per o f f i c e r / w a t c h .

My m ultiply in g

t h i s r a t e times the number o f o f f i c e r / w a t c h e s per y e a r , one may
compute an expected annual frequency per o f f i c e r f o r in c i d e n t s
r e q u i r i n g physical s k i l l s .

The MLEOTC s t a f f provided data based

upon t h e i r own analyses which i n d i c a t e t h a t an o f f i c e r works an
average o f 223.6 days per y e a r .

By m u ltip ly in g the r a t i o o f

physical in c i d e n t s to t o t a l res p o n se s, .1833 times the t o t a l number
o f days worked per y e a r (2 2 3 .6 ), one can determine the expected
number o f times an o f f i c e r should be involved in in c i d e n t s r e q u i r i n g
physical s k i l l s on an annual b a s i s .

The expected annual frequency

(EAF) f o r physical in c i d e n t s i s 40.99 in c i d e n t s per o f f i c e r per y e a r .
The survey data reveal t h a t a p a tr o l o f f i c e r can expect to encounter

9
an in cid en t involving physical s k i l l s once approximately every f i f t h
s h i f t , f o r a t o t a l o f approximately 41 times annually.
Law enforcement physical a c t i v i t y q u e s t i o n n a i r e :

This is

the two page survey instrument developed by the research team f o r the
s p e c i f i c purpose o f conducting the Physical Task Analysis Study of
Michigan Police O f fice rs as defined above.
Research team:

Because of the enormity of the undertaking,

the physical t a s k a n a ly sis study was conducted by a seven person team
comprised o f the w r i t e r , Mr. P a t r ic k Judge, William Nash and t h r e e
ad d itio n al members o f th e MLEOTC research and development d i v is io n
and Dr. Stephan Wollack; Wallack and Associates of C a li f o r n ia .

All

persons on the team shared s i g n i f i c a n t l y in each stage o f th e study
from the d e f i n i t i o n of the population to the an aly sis and i n t e r p r e ­
t a t i o n of the data.
Outcome;
physical i n c i d e n t .

This term i s used to d e scrib e the r e s u l t o f the
In o t h e r words, was the p olic e o f f i c e r successful

in chasing a suspect on f o o t , a s s i s t i n g a s t a l l e d m o t o r i s t , e t c .
Success was measured in terms o f the o f f i c e r completing h i s / h e r
intended t a s k .
Participation r a t e :

This term r e f e r s to the number o f po lice

o f f i c e r s who p a r t i c i p a t e d in the survey as compared with the t o t a l
number of p o lic e o f f i c e r s in the department.
Physical a c t i v i t y :

A physical a c t i v i t y might c o n s i s t of such

d iv erse events as running, climbing, pushing, jumping, dragging/
p u l l i n g , l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and/or crawling.
comprise one physical in c i d e n t .

Several a c t i v i t i e s could

10
Physical i n c i d e n t :

The term physical in c id e n t r e f e r s t o a

comprehensive s i t u a t i o n or occurrence such as the p u r s u i t and appre­
hension of a s u b j e c t .
such in c i d e n t .

A q u estio n n a ire was t o be completed f o r each

I t should be f u r t h e r noted t h a t each in c id e n t could

involve several physical a c t i v i t i e s , i . e . , running, climbing, push­
ing, e t c .
Police o f f i c e r :

This term i s defined as sworn f u l l - t i m e

uniformed p o l i c e personnel who are respo n sib le f o r a l l basic p o lic e
functions which may include enforcement of laws, maintenance of
o rd er, prevention of crime and p r o t e c ti o n of property.

This d e f i n i ­

t i o n includes o f f i c e r s who respond to c a l l s f o r a s s i s t a n c e and who
are res p o n sib le f o r observed v i o l a t i o n s of the law.

This d e f i n i t i o n

c l e a r l y does not include o f f i c e r s assigned t o special functions
within an o r g a n iz a tio n such as c o n tr o l le d su bsta nces, d e t e c t i v e
d i v i s i o n , j u v e n i l e d i v i s i o n , j a i l s e c u r i t y , i n t e l l i g e n c e and/or
a d m i n i s t r a t io n .
Response r a t e :

The r a t i o of the number o f q ue stio n na ire s

completed by the department to the number of expected q u e stio n n a ire s
f o r t h a t department.
Format of the Study
This study i s organized i n to f i v e c h ap ters .
Chapter I , The Problem, includes the need f o r the study,
statement o f th e problem, purpose o f the study, research questions
to be addressed and format of the study.

11
Chapter I I , A Review of the L i t e r a t u r e , contains a review of
the c u r r e n t res earch being done on t a s k a n a ly sis of the po lic e job
as i t r e l a t e s to physical t a s k s .
Chapter I I I , Research Methodology, includes the scope of the
study, development o f the survey instrument, instrument v a li d a t i o n
pro cess, l o g i s t i c s o f data c o l l e c t i o n and a n a l y ti c techniques
utilized.
Chapter IV, Analysis o f Data, includes an a n aly sis and pre ­
s e n t a t io n o f the data obtained in the study.
Chapter V, Summary and Conclusions, includes the major
f i n d i n g s , conclusions and a d iscussion o f the im plications f o r
po lic e s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g .

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

In Chapter I t h e co nte x t o f t h i s research was d efined as
d e a lin g with t h e following problem:
At p r e s e n t , MLEOTC s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g standards f o r the
physical requirements o f t h e p o lic e job are th e r e s u l t o f
c o l l e c t i v e judgements by p r o f e s s i o n a l s based upon t h e i r
s u b j e c t i v e e s t im a t e s o f what s k i l l s and a t t r i b u t e s an
o f f i c e r should po ssess. Therefore, a system atic t a s k
a n a l y s i s o f Michigan law enforcement physical s k i l l
requirements i s th e necessary f i r s t s t e p in determining
j o b - r e l a t e d pre-employment and t r a i n i n g sta n d ard s.
Based upon t h i s problem statement the r e s e a r c h e r focused on
t h e following two res ea rch q u e stio n s :
1.

What a re th e i d e n t i f i a b l e physical requirements
o f t h e job o f p o l ic e o f f i c e r in Michigan?

2.

Does the d i f f e r e n c e in the type o f agency, i . e . ,
Michigan S t a t e P o lice vs. Oakland County S h e r i f f ' s
Department, e f f e c t the type o f physical tas k s
performed by p o l i c e o f f i c e r s ?

To e f f e c t i v e l y deal with each o f the above c i t e d research
questio ns the r e a d e r w i l l have to c l e a r l y understand:

(1) th e

c u r r e n t need f o r jo b v a l i d a t i o n s t u d i e s which has been brought
about by fede ral l e g i s l a t i o n and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p o l i c i e s along with
c o u rt d e cisio n s de alin g with employment p r a c t i c e s , (2) "The s t a t e of
th e a r t " o f General Task Inventory Studies as they r e l a t e t o t h e law
enforcement p o s i t i o n s , and (3) s p e c i f i c t a s k a n a l y s i s s t u d i e s being
conducted on t h e physical requirements o f th e p o lic e f u n c tio n .

13
An Overview o f Police Personnel
P r a c t i c e s N a tio n a lly
An area of r a p i d l y growing concern in law enforcement i s the
s e l e c t i o n process f o r sworn o f f i c e r s .
a t l e a s t two major rea so ns:

This concern i s proper f o r

F i r s t , th e u l ti m a t e success o f any

o r g a n i z a t i o n , r e g a r d l e s s o f i t s natu re o r purpose, i s p r i m a r il y
dependent upon t h e competence of personnel.

All o t h e r o r g a n iz a tio n a l

resources are l e s s va lu able u n t i l personnel are properl y s e l e c te d and
trained.

The s e l e c t i o n process i s e s p e c i a l l y c r i t i c a l as i t a p p li e s

to law enforcement agencies because a p o l ic e o f f i c e r i s e n tr u s te d
with awesome power and r e s p o n s i b i l i t y .

T h erefo re, a d m i n i s t r a t o r s

must take sp e c ia l care t o ensure t h a t only highly capable i n d iv i d u a ls
are pe rm itted to s e r v e .

F a i lu r e to do so can have se r io u s conse­

quences f o r everyone involved.

A second major f a c t o r in flu e n cin g

the need f o r c a r e f u l , s c i e n t i f i c personnel s e l e c t i o n i s the n e c e s s i t y
f o r gua ranteeing t h a t each a p p l i c a n t i s processed in accordance with
equal op p o r tu n ity employment procedures.

Federal c o u r t r u l i n g s

based upon such procedures have s t a t e d t h a t each ste p o f the s e l e c ­
t i o n process must be s c i e n t i f i c a l l y v a l i d a t e d t o i n su r e t h a t the
procedure used i s s t r i c t l y job r e l a t e d .

In o t h e r words, th e s e l e c ­

t i o n process can d i s c r im i n a t e among a p p l i c a n t s only in terms of
t h e i r s u i t a b i l i t y t o do th e j o b .

T here fore , p o l ic e a d m i n i s t r a t o r s

and su p e rv iso rs must be aware o f the f a c t o r s involved in designing
and implementing a v a l i d personnel s e l e c t i o n pr ocess .^
^Leonard T e r r i t o , C. R. Swanson, J r . , and Neil C. Chamelin,
P o lice Personnel S e l e c ti o n Process ( I n d i a n a p o l i s : Bo bbs-M erri ll,
1968. Forward by T r u e t t Ricks, Ph.D., Commissioner, Kentucky S t a te
Po lice .

14
Policin g in America i s big b u sin e ss.

At t h e l o c a l , s t a t e ,

and federal governmental l e v e l s , i t s employees exceed some 620,000
and t o t a l expenditures are in excess o f $5 b i l l i o n .

The overwhelming

p o r tio n o f t h i s burden i s borne by local u n i t s o f government which
employ some 82 perc ent o f a l l p o lic e personnel in the country and
a p p ro p r ia te th e funds which account f o r some 75 perc ent o f a l l
expenditures f o r t h es e s e r v i c e s .

2

Given t h a t th e local u n i t s o f government must bear the
greatest

burden f o r the d e l i v e r y of p o lic e s e r v i c e s , i t is not

unusual to f in d in a t y p i c a l municipal or county budget t h a t 30 per­
c en t or more o f t h e t o t a l funds a p pro pria te d by the l e g i s l a t i v e body
are f o r t h i s a c t i v i t y alone.

O r d i n a r i l y f o r any u n i t o f local govern­

ment, a t l e a s t 80 perc ent o f the t o t a l a p p ro p r i a ti o n s f o r p o l ic e
s e r v i c e s w i l l be consumed by personnel c o s t s .

Despite the r e a l i t y

t h a t the human res ource i s a p r i n c i p a l o b j e c t o f e x p e n d i tu r e , r e l a ­
t i v e l y l i t t l e emphasis has been given to i t s a p p r o p r i a te management.
"Few p o l i c e agencies have v i a b l e , adequately s t a f f e d , s u f f i c i e n t l y
supported personnel u n i t s t h a t can maximize the agency's human
r e s o u r c e s; the most l i k e l y causes o f th es e problems are:
1.
resource o b j e c t i v e .

The f a i l u r e o f p o l ic e management t o determine i t s human
What does management r e a l l y want i t s personnel

arm --or, f o r t h a t m a t t e r , i t s t o t a l personnel s t r e n g t h - - t o accomplish?

2

Law Enforcement Assi stance A d m in is tra tio n , Sourcebook of
Criminal J u s t i c e S t a t i s t i c s 1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government
P r i n t i n g O f f i c e , 1973), Table 1 . 3 , p. 25. The number o f employees
i s a p r o j e c t i o n o f 1976.

15
Without c l e a r c u t program o b j e c t i v e s , i t i s d i f f i c u l t even f o r the
b e st personnel a d m i n i s t r a t o r to adapt to the p o l i c e f u n c tio n .
2.

The i n a b i l i t y o r unwillingness o f the p o l ic e a d m i n i s t r a ­

t o r to de le gate c l e a r c u t a u t h o r i t y to accomplish the human resource
g o a ls .

Confusion i s allowed to e x i s t between t h e r e s p e c t i v e r o l e s

o f f i e l d su p ervisio n and personnel s t a f f .

In some j u r i s d i c t i o n s

c i v i l s e r v ice laws deny to the p o l i c e c h i e f , as well as to o th er
l i n e managers, s u f f i c i e n t a u t h o r i t y over personnel m a t t e r s .

Without

t h i s a u t h o r i t y , the personnel d i r e c t o r i s l e s s than f u l l y e f f e c t i v e .
3.

The inadequacy o f t o t a l resources a v a i l a b l e to t h e p o lic e

agency, leading to emphasis on f i e l d s t r e n g t h a t th e expense o f
personnel a d m i n i s t r a t io n and f r e q u e n t l y o t h e r management f u n c t i o n s .
While i t i s p o l i t i c a l l y a t t r a c t i v e to the c h i e f to g e t as many
o f f i c e r s i n to th e f i e l d as p o s s i b l e , they may be u n d e r u t i l i z e d
unless t h e r e i s adequate management d i r e c t i o n .
4.

The i n t r a n s i g e n c e of some p o l i c e o f f i c i a l s and unions
3
a g a i n s t changes in personnel p r a c t i c e s and p o l i c i e s .
In o r d e r to e s t a b l i s h e l i g i b i l i t y f o r employment as a p o lic e
o f f i c e r in almost a l l s t a t e s w ith in t h e United S t a t e s an ind iv id u al
must demonstrate t h a t he o r she meets c e r t a i n q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .

As

d ep ic te d in Table 2 . 1 , f o r t y - f o u r s t a t e s have enacted p o l ic e minimum
standards l e g i s l a t i o n based upon a na ti o nal survey completed in 1975.
The l e a d e r in t h i s tr en d was C a l i f o r n i a followed by New York.
3
0.
Glenn Stahl and Richard A. S ta u fen b e rg er, e d s . , Police
Personnel Administration (The Police Foundation, 1974), pp. 1-2.

16

TABLE 2 . 1 . - - P o lic e Minimum S ta n d ard s Programs a s o f Ja n u a ry 1 , 1975.
S ta tu s
Enacted

S ta te

Alabama
Alaska
A rizona
A rkansas
C a lif o r n ia
C olorado
C o n n e cticu t
Delaware
F lo rid a
Georgia
Idaho
Illin o is
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
M assachusetts
M ichigan
M innesota
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New J e rs e y
New Mexico
New York
N orth C a ro lin a
N orth Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Is la n d
South C a ro lin a
South Dakota
T ennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
V irg in ia
W ashington
W isconsin
Wyoming

SOURCE:

1971
1972
1968
1974
1959
1973
1965
1969
1967
1970
1970
1965
1967
1968
1968
1966
1972
1966
1966
1971
1967
1973
1970
1965
1971
1961
1971
1959
1972
1964
1965
1961
1961
1973
1970
1966
1966
1967
1967
1967
1967
1965
1970
1972

V oluntary

Mandatory

Hours

X
X
X

240
270
280
170
200
264
400
350
320
114
300
240
240
240
240
400
400
350
480
240
280
280
300
120
295
280
120
285
160
200
280
120
330
480
320
120
240
240
321
250
200
400
240
150

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

N a tio n a l A s so c ia tio n o f S ta te D ire c to rs o f Law Enforcem ent T ra in in g P ublished
Annual R eport 1975

17
Requirements r e l a t e d to the minimum standards f o r employment as a
p o lic e o f f i c e r are administered through s t a t e level orga nizations
often termed p o lic e o f f i c e r s standards and t r a i n i n g commissions,
which g e n erally ope ra te under t h r e e broad mandates f o r a c t io n .
F i r s t , the establishm ent o f minimum standards f o r employment as
r e l a t e d t o in div id u a ls in a s t a t e , county or local law enforcement
agency.

Secondly, the a r t i c u l a t i o n of curriculums of t r a i n i n g for

p o lic e o f f i c e r s .

T h ir d ly , conducting and encouraging research

designed to improve a l l aspects of law enforcement.
The following are f a i r l y standard requirements e s t a b l is h e d
under minimum standards l e g i s l a t i o n :
1.

Be a c i t i z e n o f the United State s

2.

Be a t l e a s t 18 years o f age

3.

Be of good moral c h a r a c t e r as determined by a thorough
background i n v e s t i g a t i o n

4.

Be f i n g e r p r i n t e d and a search made o f l o c a l , s t a t e ,
and na tional f i l e s t o d i s c l o s e any criminal record

5.

Not have been convicted by any l o c a l , s t a t e , federal
or m i l i t a r y court o f a felony or crime, the punishment
f o r which could be imprisonment f o r more than two y e a rs;
or o f any offense involving moral t u r p i t u d e . The term
"moral t u r p it u d e " i s as e lu s i v e to d e f i n i t i o n as i s "the
public i n t e r e s t " and as f l u i d as the concept of what
c o n s t i t u t e s "due p r o c e ss ." Moral t u r p it u d e may be
defined as: an act of baseness, v i l e n e s s , or de pra vity
in the p r i v a t e and so c ia l d u t ie s which a man ( s i c ) owes
to his fellow man or to s o c i e t y in g e n eral, c o n tra ry to
the accepted and customary r u l e of r i g h t and duty between
man and man. The following a c t s are among those which
the courts have held to involve moral t u r p i t u d e : income
tax evasion, p e rjury or i t s su b o rd inatio n , p e t t y larceny ,
bad checks, indecent exposure, sexual crimes, conspiracy
to v i o l a t e an i n d i v i d u a l ' s c i v i l r i g h t s , book making,
conspiracy to commit a crime, defrauding the government,
i l l e g a l drug s a l e s , and possession of c o u n t e r f e i t money
with the i n t e n t to cheat or defraud. Conversely, the

18
v i o l a t i o n s l i s t e d below are some of the ones which have
been held not to involve moral t u r p i t u d e : public drunken­
n e ss, c arryin g a concealed weapon, a s s a u l t and b a t t e r y ,
breaches of the peace, t r e s p a s s i n g , d riv in g while under
the in flu ence o f i n t o x i c a t i n g beverages and any mis­
demeanor not i n t e n t i o n a l l y committed through an e r r o r of
judgment without contemplating wrong. Various f a c t o r s ,
however, may cause an offsen s which i s g e n erally not
regarded as c o n s t i t u t i n g moral t u r p it u d e to be regarded
as such. For example, a record of a number of convictions
f o r a s s a u l t and b a t t e r y would involve moral t u r p i t u d e ,
whereas a s i n g u l a r a c t would not. In order to be u t t e r l y
c e r t a i n i t w ill o c ca sio n ally be necessary f o r the p e r­
sonnel i n v e s t i g a t o r to seek legal advice from the c i t y
or county a t t o r n e y or the s t a t e ' s a tt o r n e y general.
6.

Be a high school graduate or have passed the General
Education Development (GED) t e s t in d ic a t i n g high school
equivalency.

7.

Be examined by a lic ensed physician or surgeon and meet
the physical requirements necessary to f i l l the res p o n s i ­
b i l i t i e s of a law enforcement o f f i c e r .

8.

Be interviewed p e rs onally p r i o r to employment by the
department head or his or her r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s to d e t e r ­
mine such th in g s as the a p p l i c a n t ' s appearance, demeanor,
a t t i t u d e , and a b i l i t y to communicate.

9.

Completion o f a basic course o f study with such
curriculum and administered by such personnel, agencie s,
and i n s t i t u t i o n s as the commission sh a ll approve.

In a lim ite d number of s t a t e s t h ere are requirements t h a t
every person seeking employment as a p olic e o f f i c e r be examined by a
lic ensed p s y c h i a t r i s t or c l i n i c a l psychologist in order to determine
the c a n d i d a t e ' s mental and emotional s u i t a b i l i t y to perform the
d u t i e s o f an o f f i c e r , which of ten include s i t u a t i o n s of severe s t r e s s .
A d d i t io n a l ly , c e r t a i n s t a t e s r e q u i r e t h a t an o f f i c e r earn a s p e c i f i c
number o f c o llege c r e d i t s within 12 to 24 months a f t e r appointment
t o the se r v i c e .

19
I t should be noted t h a t the requirements e s t a b l i s h e d in the
various s t a t e s by s t a t u t e a r e minimum:

nothing p r o h i b i t s the c h i e f

executive o f an agency from s e t t i n g more s t r i n g e n t c r i t e r i o n .

For

example, in Texas, th e e n tr y level minimum st andards t r a i n i n g course
c o n s i s t s o f 240 hours, but t h a t s t a t e ' s Department of Public Safety
has a r e c r u i t program o f some 1,049 hours.
Minimum standards l e g i s l a t i o n g e n e r a l l y f a l l s i n to two c a t e ­
gories:

voluntary and mandatory.

The overwhelming number of the

s t a t e s have mandatory a c t s , meaning t h a t a l l minimum standards p r e ­
scribed must be f u l l y met.

In s t a t e s where voluntary l e g i s l a t i o n

e x i s t s i t will be one o f two ty pes.

F i r s t , the minimum standards f o r

employment and completion o f the t r a i n i n g course a re a t th e d i s c r e t i o n
o f th e agency head.

A v a r i a t i o n o f t h i s i s found in s t a t e s where

meeting e i t h e r the employment minimum standards or the t r a i n i n g
4
course a re a t the option o f the c h i e f exec u tiv e.
Federal Regulations Affectin g Police
S e l e c ti o n Process'
Matters o f personnel a d m i n i s t r a t io n in the pu blic s e c t o r have
not gone without t h e i r f a i r share o f n o t ic e from government in r ecen t
years.

The l e g i s l a t i v e , executive and j u d i c i a l branches o f government

on both fe d e r a l and s t a t e l e v e l s have addressed the problems a s s o ­
c i a t e d with the equal employment op p o r tu n ity movement t h a t has
extended the coverage o f the 1964 Civil Rights Act to th e 13,000,000
employees in p u blic s e r v i c e through the 1972 Equal Employment

4

Territo, et a l ., Police Personnel Selection Process, pp. 5-8.

20
Opportunity Act.

This coverage extends to law enforcement agencies

and p a r t i c u l a r l y to the p o l ic e personnel s e l e c t i o n process.
The concept o f equal employment o p p o r tu n ity has i t s o r i g i n s
in c i v i l r i g h t s l e g i s l a t i o n d a tin g back to the r a t i f i c a t i o n o f the
United S t a t e s C o n s t i t u ti o n including th e due process c la u s e o f the
F i f t h Amendment.

However, th e impetus o f f a i r employment p r a c t i c e s

in public s e r v i c e i s r e l a t i v e l y r e c e n t as i n d ic a te d by the date of
passage o f the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.

5

Seberhagen in Legal Aspects of Personnel S e l e c ti o n comments:
Whether by design or by chance personnel s e l e c t i o n has
become one o f the most o v e r- r e g u la t e d are as in American
l i f e , with th e United S t a t e s C o n s t i t u t i o n ; s t a t e c o n s t i t u ­
t i o n s ; f e d e r a l , s t a t e and local laws; f e d e r a l , s t a t e , and
local ex ecu tive o r d e r s ; f e d e r a l , s t a t e and local c o u rt
d e c i s i o n s and hearing d e c i s i o n s ; and f e d e r a l , s t a t e , and
local r e g u l a t i o n s and g u i d e l i n e s . 6
T e r r i t o , e t a l . , go on to s t a t e :
Experts in th e area o f equal employment o p p o r t u n it y —
i n d i v i d u a l s who understand and can i n t e r p r e t t h e m u ltitu d e
o f laws, r e g u l a t i o n s and c o u rt d e c i s i o n s t h a t have been and
a re being handed down—a re few and f a r between. The whole
area i s one t h a t i s f u l l o f c o m p le x itie s , c o m plica tio ns,
overlapping and confusion. The laws t h a t have been enacted
on the fed e ral and s t a t e level d ealin g with f a i r employment
p r a c t i c e s a re broad in t h e i r coverage, but a l l law must be
i n t e r p r e t e d on a case by case b a s i s t o determine i t s a p p l i c a ­
b i l i t y . Thus f a r , t h e r e has been l i t t l e agreement by various
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e agencies and c o u rts in t h a t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n .
The obvious confusion t h a t r e s u l t s has been complicated by a
number o f o t h e r f a c t o r s including a g r e a t deal o f appre­
hension as laws, r u l e s , r e g u l a t i o n s and g u id e lin e s a re
5I b i d . , p. 18.
\ a n c e W. Seberhagen, e t a l . , Legal Aspects o f Personnel
S e l e c ti o n in the Public Service (Chicago: I n t e r n a t i o n a l Personnel
Management A s s o c ia tio n , 1 9 7 2 ) , p. 8.

21

f i l t e r e d down through governmental channels to op e ra tin g
ag encie s. In a d d i t i o n , th e r a p i d i t y with which events are
occurring in terms o f l e g i s l a t i o n and j u d i c i a l pronouncements
makes i t almost impossible to keep up with th e e n t i r e f i e l d .
A f u r t h e r complication i s t h a t the combined legal framework
and g u id e lin e s developed and administered by th e va rious
r e g u l a to r y agencies and c o u rts a re h a l f legal and h a l f
t e c h n ic a l in n a tu r e , thus making comprehensive even f o r
the most well-informed agency a d m i n i s t r a t o r or personnel
d i r e c t o r most d i f f i c u l t . C o n f l ic t s a re bound to and do
e x i s t between legal standards and s c i e n t i f i c standards
in th e tec h n ic al area o f personnel s e l e c t i o n . The law does
not u s u a l ly keep pace with advancements in technology and
research and o f t e n , when laws a re passed, they produce
unintended consequences, or have d e f i n i t e p o l i t i c a l r o o t s .
The problems and confusion t h a t have r e s u l t e d from the wealth
o f laws and g u id e lin e s developed in r e c e n t y e a r s has caused
much f r u s t r a t i o n among personnel people and a d m i n i s t r a t o r s ,
p a r t i c u l a r l y on th e local l e v e l . Consequently, many have
considered dropping a g r e a t number o f t h e i r p r e s e n t l y used
s e l e c t i o n procedures—p a r t i c u l a r l y t e s t i n g . This type of
r e a c t i o n i s designed to avoid legal complications f o r the
j u r i s d i c t i o n , however, i t i s not a v i a b l e s o l u t i o n sin c e i t
i s i n c o n s i s t e n t with m erit p r i n c i p l e s which form the b a sis
f o r a l l c i v i l s e r v i c e systems and o t h e r s i m i l a r programs
t h a t seek to provide open com petitio n, equal employment
o p p o r t u n it y , v a li d s e l e c t i o n procedures, and s e l e c t i o n from
among the b e st q u a l i f i e d to f i l l p o s i t i o n s in public or
p r i v a t e agencies on a n o n - p o l i t i c a l b a s i s . 7
The area o f equal employment o p p o rtun ity f a l l s under the
category of concerns s u b j e c t to concurrent l e g i s l a t i v e j u r i s d i c t i o n
o f both fed e ral and s t a t e government.

Of c o u rs e, i t i s to be

remembered t h a t in th e event o f c o n f l i c t s between s t a t e law and the
United S t a t e s C o n s t i t u t i o n , fed e r a l requirements c o n t r o l .

As noted

e a r l i e r , t h e impetus f o r f a i r employment standards had i t s beginning
with c i v i l r i g h t s l e g i s l a t i o n and the due process c la u se o f the
F i f t h Amendment which s t a t e s , "No person sh a ll . . .

be deprived of

^Territo, et al., Police Personnel Selection Process, p. 19.

22
O

l i f e , l i b e r t y , or p ro perty , without due process of law . . .
Provisions o f the F i f t h Amendment, l i k e the pr ovisions of the e n t i r e
B ill o f Rights , a re only p r o h i b it i o n s upon the federal government.
The concept o f due process has escaped firm d e f i n i t i o n throughout
the h i s t o r y of our c o n s t i t u t i o n a l system but can perhaps be most
adequately described as r e l a t i n g to the t r a d i t i o n a l American ideal
of fairness.
Civil r i g h t s a ls o has i t s ro ots in the T hir teenth and
Fourteenth Amendments to the C o n s t i t u ti o n .

The T h irtee nth Amendment

s t a t e s , "Neither slav ery or involunt ary s e r v i t u d e , except as punish­
ment f o r crime whereof the p a rty shall have been duly convicted,
sh a ll e x i s t within the United S t a t e s , or any place su b je c t to t h e i r
jurisdiction."

g

The Fourteenth Amendment provides t h a t , "No s t a t e

sh a ll make or enforce any law which shall abridge the p r i v i l e g e s and
immunities of c i t i z e n s of the United S t a t e s ; nor sh all any S t a te
deprive any person o f l i f e , l i b e r t y , or p r o p e r ty , without due process
o f law; nor deny any person within i t s p r o t e c ti o n equal p r o t e c ti o n of
the l a w s . " ^

Both the T h ir teen th and Fourteenth Amendments have

enabling cla use s t o the e f f e c t t h a t the Congress sh all have the power
to enforce by a p p ro p r i a te l e g i s l a t i o n the provisions o f t h i s a r t i c l e .
Pursuant to t h i s a u t h o r i t y , Congress enacted c i v i l r i g h t s l e g i s l a t i o n
in 1866 and 1871.

Section 1983 o f the Civil Rights Act of 1871

O

The United S t a te s C o n s t i t u ti o n ; F i f t h Amendment.
g

The United S ta te s C o n s t i t u ti o n ; T h irtee n th Amendment.

^°The United S t a te s C o n s t i t u t i o n ; Fourteenth Amendment.

23
p a r t i c u l a r l y i s r e l e v a n t to the f i e l d of law enforcement.

That

se ctio n d e c l a r e s :
Every person who, under c o lo r of any s t a t u t e , ordinance,
r e g u l a t i o n , custom, or usage, of any s t a t e or t e r r i t o r y ,
su b je cts or causes to be su b je c te d , any c i t i z e n of the
United S ta te s or other person within the j u r i s d i c t i o n
th e r e o f to th e d e p riv a tio n of any r i g h t s , p r i v i l e g e s , or
immunities secured by the C o n stitu tio n and laws, sh all be
l i a b l e to the pa rty inju red in an actio n a t law, s u i t ,
in e q u i t y , or o th er proper proceeding f o r r e d r e s s J '
P r e s i d e n ti a l Executive Orders on f a i r employment have a ls o had
an impact in the area of c i v i l r i g h t s .

Dating back to 1941 P r e s i ­

dent Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 wherein he made a plea f o r
non-discrim ination in d e f e n s e - r e l a t e d i n d u s t r i e s on the b asis o f rac e,
c re e d , c o l o r , and national o r i g i n .

Coverage was extended to a l l

federa l c o n tr a c t o r s and enforcement became more vigorous as years
went on.

12

In 1969, through Executive Order 11478, Pre sid e n t Nixon pre­
scribed t h a t employment p o l i c i e s in the fed eral government were to be
based on m erit and f i t n e s s without d is c r im in a tio n on the b a sis of
r a c e , c o l o r , r e l i g i o n , sex, or national o r i g i n .

I t required the heads

o f each federal agency to e s t a b l i s h and maintain a program o f equal
employment opportunity and declared t h a t equal op portunity must extend
to and be an i n te g r a l p a r t of "every aspec t of personnel policy and

^ T e r r i t o , e t a l . , Po lice Personnel Se lec ti o n Process, pp.
20 - 2 1 .
12

Saberhagen, e t a l . , Legal Aspects of Personnel Selection
in the Public S e rvice , p. 18.

24
p r a c t i c e in the employment, development, advancement, and treatm ent
13
o f c i v i l i a n employees of the fed e ral government."
In a d d it i o n to the importance o f a p p r e c i a t i n g the h i s t o r i c a l
development o f c i v i l r i g h t s and equal employment op p o r tu n ity l e g i s l a ­
t i o n , t h e r e i s a g r e a t deal of s i g n i f i c a n c e in noting the v a r i a t i o n s
and p r o t e c t i o n s provided by the va rious c o n s t i t u t i o n a l amendments,
federal enabling l e g i s l a t i o n and executive o r d e r s , f o r an employer's
legal r e s p o n s i b i l i t y to in su re equal employment o p p o r tu n ity cannot
n e c e s s a r i l y be defined in terms of a s i n g l e piece o f l e g i s l a t i o n .
" L it e r a l compliance with one law will not n e c e s s a r i l y s a t i s f y o th er
14
laws covering the same general a r e a . "
All laws and r e g u l a t i o n s
must be taken i n to account to ensure f u l l compliance.
The phenomenal amount o f a t t e n t i o n aimed toward law e n fo rc e ­
ment personnel m atters in the l a s t few ye ars had i t s o r i g i n in the
passing o f th e Civil Rights Act in 1964.

This a c t i s divided i n to a

number o f t i t l e s each of which d e als with a d i s t i n c t type o f d i s ­
c ri m in a t io n .

With regard to t h e area o f f a i r employment we should

c l o s e l y examine T i t l e VII of t h e Civil Rights Act.

Before 1972,

T i t l e VII was d i r e c t e d most o f t e n toward p r i v a t e employers with
tw e n ty -fiv e or more employees, lab o r o r g a n i z a t i o n s with tw enty -five
or more members and even p r i v a t e employment a genc ie s.
impact of T i t l e VII i s in the p o rtion which s t a t e s :

13I b i d . , p. 21.
14I b i d . , p. 17.

The primary

25
I t s h a ll be unlawful employment p r a c t i c e f o r an employer
(1) t o f a i l o r r e fu s e to h i r e , o r discharge any individua l
o r otherwise to d i s c r i m i n a t e a g a i n s t any ind iv id u al with
r e s p e c t to h i s compensation, terms, c o n d i t i o n s , or p r i v i ­
leges o f employment, because o f such i n d i v i d u a l ' s r a c e ,
c o l o r , r e l i g i o n , sex, or national o r i g i n ; (2) t o l i m i t ,
s e g r e g a t e , or c l a s s i f y hi s employees o r a p p l i c a n t s f o r
employment in any way which would deprive o r tend to
de prive any indiv idual o f employment o p p o rtu n ity or o t h e r ­
wise adverse ly a f f e c t his s t a t u s as an employee because
o f such i n d i v i d u a l ' s r a c e , c o l o r , r e l i g i o n , sex, or
n a ti o nal o r i g i n . 15
During the y e ar 1972 the Congress decided to expand the
coverage o f T i t l e VII o f the Civil Rights Act.

T here fore , on March

24, 1972 an Amendment to T i t l e VII was approved which was e n t i t l e d
The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.

This amendment expanded

coverage o f T i t l e VII to both public and p r i v a t e employers, including
s t a t e and local governmental agencies.

In th e case o f government

a gen c ie s, educational i n s t i t u t i o n s and la b o r o r g a n i z a t i o n s , the a c t
applied to those o r g a n i z a t i o n s with tw e n ty -fiv e o r more employees
during th e f i r s t year a f t e r th e da te of enactment, t h e r e a f t e r i t
applied to those agencies with f i f t e e n or more e m p l o y e e s . ^
Under the a u t h o r i t y of T i t l e VII as amended, the Equal Employ­
ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was e s t a b l i s h e d as a r e g u l a to r y
agency with the fu n ctio n of s e t t i n g standards and e s t a b l i s h i n g guide­
l i n e s f o r compliance with the requirements o f the l a w . ^

In 1970

the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a s e t o f Guidelines
on Employee Se lec ti o n Procedures which superseded and enlarged upon
15Public Law 92-261, Section 7 0 3 ( 9 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) .

^ E q u a l Employment Opportunity Commission G u id e lines, P a r t 1607.

26
e a r l i e r g u i d e l i n e s on Employment Testing Procedures issued by the
EEOC in 1966.18
In e f f e c t , t h e r e a re no fewer than f i v e fed e ral agencies and
numerous s t a t e agencies involved in th e implementation and enforcement
o f f a i r employment sta n d ard s.

A number o f t h e s e (even on the fed eral

l e v e l) may have d i r e c t i m p lic a tio n s f o r s t a t e and local personnel
practices.
Besides t h e Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the
Departments o f Labor and J u s t i c e along with the United S t a t e s Civil
Service Commission and the United S t a te s Civil Rights Commission are
involved in developing g u id e lin e s concerned with equal employment
o p p o rtu n ity .

Of p a r t i c u l a r concern to the p o l ic e a d m i n i s t r a t o r are

the f u n c tio n s r e g u la te d by Labor, J u s t i c e and the United S t a t e s Civil
Service Commission.

The Office o f Federal Contract Compliance

i s housed in the Department o f Labor.

(OFCC)

The OFCC coo rdin a te s enfo rce­

ment of the fed e r a l government's p o lic y p r o h i b i t i n g employment d i s ­
c rim in a tio n by a l l prime c o n t r a c t o r s and s u b - c o n t ra c t o r s doing
bu siness d i r e c t l y with any fed e ral agency or engaged in any f e d e r a l l y
a ssisted project.
The r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of the United S t a t e s Civil Service Com­
mission i s t o promulgate r e g u l a ti o n s which i n su r e t h a t t e s t i n g guide­
l i n e s f o r s t a t e and local j u r i s d i c t i o n s which p a r t i c i p a t e in federal
g r a n t - i n - a i d programs a re c o n s i s t e n t with m e r it system p r i n c i p l e s .

27
The Civil Rights D iv isio n, United S t a te s Department o f J u s t i c e ,
i s res p o n s i b l e f o r enfo rcing federal s t a t u t e s r e l a t i n g to c i v i l r i g h t s
through both criminal prose cutions and c i v i l remedies.

The Division

a ls o undertakes a c t i o n s necessary to p r o t e c t the i n t e g r i t y of orders
o f fed e r a l c o u rts in o th er c i v i l r i g h t s cases i n s t i t u t e d by p r i v a t e
citizens.

I t a l s o enforces f e d e r a l , c i v i l , and criminal s t a t u t e s d e a l ­

ing with i n ti m id a t io n and d i s c r im i n a t io n a g a i n s t v o t e r s , o b s t r u c ti o n s
of j u s t i c e , peonage and s l a v e r y , and the i l l e g a l use o f search warrants.
I t i n s t i t u t e s i n v e s t i g a t i o n s and prose cutions o f f e d e r a l , s t a t e , and
local law enforcement o f f i c e r s who misuse t h e i r a u t h o r i t y by d e l i b e r ­
a t e l y depriving c i t i z e n s o f t h e i r c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t s .
In a d d i t i o n , the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
(LEAA) i s housed under the Department o f J u s t i c e .

The LEAA was created

in 1968 as a r e s u l t of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe S t r e e t s Act
o f 1968.

Under th e p r o v isio n s of the Act, g r a n ts a re awarded to s t a t e

and local u n i t s o f government to c a r r y out programs to improve and
str e n g th e n law enforcement.

Among o t h e r p r o j e c t s , the gran ts may be

used f o r t h e purpose o f r e c r u i t i n g and s e l e c t i n g law enforcement per­
sonnel.

Also included under the sphere o f LEAA's programs a re the

National I n s t i t u t e o f Law Enforcement and Criminal J u s t i c e , the
National Criminal J u s t i c e Reference S e r v ic e , and the Law Enforcement
19
Education Program (LEEP).
Even the r e c i p i e n t s o f Federal Granst in the criminal j u s t i c e
s e c t o r have had to buckle down to federal l e g i s l a t i o n regarding equal
19

Terri to, et a l ., Police Personnel Selection Process,
pp. 23-24.

28
op portunity employment.

In March 1973 the Law Enforcement Assistance

Administration promulgated equal op portunity g u id e lin e s which were
prepared under c o n tr a c t by the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Association of O f f ic ia l
Human Rights Agencies.

The essence of the g u id elin es are t h a t :

Each r e c i p i e n t of LEAA a s s i s t a n c e within the criminal
j u s t i c e system which has 50 or more employees and which has
received gran ts or su b-grants of $25,000 or more pursuant
to the Safe S t r e e t s Act o f 1968 and which has a se r v ic e
population with a m inority r e p r e s e n ta t io n of t h r e e per cent
or more i s required to form ulate, implement and maintain an
equal employment opportunity program r e l a t i n g to employment
p r a c t i c e s a f f e c t i n g minority persons and women within 120
days a f t e r e i t h e r the promulgation o f the g u idelin es o r the
i n i t i a l a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a s s i s t a n c e i s approved, whichever
i s so o n e r.20
The g u id elin es f u r t h e r spe cify t h a t where the minority r e p r e ­
se n t a t io n o f the agency i s , l e s s than t h r e e p e rc ent, an equal employ­
ment opportunity program must s t i l l be formulated r e l a t i n g to employment p r a c t i c e s a f f e c t i n g women.

21

The words "employment p r a c t ic e s "

include anything a covered employer within the criminal j u s t i c e system
does, d e l i b e r a t e l y or o therw ise, which a f f e c t s the recruitm ent or
employment of p o t e n t i a l a p p li c a n t s and employees, b e fo re , during and
a t the end or prospe ctive end of the employment c y cle.

Law en force­

ment a d m i n i s t r a t o r s should become f u l l y acquainted with thes e guide­
lines.
Recognizing the havoc caused by the promulgation of g u id elines
from a l l th ese various federal agencies as they a f f e c t s t a t e and local
government o p e r a t io n , Congress made an attempt to c l a r i f y the s i t u a t i o n
20

28 CFR 42.301, e t s e g . , Subpart E - LEAA Equal Employment
Opportunity Guidelines.

29
by e s t a b l i s h i n g th e Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council
through the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.

The Act pro­

v i d e s , in p a r t :
There s h a ll be e s t a b l i s h e d an Equal Employment Opportunity
Coordinating Council composed o f the Secretary o f Labor,
the Chairman o f the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
the Attorney General, the Chairman o f the United S ta te s
Civil Service Commission, the Chairman of the United S ta te s
Civil Rights Commission, or t h e i r r e s p e c t iv e d e le g a t e s .
The Council sha ll have the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r developing
and implementing agreements, p o l i c i e s and p r a c t i c e s
designed to maximize e f f o r t , promote e f f i c i e n c y , and
elim in a te c o n f l i c t , competition, d u p lic a tio n and incon­
s i s t e n c y among the o p e r a t io n s , fu nctions and j u r i s d i c t i o n s
of the various departments, agencies and branches o f the
fed e ral government respo n sib le f o r the implementation and
enforcement o f equal employment opportunity l e g i s l a t i o n ,
o r d e r s , and p o l i c i e s . 2 2
The essence of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act as i t
a p p lie s to s t a t e and local government i s to in su re t h a t d isc rim in ato ry
employment p r a c t i c e s are not used a g a i n s t in d iv i d u a ls because of rac e,
c o l o r , r e l i g i o n , sex, or na tional o r i g i n .

The term "d isc rim in atio n "

has not been defined by the wording of T i t l e VII or by the g u id elines
of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

However, in 1971 the

United S t a te s Supreme Court in a unanimous opinion a r t i c u l a t e d the
f i r s t s i g n i f i c a n t d e f i n i t i o n of d isc r im in a tio n under T i t l e VII.
d e f i n i t i o n conta in s two major components.

The

In regard to employee

s e l e c t i o n procedures, a p r a c t i c e i s d isc rim in ato ry i f i t has an
adverse impact on minority groups and i f i t cannot be shown t h a t the
procedure in question i s d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d to the job to be performed.
^ P u b l i c Law 92-261, op. c i t . , Section 715.
23
Griggs vs. Duke Power Company, 401 U.S. 424 (1971).

23

30
Adverse impact--a showing t h a t the s e l e c t i o n procedure has a d i s ­
p ro p o rtio n a te impact on minority groups—does not au to m atica lly mean
the s e l e c t i o n procedure i s d isc r im in a to r y .
to be non-job r e l a t e d .

I t a ls o has to be shown

The problems u su a lly encountered by employers

under t h i s d e f i n i t i o n are procedural.

The burden i s upon the com­

p lain in g p a rty to e s t a b l i s h t h a t the s e l e c t i o n procedure has an
adverse impact.

I f t h i s can be shown, the burden then s h i f t s to the

employer to e s t a b l i s h t h a t the requirements a r e , in f a c t , job r e l a t e d
to avoid a findin g of d i s c r im i n a t io n .

For t h i s reason, in many pro­

ceedings in which the EEOC and courts have reviewed c h arges, the
i n a b i l i t y of the employer to show job r e l a t e d n e s s has caused them to
lose case s on the b a sis of findin gs of prima f a c i e d i s c r im i n a t io n (a
f a c t presumed to be t r u e in the absence of evidence to the c o n tr a r y ) .
A second major holding in the Griggs vs. Duke Power Company
case elim inated the need to prove the d i s c r im i n a t io n was i n t e n t i o n a l .
I t i s s u f f i c i e n t to show t h a t the employer i s , in f a c t , engaged in
d is c r im in a to r y employment p r a c t i c e s .
While equal employment opportunity g u id e lin e s and decisions
do not have the force of law, they a r e given a g r e a t deal of weight
by the c o u r t s .

But cou rts are not required to agree nor do they

always agree with r e g u l a to r y agency i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s .

In f a c t , j u d i ­

c ia l de cisio n s r e f l e c t t h a t the courts are not following T i t l e VII
g u id e lin e s to the l e t t e r by measuring adverse impact a g a i n s t job
relatedness.

In s t e a d , the courts have weighed and balanced these
24
c r i t e r i a to a r r i v e a t e q u it a b l e s o l u t io n s in each case.
------------------ y r ----------------------------------

T e r r i t o , e t a l . , Police Personnel Se lec ti o n Process, p. 26.

31
The method provided by th e EEOC g u i d e l i n e s f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g
jo b r e l a t e d n e s s i s through th e v a l i d a t i o n o f t e s t i n g procedures.
Tests a r e defined by th e EEOC g u i d e l i n e s as "any paper and pencil or
25
performance measure used as a b a s i s f o r any employment d e c i s i o n . "
Height and weight requirements g e n e r a l l y were upheld f o r
p o l ic e o f f i c e r s p r i o r to the passage o f T i t l e VII as amended because
e a r l i e r c i v i l r i g h t s and equal employment o p p o rtu n ity l e g i s l a t i o n
p r i m a r il y app lied to r a c i a l d i s c r i m i n a t i o n .

The p r e s e n t tren d seems

to be t h a t , in o rder to exclude a p o t e n t i a l employee on the b a sis of
h e i g h t , weight or s t r e n g t h , the employer must e s t a b l i s h t h a t , in f a c t ,
the requirement i s job r e l a t e d , and each a p p l i c a n t must be t e s t e d
i n d i v i d u a l l y r a t h e r than excluding a p r o te c te d c l a s s as a whole on
the b a s i s o f s te reoty ped c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n s .
East Cleveland, a c i v i l

In Smith vs. City of

r i g h t s a c t i o n was brought by

who a ll e g e d t h a t they were denied the

o p p o rtu nity to

a group o f women
apply f o r employ­

ment as East Cleveland p o l ic e o f f i c e r s because they did not meet the
5'8" he ig ht and 150-pound weight requirements imposed by the po lic e
department.

In g r a n tin g the p l a i n t i f f s the d e c l a r a t o r y and i n j u n c t i v e

r e l i e f requeste d a g a i n s t enforcement o f the heig ht and weight r e q u i r e ­
ments, t h e c o u r t observed t h a t :
The h e ig h t and accompanying weight requirements were main­
ta i n e d and enforced by defendants as p a r t o f a process to
h i r e only males as p o l ic e o f f i c e r s and with the e f f e c t and
i n t e n t to exclude n e a r l y a l l women a p p l i c a n t s . The Court
i s unable to f i n d r a t i o n a l support f o r t h e h eig h t and
weight requirements
and concludes t h a t t h e requirements a r e
based s o l e l y on the
s t e r e o t y p e of the l a r g e male po lic e
officer.
25

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Guid elin es,
Section 1607.2.

32
In o rder to decide whether heig ht and weight r e s t r i c t i o n s
were r a t i o n a l l y r e l a t e d to job performance, t h e c o u rt in th e Smith
case received a g r e a t deal of evidence including testimony and
d e p o sitio n s from e x p ert witnesse s on t h e h eig h t and weight r e q u i r e ­
ments alone.

All of the j u s t i f i c a t i o n s presented by the department

to s u s t a i n the heig ht and weight requirements were thoroughly
examined by the c o u rt and subsequently r e j e c t e d as having no b a s i s ,
in f a c t , having q u e stio n a b le e v i d e n t i a r y value and o f being erroneous.
In o t h e r r e l a t e d a c t i o n s , t h e Iowa Civil Rights Commission
ordered the Des Moines Police Department to suspend height and weight
requirements u n t i l such time as they a re pro p erly able to v a l i d a t e in
a pro fessio nal manner such requirements f o r job r e l a t e d n e s s .

The

Pennsylvania Attorney General ordered a 5'6 " requirement f o r s t a t e
p o lic e be suspended because i t excluded women and some m inority
groups.

In F l o r i d a , an opinion by the Attorney General concerning

minimum height and weight requirements e s t a b l i s h e d f o r the Florida
Highway Pa trol concluded t h a t such requirements had the e f f e c t of
denying equal employment o p p ortun ity to women as well as c e r t a i n
i n d iv i d u a ls o f f o reig n e x t r a c t i o n and a re probably i n v a l i d under
a p p li c a b l e federal law.
The " S ta te o f th e Art" o f General Task I n vento ries
In P olice Work Within th e United S t a te s
While examining the " S ta te o f the Art" o f job t a s k a n a l y s i s
s t u d i e s in th e United S t a t e s , the author was extremely f o r t u n a t e to
26

pp. 31-32.

T e r r i t o , e t a l . , P olice Personnel S e l e c ti o n P r o c e s s ,

33
have been in v it e d to The National Symposium on Job-Task Analysis in
Criminal J u s t i c e held in Dallas, Texas, November 12, 13 and 14, 1978.
This national conference was convened by the Law Enforcement
Assistance A d m inis tra tio n's o f f i c e of Criminal J u s t i c e Education and
Training.

Co-sponsoring agencies were The National Association of

S t a te Directors o f Law Enforcement Training and The Texas Commission
on Law Enforcement O f f ic e r Standards and Education.
The primary mission of t h i s " f i r s t o f i t s kind" national
symposium in criminal j u s t i c e t a s k inventory st u d i e s was e s s e n t i a l l y
a n ational information exchange forum to (1) i d e n t i f y those s t a t e s
and/or agencies who were p res en tly involved in applied res earch with­
in the f i e l d of job t a s k a n a l y s i s , and (2) provide a b r i e f overview
o f each st u d i e s researc h methodology such t h a t o th e r s t a t e s contem­
p l a t i n g such research could b e n e f i t from pa st experience o f those
s t a t e s and/or agencies re p o r tin g .
Listed below are t h ree research s t u d i e s presented a t the
Dallas conference which have d i r e c t or i n d i r e c t impact on the design
of our Michigan Physical Task Analysis Study:
1.

P r o je ct "STAR" (Systems Training Analysis o f the
Requirements f o r criminal j u s t i c e p a r t i c i p a n t s ) .

2.

The National Manpower Survey of The Criminal
J u s t i c e System.

3.

The United S ta te s Air Force Occupational Research
P r o je c t.

A synopsis of each o f the t h r e e p re s e n t a ti o n s i s included
in the following pages:

34
P r o j e c t STAR - A Pre se n tation by Charles P. Smith a t the
National Symposium on Job-Task Analysis
in Criminal J u s t i c e (November 12, 1978).
Purpose. - - P r o j e c t STAR was designed f o r the purpose of
developing a t t i t u d e s and behavior which w ill enable criminal j u s t i c e
personnel and the public to achieve the goals and o b j e c ti v e s of the
criminal j u s t i c e system more e f f e c t i v e l y .
O b je c tiv e s. —Proje ct o b jec tiv e s were:
- to i d e n t i f y r o l e s , task s and performance o b j e c tiv e s
f o r a p pro priate criminal j u s t i c e p o s i t i o n s ;
- to develop and t e s t t r a i n i n g programs f o r these
criminal j u s t i c e p ositio n s t h a t address needs not
s a t i s f i e d by e x i s t i n g t r a i n i n g programs;
- to develop educational recommendations f o r th ese
criminal j u s t i c e p o s i t io n s and the public t h a t
address needs not s a t i s f i e d by e x i s t i n g education
programs;
- to develop s e l e c t i o n c r i t e r i a and r e c r u i t i n g
s t r a t e g i e s r e l a t e d to knowledge, s k i l l , and
a t t i t u d e s needed f o r these criminal j u s t i c e
p o s i t io n s and not c u r r e n t l y in use;
- to develop a technique f o r asse ss in g the impact
o f s o c ia l trends on the criminal j u s t i c e system;
and
- to develop an implementation plan f o r a l l Proje ct
end products.
Criminal J u s t i c e Positions Involved. —The p r o j e c t res earch
and development e f f o r t focused on the criminal j u s t i c e system p o s i ­
t i o n s of p olic e o f f i c e r , prosecuting a t t o r n e y , defense a t t o r n e y ,
judge, caseworker, and c o rr e c t i o n a l worker.

35
Organisation.--The p r o j e c t organization involved the United
S t a te s Department o f J u s t i c e , Law Enforcement Assistance Administra­
t i o n ; criminal j u s t i c e planning agencies and o p eratio nal agencies in
four s t a t e s ( C a l i f o r n i a , Michigan, New J e r s e y , and Texas) and the
C a li f o r n ia Commission on Peace O f f i c e r Standards and T rainin g.

The

American J u s t i c e I n s t i t u t e (with a s s i s t a n c e from System Development
Corporation, and special c o n s u l ta n ts ) was s e l e c t e d , through competi­
t i v e procurement, to be r esp o nsib le f o r conducting the res earch and
development e f f o r t .
P r o j e c t STAR was governed by a National Advisory Council and
Advisory Councils in the p a r t i c i p a t i n g s t a t e s composed o f r e p r e s e n t a ­
t i v e s from the criminal j u s t i c e system, the p u b l ic , higher education,
and local and s t a t e u n i t s of government.

In a d d it i o n , resource

groups re p r e s e n ti n g p o l i c e , j u d i c i a l process , c o r r e c t i o n s , and educa­
t i o n and t r a i n i n g have been involved since P r o je ct in ception.
A t o t a l of some 1,500 agencies and 6,000 ind iv idu a ls have
p a r t i c i p a t e d in the P r o j e c t .
Funding. —Financial support f o r the $2.5 m illio n P r o je c t was
provided by Law Enforcement Assistance Administration d i s c r e t i o n a r y
funds (32%), s t a t e criminal j u s t i c e planning agency actio n grant
funds (29%), C a l i f o r n ia Commission on Peace O f f ic e r Standards and
t r a i n i n g agency funds (28%), and in-kind c o n tr ib u tio n s from s t a t e
and local criminal j u s t i c e agencies (12%).
Terms. —The P r o je c t research and development e f f o r t began in
May 1971 and ended in December 1974.

36
Method. —The design o f Pro je ct STAR involved a comprehensive
and c a r e f u l l y executed research method including (a) search o f the
l i t e r a t u r e , (b) a n a ly sis of social t r e n d s , (c) survey tech niq u es,
(d) f i e l d o b s e r v a t i o n s , and (e) expert opinion.
D e f in i_ y o n s .-- D e f in itio n s e s t a b l is h e d f o r Pro je ct STAR in
the areas of r o l e , t a s k , and performance o b j e c t i v e ; criminal j u s t i c e
p o s i t i o n s ; were as follows:
Role, Task, and Performance Objective
Role:

The personal c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and behavior
expected in a s p e c i f i c s i t u a t i o n of an
indiv idual occupying a p o s i t i o n .

Task:

An a c t i v i t y to be accomplished within a
r o l e and which usually involves a sequence
o f ste p s and which can be measured in
r e l a t i o n to time.

Performance Objective: A statement o f op eratio nal
behavior required f o r s a t i s f a c t o r y
performance of a t a s k , the con ditions
under which the behavior i s usually per­
formed, and the c r i t e r i a f o r s a t i s f a c t o r y
performance.
D e f in itio n Example. —Criminal J u s t i c e P o s i ti o n s .
O fficer:

Police

Police patrolmen or deputy s h e r i f f s (sworn, f u l l - t i m e ,

uniformed) who are resp o nsib le f o r b a s i c , primary p o lic e f u n c tio n s.
This includes automobile and foo t patrol o f f i c e r s who respond to
c a l l s f o r a s s i s t a n c e and who are a ls o r esp on sible f o r enforcement
of observed v i o l a t i o n s o f law.

37
Development of Survey Administration Procedures. —The
research design provided f o r the a d m in istratio n of the survey by
personnel employed by p a r t i c i p a t i n g agencies with the a s s i s t a n c e of
Project s t a f f .

In recognition o f the need f o r c o n s i s t e n t and e f f i ­

c i e n t procedures to administer the questionnaire', a d e t a i l e d survey
a d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s manual was developed.
This manual contained information on survey purpose and a
d e s c r i p t io n of q u e s t io n n a ir e development and conte nt.

I t a ls o pro­

vided d e t a i l e d i n s t r u c t i o n and m a te r ia ls f o r survey a d m i n i s t r a t io n ,
including s e l e c t i o n of respondents; d i s t r i b u t i o n , c o l l e c t i o n , and
d i s p o s i t i o n of q u e s t i o n n a i r e s ; and re p o r t i n g r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s .
Survey Admi ni s t r a t i on. —S e l e c ti on o f a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e sample
o f respondents from a l l criminal j u s t i c e system components was made
in each p a r t i c i p a t i n g s t a t e in accordance with the following pro­
cedures e s t a b l i s h e d by the researc h design:
- Random s e l e c t i o n o f p a r t i c i p a t i n g c ounties.
- Random s e l e c t i o n of criminal j u s t i c e system
agencies within se l e c te d c ou n ti es.
- I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f q u a n ti t y and type of personnel
required in each agency s e l e c te d .
- Random s e l e c t i o n o f respondents in each agency.
Upon the confirmation o f w i l lin g n e ss to p a r t i c i p a t e by those
agencies s e l e c te d during i n i t i a l sampling e f f o r t s , a t o t a l o f 251
survey a d m in istr a to r s were r e c r u i t e d from criminal j u s t i c e system
agencies involved in the survey.

Fiftee n one-day t r a i n i n g sess ions

f o r survey a d m i n i s t r a t o r s were conducted in the four s t a t e s .
survey a d m i n i s t r a t o r was given a manual of i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r

Each

38
respondent s e l e c t i o n and survey a d m i n i s t r a t io n , an adequate supply
o f q u e stio n n a ire s and forms, and the telephone number of a P roject
s t a f f member assigned to each s t a t e .
Survey Administrators in each s t a t e randomly s e le c te d
respondents in each agency from a r o s t e r o f pe rsonnel, according to
the previous ly agreed upon procedure to ensure random s e l e c t i o n .
The Procedure afforded the opportunity to s e l e c t an a l t e r n a t e
respondent to replace those who were se l e c te d i n i t i a l l y , but who
were then un availa ble.
The survey a d m i n i s t r a t o r then de li vere d the qu e stio n na rie to
the individual s e le c te d and explained i t s purpose and the method f o r
completion.
up

At a predesignated tim e, the survey a d m in istr a to r picked

the completed qu e stio n na ire from the respondent in a sealed

envelope.

In t u r n , the q ue stio n n a ire was mailed to a c e n t r a l lo ca­

t i o n f o r o p tic al scanning.

This procedure assured the respondents

o f the c o n f i d e n t i a l i t y of t h e i r responses, allowed the s t a f f to p re ­
d i c t within narrow l i m i t s the d a te upon which a l l responses would be
r e t u r n e d , and assured a very high percentage of r e t u r n from the
respondents.
As can be seen in Table 2 . 2 , a t o t a l o f 1,148 agencies were
involved in the survey and 3,849 i n d iv id u a ls were s e le c te d from these
agencies in the sampling procedure.

Of thes e i n d iv id u a ls 3,452 (or

89.2%) completed the q u e s t io n n a ir e .

I t a ls o should be noted t h a t the

average time of completion f o r the q u e stio n n a ir e was 3.41 hours.
Upon r e c e i p t a t the cen tral l o c a t i o n , each q u estio n n a ire was
audited by P r o j e c t s t a f f to ensure t h a t i t was ready f o r processing.

39
TABLE 2 . 2 . --Summary o f Responses to Survey o f Operational Personnel.
Agencies
Surveyed

State

Questionnaires
D istribu te d

Questionnaires
Completed

Response
Percentage

C a li f o r n ia

340

1,328

1,266

95.3

Michigan

211

800

677

84.6

New Jersey

238

861

743

86.3

Texas

359

860

746

86.7

TOTAL

1,148

3,849

3,432

89.2

Each qu estio n n a ire was then o p t i c a l l y scanned and the responses were
recorded on magnetic tap e .

The tapes were se nt to a computer

f a c i l i t y f o r processing on high-speed e l e c t r o n i c computers using
predetermined s t a t i s t i c a l programs.

P r in to u ts of survey r e s u l t s

were provided to P r o je ct s t a f f f o r a n a l y s i s .
Survey R e s u l t s . - - P o l i c e o f f i c e r s represe nted 55 percent of
the respondents, 14 percent were involved in the j u d i c i a l process,
and 31 pe rcent were involved in c o r r e c t i o n s .

All types of opera­

t i o n a l criminal j u s t i c e system agencies in the p a r t i c i p a t i n g s t a t e s
were represe nted in the survey.
The numbers and percentages of responses to t h i s survey
were computed and s t a t i s t i c a l t e s t s were run on the data to d e t e r ­
mine the l e v e ls of s i g n i f i c a n c e and r e p r e s e n ta t iv e n e s s .

Each

response was c o r r e l a t e d with o th e r responses and r e l a t i o n s h i p s were

40
i d e n t i f i e d and i n t e r p r e t e d .

I t was these r e l a t i o n s h i p s t h a t pro­

vided the foundation f o r r o l e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n .
Survey o f the P u b l i c . —Proje ct design a ls o c a l l e d f o r a
survey o f public opinion and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .

Pursuant to t h i s

requirement, a survey of a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e sample of the a d u lt and
teenage public in C a li f o r n ia and Texas was conducted.
Purpose of the Survey. —The survey was designed (a) to
obtain public views on crime impact, criminal j u s t i c e system i s s u e s ,
v alu es, and e f f e c t i v e n e s s ; and (b) to determine i f t h ere were d i s ­
t o r t e d perceptions on what r o l e s were d e s i r a b l e f o r criminal
j u s t i c e personnel.
Observation of Operational Pe rsonnel. - - I n order to provide
more depth to the research than was po ss ib le through search of the
l i t e r a t u r e or survey r e s e a r c h , a formal f i e l d observation phase
was conducted as p a r t of P r o je c t STAR.

The purposes of the f i e l d

ob servation phase were as follows:
- to provide confirmation of the preliminary
r o l e s derived from survey research;
- to i d e n t i f y the tasks t y p i c a l l y a s so c iated with
performance o f the r o l e ; and
- to provide information required f o r the development
o f the performance o bjec tiv e statements f o r both
the focal p o s i t io n and the o ther criminal j u s t i c e
p o sitio n s with whom t h ere i s i n t e r a c t i o n .

41

Expert Opinion. —Assistance in a l l sta ges of the P r o je c t was
received from approximately 254 o u tsid e pro fession al r e s o u r c e s, a t
a l l l e v e l s , in the support and review o f P r o j e c t s t a f f work.
Long Term Results o f P r o je ct STAR.--To d a t e , implementation
of P r o j e c t STAF has been undertaken by a v a r i e t y of j u r i s d i c t i o n s
and components in areas such as:
- use o f the r o l e s , tas ks and performance as a basis
f o r developing s e l e c t i o n c r i t e r i a , t r a i n i n g pro­
grams, educational c u r r i c u l a , and goal s e t t i n g ;
- use o f a l l or p a r t s of the t r a i n i n g programs;
- use o f the i n s t r u c t i o n a l s t r a t e g y ;
- use o f the so c ial tren d s an aly sis findings and
methods; and
- use o f the s e l e c t i o n process continuum as a frame­
work f o r human resource development.
There has never been a coordinated systemwide or na tional
e f f o r t to implement the r e s u l t s , in s p i t e o f the larg e expenditure
o f funds and the p o t e n t i a l f o r p o s i t i v e impact.
based e f f o r t

Although t h i s broad-

may be impossible, s p e c i f i c a c t i v i t i e s t h a t could be

undertaken a t the n ational level include:
- dissemination o f information on the implementation
r e s u l t s to d a t e , and
- v a l i d a t i o n of the t r a i n i n g programs.
Individual j u r i s d i c t i o n s are in a p o s i t io n to u t i l i z e the
r e s u l t s o f P r o j e c t STAR (in concert with o t h e r work l i k e th e National
Manpower Survey) as a b a sis f o r developing l o c a l l y acc eptable r o l e s ,
t a s k s , performance o b j e c t i v e s , s e l e c t i o n c r i t e r i a , t r a i n i n g programs,
and educational c u r r i c u l a without f u r t h e r exte nsive research.

42
The information i s t h e r e —now what i s needed is the commitment to do something with i t .

27

National Manpower Survey - A Pre se n tatio n by Albert Glickman
a t the National Symposium on Job Task
Analysis in Criminal J u s t i c e
(November 13, 1978), D a lla s, Texas.
P r o j e c t O b j e c t iv e s .--The National Manpower Survey of the
Criminal J u s t i c e System was conducted in response to a requirement
included in the 1973 Amendments to the Safe S t r e e t s Act, which pro­
vided f o r a survey o f e x i s t i n g and f u t u r e personnel needs o f the
Nation in the f i e l d of law enforcement and criminal j u s t i c e and the
adequacy o f Fe dera l, s t a t e , and local programs to meet such needs.
Major study o b j e c ti v e s were:
- to assess the adequacy o f c u rr e n t personnel
resources of law enforcement and criminal
j u s t i c e agencies and to p r o t e c t f u t u r e man­
power needs;
- to assess t r a i n i n g and educational needs in law
enforcement and criminal j u s t i c e occupa tions,
and the adequacy o f e x i s t i n g t r a i n i n g and educa­
t i o n a l programs in r e l a t i o n t o these needs;
- to recommend p r i o r i t i e s f o r a l l o c a t i o n of LEAA
funds f o r t r a i n i n g and academic a s s i s t a n c e ;
- to design procedures f o r use in criminal j u s t i c e
manpower planning, including manpower p r o je c tio n
models and data c o l l e c t i o n methods; and
- to i d e n t i f y any o t h e r needed changes in personnel
p o l i c i e s and procedures to improve system
performance.
Charles P. Smith, " Pro je ct "STAR," Job Analysis Procedures,"
paper presented a t the National Symposium on Job-Task Analysis in
Criminal J u s t i c e , D a lla s, Texas, November 12-14, 1978.

43
Three res earch org an iz atio ns c o llab o ra ted on t h i s two-year
effort:

the National Planning Association (NPA); the Bureau of

Social Science Research (BSSR); and the American I n s t i t u t e s f o r
Research (AIR).
The approach in the t h r e e major a r e a s —c o u r t s , c o r r e c t i o n s ,
and law enforcement—followed the same general p a t t e r n .

Here the

c o n centration is mostly upon what was done in law enforcement, and
upon those aspects involving a p p li c a t io n s of job and task a n a l y s i s .
Sample Development. —The m ajority o f information c o ll e c t e d
came from f i e l d v i s i t s to about 31 s t a t e and local p o lic e agencies in
the following ten s t a t e s ; Maryland, I l l i n o i s , New York, Massachusetts,
Iowa, F l o r i d a , Colorado, Texas, Oregon and C a l i f o r n i a .
occupations s t u d i e d , nine were in law enforcement.

Of the 20 key

Extensive f i e l d

interviews and q u e stio n n a ir e responses were obtained from samples of
law enforcement personnel a t these agencies.

The samples by d e p art­

ment s i z e u t i l i z e d in the National Manpower Survey f i e l d s i t e v i s i t s
are indic ated in Table 2.3.
I t should be made c l e a r t h a t the number of cases the study
d e a l t with was small and t h a t the main aim in s e l e c t i o n o f occupations
to study and s i t e s to v i s i t was to in su re t h a t , i n s o f a r as p o s s ib l e ,
a wide d i v e r s i t y of s i t u a t i o n s , innovations, and content would be
encountered, and t h a t considerable op port unity f o r e xp lo ra tion in
depth would e x i s t .

The research team was more concerned with finding

out what were the kinds of i s s u e s , problems, needs, s k i l l s , and
knowledge t h a t e x i s t out t h e r e than in a count of the ab so lu te f r e ­
quency o f t h e i r occurrence.

44
TABLE 2 . 3 . —Numbers of Law Enforcement Agencies a t Which NMS Field
S i t e V i s i t s were Conducted by Size and Type.
Size and Type Category
Small:

(100/le ss t o t a l sworn and nonsworn
f u l l t i m e po lic e personnel)

7

- Municipal agencies

5

- County S h e r i f f ' s departments

2

Medium S i z e :

Large:

Number of Agencies

(101/more, 500/le ss t o t a l sworn
and nonsworn f u l l t i m e po lice
personnel)

14

- Municipal agencies

9

- County po lic e agencies

2

- County S h e r i f f ' s department

3

(501/more t o t a l sworn and nonsworn
f u l l t i m e polic e personnel)

10

- Municipal agencies

6

- County Police agencies
- County S h e r i f f ' s departments

1
1

- S ta te agencies
TOTAL

_2
31

Total Municipal Agencies

20

Total County Police Agencies

3

Total County S h e r i f f ' s Departments

6

Total S t a te Agencies

2

45
When job a n a ly sis i s performed in s t o r e s , o f f i c e s , and
f a c t o r i e s , each u n i t usu ally s t a r t s from s c r a t c h , and the procedures
and a n a l y s i s are t a i l o r e d , often in considerable d e t a i l , to the
immediate s i t u a t i o n and need f o r information.

Because each data

s e t i s so unique, aggregation o f the data f o r some l a r g e r or a l t e r n a ­
t i v e purpose is i m p ra ctica l.
On the o th er hand, the s i t u a t i o n e x i s t s which is more analo­
gous t o what was confronted in the NMS, where s i m i l a r job t i t l e s
e x i s t in many, many p l a c e s —t h ere are patrol o f f i c e r s in P o c a te ll o ,
Idaho, and in D a lla s, Texas—but t h e r e is a lack of a c o n s i s t e n t
frame of r e f e r e n c e , common language, comparable procedures, and
e q u iv a le n t d a ta .

So, i t was t h a t our research team had to find a

way to t r a n s l a t e what was going on out t h ere a l l over the country,
in l a r g e , medium, and small departments, i n to a core of work
a c t i v i t y statements expressed in terms commonly understood and t h a t
could be cumulated to a r r i v e a t estim ates of manpower and t r a i n i n g
conditions and needs a pp lica b le across wide bands and u l tim a te ly
useful as input to planning and po licy d e cisio ns.
Data Colle ction Methodology.--To begin w ith , a team o f f i e l d
inte rvie w ers was sent to a few se l e c te d po lic e agencies to interview
a small number of job incumbents in each occupational category.

The

r e s u l t of thes e e a r l y interviews was a preliminary s e t o f statements
d e s c r ib in g work tasks and the s p e c i f i c knowledges and s k i l l s required
to perform each t a s k .

L a t e r , during f i e l d v i s i t s to the 31 agencies,

p r o j e c t s t a f f conducted review conferences with small numbers o f

46
s u b j e c t m atter exp erts in each agency, usua lly knowledgeable job
incumbents or su perio rs. In a d dition to reviewing the ta s k s p e c i f i ­
c a t io n s f o r t h e i r c o r r e c t n e s s , the experts were asked to answer
t h r e e quest io ns about a given t a s k ; what was thought to be the one
b e st way to learn to do i t ; how d i f f i c u l t i t was to learn how to do
i t ; and whether co lleg e courses were thought to be e s s e n t i a l or highly
necessary f o r performing the ta s k .

Several m od ifications in t h i s

approach were made to sim plify the procedure f o r the NMS.
The knowledge c h e c k l i s t s contained knowledge/skill items and
s c a le s f o r r a t i n g the level o f knowledge/skill required f o r capable
performance and the level t y p i c a l l y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of newly assigned
p e rs o n n el.
The primary purpose of the t a s k and knowledge c h e c k l i s t s was
to generate t a s k and knowledge p r o f i l e s from data c o l l e c t e d during
the agency f i e l d v i s i t s .

These c h e c k l i s t s c o n s t i t u t e d a standardized

and p r a c t i c a l means of c o l l e c t i n g s u b s ta n t ia l occupational information
from l arg e samples of law enforcement personnel.
The basi c procedure in

using the c h e c k l i s t s during the

Research S t a f f v i s i t s involved giving agency coordinators packages of
ta s k and knowledge c h e c k l i s t s to be d i s t r i b u t e d to s p e c i f i c samples
o f person nel.

The c h e c k l i s t s were completed and return ed to us l a t e r

through the co ord in a to r.

Guidelines were l e f t with the coordina tor

f o r doing t h i s .
Following the f i e l d v i s i t s and a n aly sis o f the occupational
da ta c o l l e c t e d , a conference was conducted f o r each key occupation.
The conferees included an NMS s t a f f member, an outsid e occupational

47
res earch c o n s u l t a n t , and an occupational su bje ct m atter expert
(namely, an

a u t h o r i t y in the law enforcement f i e l d ) .

The o b jec tiv e s

of the conference were to ob tain a f i n a l review of the t a s k and
knowledge p r o f i l e s f o r the c u r r e n t s t a t u s o f each occupation, a
determination of the tasks which prominently re q u ir e individual
s k i l l s and knowledge, and a p r o j e c ti o n of the p r o f i l e s f o r each
occupation f i v e years in to the f u t u r e .
Three forms were developed f o r the s p e c i f i c purpose of c o l ­
l e c t i n g occupational information:
(a)

Task C h e c k l i s t . Each t a s k was b r i e f l y desc ribed,
u su a lly by p resenting only the f i r s t phase (what
i s done) o f the f u l l t a s k state ment, with questions
asking the incumbent to i n d i c a t e whether he/she
performs the t a s k , and i f he/she does, how much
time i t t a k e s , where i t was learned, and how much
t r a i n i n g had been receive d.

(b)

Task Analysis Form. This form contained the f u l l
ta s k state m ent, with i n s t r u c t i o n s to the incumbent
to e d i t the t a s k statement t o make i t s u i t h i s / h e r
own p o s i t i o n , and a s e t o f qu estion s following
each t a s k statement. The s e t o f q u e stio n s , with
m u ltiple choice res ponses, asked the best way to
learn the t a s k , how d i f f i c u l t i t was to l e a r n , and
whether co lleg e courses were necessary f o r l e a r n ­
ing the t a s k . The l a t t e r question was included
prim arily f o r the law enforcement agencies because
of the c u rr e n t controversy over the advantage of
a c olleg e education f o r p o l ic e work. The question
i s re l e v a n t for a l l p o s i t i o n s , however, since in
any job t h e r e are tasks f o r which c o llege t r a i n i n g
i s unnecessary.

(c)

Knowledge C h e c k l i s t . A l i s t of knowledge and s k i l l s
was developed f o r each key occupation. The l i s t
was compiled from various sources: l i t e r a t u r e
review; catalog s of c o ll e g e s ; t r a i n i n g programs and
academies; discussions with experts in the a re a;
and judgment of the tec h nic al s p e c i a l i s t o f the
p r o j e c t s t a f f . On t h i s form the incumbent was to
i n d ic a t e the level of each knowledge required f o r
competent performance o f the job and the level the
t y p ic al new h ir e has when he comes to the job.

48
Closely r e l a t e d tas k s were combined i n to a s i n g l e abbreviated
statement f o r p repa ratio n o f the t a s k c h e c k l i s t s .

Sim ila r procedures

were followed to reduce the siz e of the knowledge c h e c k l i s t s and
to e li m in a te knowledge t h a t s t a f f and c o n s u l ta n ts f e l t had no
relevance to the p o s i t io n .
Summary Findings o f NMS.--Keeping in mind the major c h a r a c t e r ­
i s t i c s of the occupational a n a l y s i s .
involved.

Nine key occupations were

Three were o f r e l a t i v e l y r e c e n t o r i g i n :

evidence te c h ­

nician/crim e scene a n a l y s i s ; p olic e plann e r; and p o lic e legal advisor.
The remaining six were t r a d i t i o n a l ones in basic o p e r a t io n s , l i n e
su p e rv isio n , and management.
The purpose of the NMS occupational analyses was to generate
task s and knowledge/skills p r o f i l e s and to compare them a g a i n s t
education and t r a i n i n g programs now e x i s t i n g in the p o lic e system.
The ov e ra ll r e s u l t o f the National Manpower Survey was to
c l e a r l y demonstrate a v a r i e t y of ways t h a t j o b - t a s k analyses can be
used to develop manpower p i c t u r e s o f occupa tions.

C e r ta in l y not a l l

analyses techniques were exhausted via t h i s study but the NMS did
re p r e s e n t one of the l a r g e s t s c a l e a p p l i c a t i o n s .

The e f f o r t required

to perform an accurate t a s k a n aly sis i s maximal, however i t is the
opinion of the NMS research team t h a t c a r e f u l and comprehensive task
a n aly sis i s e s s e n t i a l to provide an a c c u ra te assessment o f the

49
e x i s t i n g s t a t e of manpower resources and o f c u r r e n t and f u ture
requirements t h a t need to be met to achieve various o b j e c t i v e s .

2ft

United S t a t e s Air Force Occupational
Research P r o je ct - a P re se n tatio n by Raymond E. C h ristal
The United S ta te s Air Force Occupational Research P r o je ct
was e s t a b l i s h e d in 1958, some 15 ye ars ago, and has been supported
continuously since t h a t time.

The p r o j e c t o b j e c ti v e s c a l l f o r the

development of methodologies in a number o f a r e a s , including job
a n a ly sis ( c o l l e c t i o n , a n alyse s, and re p o r t i n g o f information defining
work performed by pe rsonn el).
Reasons f o r Se lec ti ng the Job Inventory Approach.--The Air
Force chose the job inventory as the only f e a s i b l e approach f o r
c o l l e c t i n g work-task information from l arg e numbers o f workers.
There were a number o f reasons f o r t h i s d e c i s i o n :
nique i s economical.

F i r s t , the t e c h ­

Data can be c o l l e c t e d from thousands o f people

throughout the s e r v i c e f o r l e s s than i t would c o st to c o l l e c t data
on a few people using professio n al job a n a l y s t s .

Second, the informa­

t i o n obtained using job in v e n t o r ie s i s q u a n t i f i a b l e .

That i s , you

can a c t u a l l y count the number o f people performing any p a r t i c u l a r
t a s k , and de scribe t h e i r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .

Note t h a t data c o ll e c t e d

by t r a d i t i o n a l job analy sis are not q u a n t i f i a b l e .
w ill describ e a job in e x a c tly th e same terms.

No two a n aly sts

T hird, the f a c t t h a t

28
A lbert S. Glickman, "Job-Task Analysis Applications in the
National Manpower Survey." Paper presented a t the National Symposium
on Job-Task Analysis in Criminal J u s t i c e , D a lla s, Texas, November
12-14, 1978.

50
information c o l l e c t e d with job in v ento rie s is q u a n t i f i a b l e means
t h a t i t can be s t o r e d , manipulated, analyzed, and reported by com­
puter.

F i n a l l y , the f a c t t h a t information i s q u a n t i f i a b l e also means

t h a t i t can be v a lid a te d and checked fo r s t a b i l i t y using conventional
s t a t i s t i c a l techniques.
A job inventory contains two s e c t i o n s .

The f i r s t se ction has

quest io ns to be answered by a worker about his jo b and h im /hers elf
qu estio ns r e l a t i n g to name, i d e n t i f i c a t i o n , number, previous education,
t im e -o n - t h e - jo b , t o o ls used, job l o c a t i o n , equipment worked on, t r a i n ­
ing sc h o o ls, pay grade, job a t t i t u d e s , and so on.

Any item can be

included in the background information se ctio n o f an inventory which
may help answer questions posed by managers of the personnel system.
The second se c tio n o f a job inventory i s simply a l i s t of a l l the
s i g n i f i c a n t task s t h a t may be performed by workers in the occupational
area to be surveyed.

That i s , i t includes tas ks being performed by

a p p r e n t i c e s , journeymen, f i r s t - l i n e s u p e r v i s o r s , and superintendents
in one or more occupa tions, such as supply s p e c i a l i s t or engine
mechanic.

I f the t a s k l i s t i s properly c o n str u c te d , and t h i s point

is important to understand, then every worker in th e occupation should
be able to define h i s / h e r job adequately in terms of a subset of tas ks
in the inventory.
Construction of Job I n v e n t o r i e s . - - O r d i n a r i l y , an i n i t i a l task
l i s t i s constructed from a v a i la b l e

printe d m a t e r i a l s .

In the Air

Force program, t h i s l i s t i s f i r s t reviewed by f i v e to ten se n io r
s u p e rv iso rs in an interview s i t u a t i o n ; they c o r r e c t tec hn ic al wording

51

and add a d d itio n al task s which they know are being performed by
workers in t h e i r occupational are a.

This expanded ta s k l i s t i s then

se n t by mail f o r a f i e l d review by superviso rs a t various lo ca tion s
throughout the Air Force.

According to the complexity of the occu­

pational a r e a , these mail reviews may be obtained from as few as 25
to as many as 100 su p e rv isors.

At some time during the c o nstru ctio n

phase, the task l i s t i s a ls o reviewed by technic al school i n s t r u c t o r s .
The f i n a l task l i s t i s a rr i v e d a t through t h i s i t e r a t i v e process.
Air Force experiences have led to two conclusions.

First,

in d iv i d u a ls who are untrained in w r i t in g t a s k statements do a poor
job of bu ild ing job i n v e n to r ie s f o r t h e i r own occupational area.

It

i s b e t t e r to keep the pencil in the hands o f a tr a i n e d inventory
c o n s t r u c t o r and l e t su perviso rs in the f i e l d of i n t e r e s t serve only
as tec h nic al advisors.

Second, i f in v en to rie s are const ru cted by

t ec h n ic al school i n s t r u c t o r s , care must be taken to see t h a t they are
not biased through inclusi on o f only those tasks which have relevance
for training.

For example, a t a s k concerned with sweeping the f l o o r

has l i t t l e relevance f o r t r a i n i n g , but may have a great deal of
relevance f o r managers i n t e r e s t e d in job s a t i s f a c t i o n , job e v a l u a t i o n ,
o r job re-eng ineerin g.

I t i s b e st to have in v en to rie s constructed

by i n d iv id u a ls who have a broad p e rsp ectiv e o f a l l f u tu r e a p p li c a t io n s
o f occupational data.
How many workers should be sampled in an occupational area?
The more the b e t t e r .

I f one were i n t e r e s t e d only in the occupation

as a whole, then perhaps a small sample would s u f f i c e .

But e x p e r i ­

ence has shown t h a t managers are o ften i n t e r e s t e d in d e fin a b le groups

52
such as females, i n d iv id u a ls a t a p a r t i c u l a r grade or s a l a r y l e v e l ,
workers maintaining a p a r t i c u l a r type o f equipment, and so on.
Unless one has c o l l e c t e d information from a large sample, then t h ere
w ill be i n s u f f i c i e n t numbers of cases to make r e l i a b l e inferences
about such groups of i n t e r e s t .

Large samples are also needed to

perform meaningful job -ty pin g a n a l y s e s - - e s p e c i a l l y i f the occupa­
t i o n a l area i s complex.
The Comprehensive Occupational Data Analysis Programs package
(which i s c a l le d CODAP) i s designed to handle data on samples of
20.000 workers, except f o r programs a ssociated with jo b-ty ping
a naly se s, which w ill now accept data on 7,000 workers.

In the Air

Force we have attempted to ob tain 100% samples in occupational areas
containing 2,000 or fewer workers.

In l a r g e r occupational a r e a s ,

our r e s ea rch e rs have attempted to obtain data on not fewer than
2.000 workers.

I f the occupational area i s known to contain a

v a r i e t y o f job ty p e s , P r o je c t S t a f f may obtain data on 5,000 or more
workers.
Administration o f Job I n v e n t o r i e s . —Now we should turn our
a t t e n t i o n f o r a moment to the problem of inventory a d m i n istr a tio n .
In the Air Force, in v en to rie s are se n t in bulk to Consolidated Base
Personnel O f fice rs throughout the world.

I n s t r u c t i o n s spe cify t h a t

workers meeting c e r t a i n s p e c i f i c a t i o n s w ill be c a l le d i n to t e s t i n g
rooms to f i l l out inventory forms under c o n tr o lle d c o n dition s.

In

the Marine Corps, the t a s k a n aly sis u n i t sends out teams to administer
i n v e n to r ie s on s i t e a t various l o c a t i o n s .

They r e p o r t e x c e ll e n t

53
results.

However, t h i s approach i s f e a s i b l e only i f a Service or

o rganization has a lim ite d number o f bases or i n s t a l l a t i o n s .
I n s t r u c t i o n s f o r f i l l i n g out an inventory are r e l a t i v e l y
simple.

The worker completes the background s e c t i o n ; reads the task

l i s t and checks those tas ks which he performs as p a r t of h i s / h e r
normal jo b ; w rites in any s i g n i f i c a n t tas k s which he/she performs
which were not in the task l i s t ; and then r a t e s the tas ks he/she has
checked using a r e l a t i v e time-spent s c a l e .
The w r i t e - i n f e a t u r e serves several useful purposes, but p r i ­
marily i t provides an i n d ic a t i o n of the q u a l i t y of th e task l i s t .

If

a l arg e number o f s i g n i f i c a n t new task s are uncovered by the w r i t e - i n
f e a t u r e , then the a d m inistratio n o f a supplementary survey may be
req uired ; otherwise the uncovered task s are used to guide i n t e r p r e ­
t a t i o n of r e s u l t s and are saved f o r inclu sio n in the next form o f the
survey instrument.
Results from numerous stu d ie s have ind ic ate d t h a t matrices
r e f l e c t i n g overlapping time among individual job d e s c r i p t i o n s when
analyzed by the CODAP grouping program, can y i e l d a p r e c ise d e f i n i ­
t io n o f the types o f jobs e x i s t i n g in an occupational are a.

F i n a ll y ,

having a v a i la b l e the percentage o f time spent on tasks makes i t
p o s s ib le to compute the time spent by in d iv id u a ls or groups on
p a r t i c u l a r types of work.

For example, a manager may wish to know

how much time i s being spent by a group o f mechanics on preventive
maintenance.

This can be very quickly computed by the CODAP system.

I t should be noted t h a t none o f the above c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s apply to
a s c a l e such as frequency o f performance.

54
The CODAP Analysis System. —The Air Force has been working
on CODAP continuously f o r over 13 y e a r s , and t h e program l i s t i n g s
now run about 1,400 pages in len gth .

I t re p r e s e n ts an investment of

hundreds of thousands of d o l l a r s , and thousands of i n - s e r v i c e man
hours.

Yet i t i s without question the most important product of the

Air Force Occupational Research P r o j e c t .
The concept behind CODAP i s to provide ways f o r analyzing,
org an iz ing , and re p o r t i n g occupational information so as to answer as
many management questio ns as p o s s ib l e .

CODAP c u r r e n t l y contains

approximately f o r t y general purpose programs, and several new ones
are under development.

All o f thes e programs are i n t e r a c t i v e and

highly e f f i c i e n t .
For example, one program produces a conso lid ate d d e s c r i p t io n
of the work performed by any s p e c i f i e d group o f in d iv i d u a ls .
a

Such

d e s c r i p t i o n can be produced f o r workers a t a p a r t i c u l a r base; or

f o r those who have been in t h e i r jobs f o r l e s s than one y e a r ; or
those who claim t h e i r t a l e n t s are not being u t i l i z e d ; or those who
work on a p a r t i c u l a r type of equipment--indeed, f o r any group of
workers which can be defined in terms of information in the back­
ground se c tio n o f the job inventory.

A consolidated job d e s c r i p t io n

i n d ic a t e s the percent of group members performing each t a s k ; the
average percent o f work time spent on the ta s k by those who perform
i t ; and the percent o f group time spent on each ta s k .

A CODAP pro­

gram p r i n t s the t a s k statements and a sso c ia te d computed v a lu e s,
arranged in terms o f percent members performing or in terms of group
tim e-spent values.

A consolidated d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e work performed

55
by i n d iv id u a ls during t h e i r f i r s t y e a r o r two on the job is p a r t i c u ­
l a r l y useful in v a l i d a t i n g or designing the c u r r i c u l a f o r e n tr y - l e v e l
vocational t r a i n i n g .
Perhaps the most powerful CODAP program i s one which i d e n t i ­
f i e s and desc ribes a l l the types of jobs which e x i s t in an occupa­
t i o n a l a re a.

Beginning with 2,000 individual job d e s c r i p t i o n s , t h i s

program w ill compute a 4,000-element input matrix r e f l e c t i n g the
s i m i l a r i t y of each job with every o t h e r job.

Then i t proceeds to

group s i m i l a r jobs i n to c l u s t e r s and p r i n t s out a d e s c r i p t io n of work
performed by i n d iv id u a ls in each c l u s t e r .

The program is i t e r a t i v e

any may ev alu ate well over a b i l l i o n a l t e r n a t i v e so l u t io n s in a r r i v i n g
a t the b e st d e f i n i t i o n o f job types and c l u s t e r s in a p a r t i c u l a r
occupation.

S t i l l another CODAP program can be used to determine

the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and l o c a tio n s o f ind iv id u a ls working in each job
type and c l u s t e r .

The r e s u l t s of job typing analyses are extremely

valuable in i d e n t i f y i n g changes needed in d e fin in g occupational
c a t e g o r i e s in an o rganiz atio n or m i l i t a r y s e r v i c e .
Results to Date o f the Air Force CODAP Job Survey System. - The Air Force did research on various techniques from 1958 u n t il
1967.

During t h i s p e rio d , we c o l l e c t e d experimental data from over

100,000 cases and developed most o f the programs in the C0DAP system.
Although c o st savings data were not accumulated during t h i s time
p e rio d , occupational data led to numerous changes in t r a i n i n g programs
and occupational s t r u c t u r e s .

56
In l a t e 1967, the Air Force e s t a b l i s h e d an ope ratio nal unit
with 15 persons who devoted f u l l - t i m e to the c o n s t r u c t io n , administra­
t i o n , and a n aly sis of occupational survey d a ta .
f o r the completion of 15 surveys per ye ar.

I t s mission c a lle d

In 1969, the s t a f f of

t h i s organiz atio n was increased again, to 42 pe rsons, and the mission
was moved up to 51 surveys per y e ar.

Each of these increas es in

s t a f f and mission was due to demonstrated pay-offs of occupation
inf or mation, and to increased demands from managers f o r more timely
data.

So f a r , the operational u n i t has surveyed over 200,000 e n l i s t e d

persons in over 150 occupations.
in various st ages of completion.

At the p res ent time 68 surveys are
29

A f te r c areful review and a n aly sis o f each of the t h r e e major
t a s k inventory research p r o j e c t s presented, several v i t a l concepts
and methodologies came to the f o r e f r o n t .

All t h ree t a s k - i n v e n t o r i e s

were commenced by an exhaustive review o f the c u rr e n t l i t e r a t u r e .
P r o je c t STAR u t i l i z e d q u e s t io n n a ir e s , f i e l d obse rvations and expert
opinions in the c o l l e c t i o n of the da ta .

In STAR the survey was

administered by personnel employed a t each p a r t i c i p a t i n g agency with
c oordination and a s s i s t a n c e provided by p r o j e c t s t a f f .

Research

s t a f f in STAR recognized e a r l y the need f o r s t r e n g th o f sample on
the one hand and consistency on the o t h e r .

A d e t a i l e d survey admin­

i s t r a t i o n manual was developed by p r o j e c t s t a f f along with 15 one-day
29

Raymond E. C h r i s t a l , "The United S ta te s Air Force Occupa­
t i o n a l Research P r o j e c t , " paper presented a t the National Symposium
on Job-Task Analysis in Criminal J u s t i c e , D a lla s, Texas, November
12-14, 1978.

57
t r a i n i n g seminars fo r the survey a d m i n i s t r a t o r s .

A d d itio n a lly , each

que stio n n a ir e returned was audited f o r accuracy and consistency by
project s ta f f.
Within the National Manpower Survey the concept of s t r a t i f i e d
random sampling by department s i z e ( sm all, medium and l a r g e ) , was
utilized.

A d d itio n a lly , the study design c a l l e d f o r a f i e l d t e s t of

the t a s k statements developed by the review of the l i t e r a t u r e .
Following the f i e l d t e s t , the remaining t a s k statements were c a r e ­
f u l l y reviewed by content experts and more modifications were made
before the survey instrument was f i n a l i z e d for f i e l d implementation.
Within the NMS Study, agency coordina tors were a ls o u t i l i z e d to
o r i e n t , d issim in ate and c o l l e c t the survey d a ta .
The Air Force Study pointed out the economy and qu a ntifyin g
aspects of u t i l i z i n g a jo b inventory approach on comprehensive job
t a s k an aly sis s t u d i e s .
The a b i l i t y to examine in d e t a i l each of t h r e e major tas k
a n a ly sis s t u d i e s and then compare them f o r d e t a i l has provided the
r es ea rche r with several commonalities of methodology useful in
e s t a b l i s h i n g the t a s k an alysis approach in the physical area within
Michigan.
S p e c ific Task Analysis Studies on the Physical
Requirements o f the Police Function
During the overa ll review of the l i t e r a t u r e , going from the
general (General Task I n v e n t o r i e s ) , to the s p e c i f i c (tas k in v ento rie s
dealing with physical performance of p o lic e o f f i c e r s ) , has been the
most d i f f i c u l t .

A fter exhaustive review of the l i t e r a t u r e , several

58
in-depth interviews with personnel a t the Dallas Symposium, and an
a u d it o f the National Criminal J u s t i c e Reference Center, two c u rr e n t
s t u d i e s o f a statewide n a tu r e , one in Texas and one in Hawaii, were
lo cate d .

A d d itio n a lly , several local s t u d i e s involving s i n g l e police

agencies were discovered.

Generally speaking, the local research

e f f o r t s were not comprehensive in na ture and some o f the conclusions
drawn were done so via the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of lim ite d amounts of d a ta .
The methodologies u t i l i z e d were t h e r e f o r e not g e nerally a p p lica ble
f o r our statewide res earch e f f o r t .
Upon examination o f the S t a te of Hawaii task an aly sis
research e f f o r t , i t was discovered t h a t the survey instrument was
an exhaustive 3i hour q u e stio n n a ire administered to a r e l a t i v e l y
small sample o f p o lic e personnel.

While the " d e t a i l " sought in such

in-depth survey e f f o r t i s applauded, the methodology is t o t a l l y
inappropriate f o r the purposes of the Michigan study.
The Texas study examined was The Development of a Police
O f f ic e r Physical Performance Examination, prepared f o r the Texas
Commission on Law Enforcement o f f i c e r standards and education by
Wollack and A s so c ia tes, 1977.

The following excerpts from Wollack

c l e a r l y demonstrate the need f o r proper job task research and a very
l o g ic al approach toward the statewide job t a s k a n a ly sis we are con­
cerned with.
Studies of law enforcement personnel requirements
c o n s i s t e n t l y have concluded t h a t physical a b i l i t y i s one
of the major personal c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s important to perform­
ance in a patrol o f f i c e r ' s jo b. The job a n a l y s i s study
conducted f o r the law enforcement agencies in the S ta te of
Texas by Wollack and Associates has v e r i f i e d t h i s conclusion.
This study included a comprehensive job an aly sis of po lic e

59
o f f i c e r p o s i t i o n s in the p a r t i c i p a t i n g departments, and
r e s u l t e d in the i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f the most freq ue nt and
c r i t i c a l tas k s performed by p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in the l i n e
o f du ty. The p rev iou sly describe d general job a n a l y s i s
o f a p o l i c e o f f i c e r ' s job in d ic a te d the importance o f
physical a b i l i t y to t h e success ful performance o f several
major p o lic e f u n c t i o n s .
Because many o f th e t a s k s which were considered to be
highly important in th e p rev io u s ly describe d job a n a l y s i s
were o f a physical n a t u r e , i t is c l e a r l y a p p ro p r ia te to
e v a l u a t e r e l e v a n t physical c a p a b i l i t i e s o f candidates as
p a r t o f a s e l e c t i o n program f o r h i r i n g po lic e o f f i c e r s .
However, the q u a l i t y o f information and da ta req uired f o r
t e s t development and v a l i d a t i o n needs to be more thorough
and d e s c r i p t i v e with re s p e c t to physical a c t i v i t i e s p e r ­
formed by p o lic e o f f i c e r s than t h a t which was determined
by th e general jo b a n a l y s i s . The process and r e s u l t s of
c o l l e c t i n g t h i s information and developing a t e s t based
upon th e physical con te nt of a p o l i c e o f f i c e r ' s job i s
desc ribed in t h i s v a l i d a t i o n report.30
Wollack goes on t o s t a t e :
Our r e s e a r c h review i n d ic a t e d t h a t t h e r e are b a s i c a l l y
two types o f t e s t s u t i l i z e d to measure the physical a b i l i t y
of p o l ic e c an d id ates . There i s th e more t r a d i t i o n a l
" a t h l e t i c " examination c o n s i s t i n g o f physical events such
as push-ups, c h in -u p s , s i t - u p s , e t c . Generally, the r e s u l t s
o f t h i s type t e s t a re used to i n f e r t h a t an indiv idual has
th e physical c a p a b i l i t y necessary t o perform p o l ic e o f f i c e r
t a s k s . Pro fe ssio na l standards such as those published by
the American Psychological Associatio n i n d i c a t e t h a t t h i s
type o f t e s t would g e n e r a l l y r e q u i r e empirical v a l i d a t i o n ,
i . e . , a c r i t e r i o n - r e l a t e d v a l i d a t i o n study. These a t h l e t i c type events such as chin-ups are not a sample of the content
o f a p o lic e o f f i c e r ' s job d u t i e s , and t h e r e f o r e , a t e s t o f
t h i s type may not be a p p r o p r i a t e l y v a li d a t e d using the con­
t e n t methodology.
The second type o f physical t e s t f o r p o l ic e o f f i c e r s is
the performance-oriented t e s t .
In a performance t e s t , c e r ­
t a i n jo b a c t i v i t i e s (those r e q u i r i n g physical c a p a b i l i t y )
are a c t u a l l y performed by candidates in a s t r u c t u r e d t e s t i n g
s i t u a t i o n . This type of t e s t i s g e n e r a l l y u t i l i z e d where
30

Wollack & A s so c ia tes. The Development o f a Police O f f i c e r
Physical Performance Examination, study prepared f o r th e Texas
Commission on Law Enforcement O f f i c e r Standards and Education, 1977,
p. 7.

60

departments have undertaken a syste m atic a n a l y s i s of the
jo b requirements. The performance-oriented physical a b i l i t y
t e s t d i r e c t l y measures th e c a p a b i l i t y t o perform th e ty p ic a l
or usual types o f physical tas k s which are c r i t i c a l in the
conduct o f a p o lic e o f f i c e r ' s r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . Such an
examination i s s a id to be c o n t e n t - v a l i d to the e x t e n t t h a t
the t e s t s ' c o nte nt matches th e actual job con te nt in terms
o f physical t a s k s performed by p o l ic e o f f i c e r s . To e s t a b l i s h
the c o n te nt v a l i d i t y o f a physical performance examination,
i t i s necessary to demonstrate t h a t the tas k s o r events of
the t e s t are a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e sample o f important physical
t a s k s a c t u a l l y performed by o f f i c e r s on the jo b . A
performance-based physical examination samples e x i s t i n g
c a p a b i l i t y on the p a r t o f c an d id ates . This type o f examina­
t i o n , based on job c o n t e n t , i s a d i r e c t measure o f e x i s t i n g
physical s k i l l s and a b i l i t i e s and may be con te nt v a li d a t e d
in accordance with a p p li c a b l e f e d e r a l and p r o f e s sio n a l
guidelines.
P r i o r to th e development and con te nt v a l i d a t i o n o f a
physical performance t e s t , i t i s c r i t i c a l to determine
thoroughly the natu re o f the actual tas k s performed by
o f f i c e r s which r e q u i r e th es e physical c a p a b i l i t i e s . The
most p r a c t i c a l way to accomplish t h i s o b j e c t i v e was through
the development and a d m i n i s t r a t io n o f survey q u e s t i o n n a i r e s . 31
The following s e c t i o n o f t h i s r e p o r t d e sc r ib e s t h a t process .
With regard to the development o f the job t a s k a n a l y s i s q u e s t i o n n a i r e ,
Wollack s t a t e s :
Our review of p e r t i n e n t res ea rch l i t e r a t u r e revealed
t h a t most jo b a n a l y s i s q u e s t io n n a ir e s which have been used
to determine the physical d u t i e s and r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of a
p o lic e o f f i c e r ' s job are r e t r o s p e c t i v e in n a t u r e , in t h a t
they r e q u i r e p o l i c e o f f i c e r s to d e s c r i b e previous physical
i n c i d e n t s . While t h i s survey technique i s q u i t e common­
p l a c e , the procedure gives r i s e to s p e c u la tio n regarding
the r e l i a b i l i t y of data so generated. One may r i g h t l y
q uestio n whether p o l i c e o f f i c e r s can remember the s p e c i f i c
d e t a i l s o f each and every physical i n c i d e n t in which they
were involved over a period of several months. Any
dete rmination o f the frequency o f reported physical i n c i ­
d e n t s , as well as the circumstances surrounding those
i n c i d e n t s , may be s u b j e c t to e r r o r s o f r e c o l l e c t i o n .
N e v erthele ss, t h i s type o f r e t r o s p e c t i v e survey t o d e t e r ­
mine the physical requirements o f a p o lic e o f f i c e r ' s job
i s most t y p i c a l .
31I b i d . , pp. 8 , 9.

61

To avoid c r i t i c i s m s o f t h i s n a t u r e , the firm o f Wollack
& Asso ciates sought t o develop a q u e s t io n n a ir e which could
be administered on a watch-by-watch b a s i s . N a t u r a l l y , i f
p o l ic e o f f i c e r s a re t o complete q u e s t io n n a ir e s each and
every time a physical i n c i d e n t o c cu r s, such q u e s t io n n a ir e s
must be r e l a t i v e l y b r i e f in o r d e r to be in o b tr u s iv e . At
the same tim e , the information provided by any such q u e s t io n ­
n a i r e must be comprehensive. In order to deal with thes e
somewhat competing concerns and o b j e c t i v e s , we developed a
Police Physical Task Q u e s t i o n n a i r e . This q u e s t io n n a ir e i s
one page in length and c a l l s f o r a d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n of
the physical i n c i d e n t s , the circumstances surrounding the
i n c i d e n t s , the persons or o b j e c ts involved, and the p r ec ise
natu re of the physical a c t i v i t i e s . In a d d i t i o n , t h e o f f i c e r s
completing t h i s q u e s t i o n n a i r e are asked to a s c e r t a i n the
consequences o f a f a i l u r e to perform the various physical
a c t i v i t i e s involved. We b e li e v e t h a t t h i s watch-by-watch
job a n a l y s i s of physical requ irem ents , though much more
demanding than th e r e t r o s p e c t i v e method with regard to
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , j u s t i f i e s a high level of
confidence in the fin g in g s o f the job a n a l y s i s . 32
Table 2.4 i d e n t i f i e s th e 22 Texas departments p a r t i c i p a t i n g
in t h e t a s k a n a l y s i s .
The Wollack study r eq u ir e d t h a t f o r a seven day period
( i n c l u s i v e ) a l l departmental personnel with p a tr o l r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s
were asked to p a r t i c i p a t e in th e survey.

O f f i c e r s not working

d i r e c t l y in the f i e l d were not to be included in t h i s study.
E x p l i c i t i n s t r u c t i o n s were s e n t to a l l p a r t i c i p a t i n g departments in
t h i s phase o f the study.

O f f i c e r s were asked to complete a q u e s t io n ­

n a ir e f o r each i n c i d e n t in which they were p e rs o n a lly involved which
r e s u l t e d in some degree o f physical a c t i v i t y on t h e p a r t of the
o f f i c e r ( e . g . , climbing, running, l i f t i n g , c a r r y i n g , jumping, push­
i n g , r e s t r a i n i n g , moving s u s p e c t s , e t c . ) .

32Ib id .,

pp.

1 0 , 11.

Such i n c i d e n t s were not

62

TABLE 2 . 4 . —Texas Police Departments Completing t h e P olice Physical
Task Q uestionnaires.
Total
Questionnaires

Total
O f f i c e r Watches

Amarillo

112

450

Beaumont

58

320

Benbrook

7

Department

Brownsville

83

57
120

Bryan

73

107

Deer Park

102

Denison

23
11

Denton

10

163

6

75

Ki11een

55
42

267
183

McAllen

35

155

Midland

39
72

193
169
88

P a ris

11
7

Plano

69

142

Sherman

6

73

Temple

73

184

Texarkana
V ic to ria

20
79

166
301

Weatherford

14

70

910

3,674

Eagle Pass
Garland

Odessa
Pampa

TOTAL

113

78

63
l im i te d to circumstances involving c o n ta c t with anoth er person.
Any physical a c t i v i t y , even i f i t was considered to be minor, was
r e p o r te d .
O f f i c e r s were i n s t r u c t e d to complete a s e p a r a t e q u e stio n n a ir e
f o r each d i s t i n c t in c i d e n t involving a physical a c t i v i t y .

So, i t

was p o s s ib l e t h a t on a given watch an o f f i c e r might complete several
q u e s t i o n n a i r e s , or he might complete none.

All completed q u e s t io n ­

n a i r e s were to be returned to the S t a t i o n Supervisor or Watch Com­
mander or whoever in the department had r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r monitoring
t h i s survey.

The indiv idual in each department with t h i s re s p o n si­

b i l i t y a l s o completed the Physical Task Survey Log on a watch-bywatch b a s i s .

The purpose o f t h i s log was t o provide an a ccu ra te

count o f the number o f o f f i c e r s per watch.

This number is equal to

the t o t a l number of p a tr o l o f f i c e r s f o r whom the overseeing o f f i c e r
has d i r e c t su pervisory r e s p o n s i b i l i t y (minus those who are absent on
a p a r t i c u l a r watch).

In t h i s manner, we were ab le t o r e l a t e the

t o t a l number of completed q u e s t io n n a ir e s ( i . e . , number o f i n c i d e n t s )
to the o v e r a l l number o f o f f i c e r / w a t c h e s .

At the end o f the seven

day p e r i o d , a l l q u e s t io n n a ir e s and logs were forwarded to the Texas
Commission.33
Table 2.5 provides an acc u ra te breakdown on the type of
p o lic e physical tas k s measured and the frequency with which they
occurred in Texas.

33I b i d . , pp. 13, 14.

64

TABLE 2 . 5 . —Types o f Physical A c t i v i t i e s Reported by Police
Survey Group and Expected Annual Frequency.

Number

Percent

Expected Annual
Frequency
Per O f f i c e r

547

67.8

38

Climbing

83

9.3

6

Jumping (down)

56

6.6

4

Jumping (a c r o s s /o v e r )

29

3.4

2

Running

87

10.3

6

Balancing

20

2.4

1

Crawling

17

2.0

1

135

15.9

9

56

6.6

4

132

15.6

9

A ctivity
(N =847)
Control Suspect

Lift/Carry
Drag/Pull
Pushing

Besides the methodology u t i l i z e d in the Texas stu d y , two
concepts o f measurement proved to be very u s e f u l .

These were the

frequency o f the occurrence and the c r i t i c a l i t y of the occurrence.
These two ite m s, according to Wollack, are the corn e rston es upon
which v a li d job s e l e c t i o n sta ndards are c o n str u c te d .
The Wollack Study s t r o n g ly supports the development of a
concise but comprehensive survey q u e s t io n n a ir e (probably no more
than one page, both s i d e s ) which the p a tr o l o f f i c e r can complete
a t the end o f each t o u r o f duty and/o r a f t e r each physical t a s k is

65

completed.

A d d i t i o n a l l y , Wollack f e l t t h a t i t was important to

measure the consequences o f f a i l u r e to perform a physical t a s k .
The Wollack Study u t i l i z e d 22 s e p a r a te departments, a seven
day measurement period and r e s u l t e d in 3,674 t o t a l o f f i c e r watches
completed.

The o f f i c e r was requested to complete a q u e s t io n n a ir e

f o r each s h i f t worked whether or not he/she engaged in physical
tasks.

A d d i t io n a l ly , each physical t a s k performed req u ired a

s e p a r a t e survey form to be completed.

One of the major measurements

Wollack was i n t e r e s t e d in was the r a t i o of completed q u e s t io n n a ir e s
to o f f i c e r watches and f i n a l l y the expected annual f r e q u e n c y / o f f i c e r
f o r each o f the re g u l a r types of physical t a s k s performed by the
police o f f ic e r.
Summary
The focus o f t h i s study d e a l t with t h r e e s p e c i f i c res ea rch
q u e stio n s which involved measurement of the physical t a s k s performed
by Michigan p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in t h e i r r e g u l a r d u t i e s .

To e f f e c t i v e l y

deal with t h e s e q ue stio ns the r e s e a r c h e r had t o c l e a r l y understand:
(1) the c u r r e n t need f o r jo b v a l i d a t i o n s t u d i e s which has been
brought about by Federal l e g i s l a t i o n and a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p o l i c i e s
along with c o u rt d e c isio n s d e a lin g with employment p r a c t i c e s ;
(2) "The s t a t e o f the a r t " o f general t a s k inventory s t u d i e s as they
r e l a t e t o law enforcement p o s i t i o n s ; and (3) the methodology o f ta s k
a n a l y s i s s t u d i e s being conducted on the physical requirements of the
p o l i c e fu n ctio n .

66

A comprehensive review of e x i s t i n g l i t e r a t u r e involving
f ed e r a l r e g u l a t i o n s and c o u rt de cisio n s impacting the area o f p o lic e
h i r i n g was completed with the e x i s t i n g g uid elin es ( i n clud in g the
demonstrated need f o r v a li d t a s k a n a l y s i s s t u d i e s ) s t a t e d in t h i s
c h a p te r .

Next, a c ar e f u l review o f t h r e e comprehensive t a s k a n a l y s i s

study methodologies was provided, including P r o j e c t STAR, The
National Manpower Survey, and The Air Force CODAP System.

Finally,

a review o f the e x i s t i n g l i t e r a t u r e on t a s k a n a l y s i s s t u d i e s o f the
physical requirements o f the p o lic e p o s i t i o n was completed.

Informa­

t i o n in t h i s r a t h e r narrow are a was extremely l i m i t e d , however, a
comprehensive study completed f o r the S t a t e o f Texas by Wollack &
As sociates provided a g r e a t deal o f i n s i g h t toward the development
and implementation o f a sta te w id e job t a s k a n a l y s i s study o f the
physical requirements of the p o l i c e p o s i t i o n w ith in the S t a t e of
Michigan.
A good p o rtion o f the methodologies disc ussed in th e four
major s t u d i e s examined can be r e p l i c a t e d during the development of
the Michigan Job Task Analysis Study.

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The primary res e a r c h q u estio n in t h i s study d e a l t with
i d e n t i f y i n g the physical requirements of the job o f p o lic e o f f i c e r
w ith in the S t a te of Michigan.

The p a tro l o f f i c e r ' s p o s i t i o n i s

defined as sworn f u l l - t i m e uniformed p o lic e personnel who are
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a l l b a s i c p o l i c e f u n c tio n s which may include enforce
ment o f laws, maintenance o f o r d e r , pr evention of crime and p r o t e c ­
t i o n o f p r o p e r ty .

This d e f i n i t i o n includes o f f i c e r s who respond to

c a l l s f o r a s s i s t a n c e and who are res p o n s i b l e f o r observed v i o l a t i o n s
o f law.

The d e f i n i t i o n c l e a r l y does not include o f f i c e r s assigned

t o sp e c i a l fu n ctio n s w ithin an o r g a n iz a tio n such as c o n t r o l l e d sub­
stances, detective d iv isio n , juvenile d iv isio n , j a i l se cu rity , etc.
The fun ction s and r o l e s performed by the law enforcement
agencies have become as complex as the s o c i e t y in which p o lic e
o f f i c e r s served.

Consequently, i t i s no longer a cceptable t o say

t h a t everyone knows what a p o l i c e o f f i c e r does, f o r t h e r e is such a
broad range of a c t i v i t i e s performed by p o l ic e o f f i c e r s t h a t were not
t h e i r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y a few y e a r s ago.

In a d d i t i o n , the law e n fo r c e ­

ment t a s k has become so complex t h a t d i f f e r e n t p o l ic e agencies may
in f a c t be performing d i f f e r e n t kinds o f work a c t i v i t i e s .

67

68
In order to determine the physical requirements o f the p o lic e
jo b the r e s e a r c h e r must measure a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e p o r tio n of the
p a tr o l o f f i c e r s in Michigan f o r sev eral day i n t e r v a l s during normal
s h i f t assignment.
Population and Sample
During the summer and e a r l y f a l l o f 1978 the Michigan Law
Enforcement O f f i c e r s T raining Council i n i t i a t e d a survey o f every
local u n i t o f government (over 1900 v i l l a g e s , townships, m u n ic i p a l i ­
t i e s , c o u n t i e s , e t c . ) w ith in the s t a t e .

This resea rch was to a s s i s t

the Council in developing an a c c u ra te p i c t u r e of th e p o l i c e system
w ith in Michigan.

Through a g r e a t deal o f p e r s i s t e n c e Council s t a f f

succeeded in r e c e iv in g r e p l i e s from 100% o f every known governmental
u n i t l i s t e d within our s t a t e .
Based upon the 1978 survey the Michigan p o l ic e system i s com­
p r i s e d o f 608 ind iv idu a l law enforcement agencies r e p r e s e n ti n g s t a t e ,
county, township, municipal and o t h e r type departments.

These

agencies range in s i z e from one f u l l - t i m e o f f i c e r to over 5700
o f f i c e r s sworn in the City o f D e t r o i t .
sworn o f f i c e r s within Michigan.

In a l l , t h e r e are 22,464

In ord er t h a t adequate r e p r e s e n t a ­

t i o n o f a l l department types be achieved in th e sampling process th e
p o l ic e system has been s t r a t i f i e d i n to seven department typ es.
The s t r a t i f i e d department types are i d e n t i f i e d with regard
to t o t a l o f f i c e r s , approximate percentage o f the Michigan po lic e
population and sample s i z e to be s e l e c t e d in Table 3.1.

69

TABLE 3.1 . —S t r a t i f i c a t i o n o f Michigan Police Agencies i n to Seven
Basic Department Types.

Total
O ffice rs

Approximate
o f S t a te
Population

Sample
Size

Michigan S t a te Police

2356

10

200*

II:

D e tro it Police Dept.

5700

25

260

III:

Metropolitan Police
Depts. 100-500

3288

15

150

IV.

Metropolitan Police
Depts. 30-99

3160

14

140

V.

Metropolitan Police
Depts.
1-29

2957

13

130

S h e r i f f Departments and
Contract Townships

4396

20

200

607

3

22,464

100

Department Type
I:

VI.
VII.

Non-Traditional Police
Agencies
TOTAL

%

607*

1580

★

Both the Type I and Type VII Departments were purposely
over-sampled.

Type I , Michigan S ta te P o l i c e , requested a sample o f 200 to
be taken such t h a t the data generated by the study could be u t i l i z e d
f o r polic y decisions r e l a t i v e to t h e i r individual physical t r a i n i n g
and s e l e c t i o n st andards.
Type VII, tne n o n - t r a d i ti o n a l departments, were surveyed a t
100% because the t o t a l number o f o f f i c e r s re p r e s e n ts only 3% o f the

70
t o t a l po p ulation.

Data received upon a 3% survey would not be

s t a ti s t i c a ll y significant.
Once the seven major department s t r a t i f i c a t i o n s were
developed, departments and personnel were randomly s e l e c t e d from
I I I , IV, V and VI t o f i l l the needed sample s i z e o f each department
type.
As both Type I and Type II department si z e s f a r exceed the
needed sample, a random sample of t h e i r t o t a l pa tro l population was
s e l e c t e d in the necessary numbers.
The e n t i r e 607 p a tr o l o f f i c e r s were surveyed from department
Type VII because o f the i n s i g i n f i c a n c e o f data obtained from a sample
o f 35 p a tr o l o f f i c e r s .
The f i n a l sample c o n s i s t s o f the following p o lic e d e p a r t ­
ments and numbers of p a tr o l o f f i c e r s (see Table 3 . 2 ) .
Development o f Survey Instrument
Review o f a v a i l a b l e resea rch l i t e r a t u r e revealed t h a t most
job a n a l y s i s q u e s t io n n a ir e s which have been used to determine the
physical d u t i e s and r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s o f a p o lic e o f f i c e r ' s job are
r e t r o s p e c t i v e in n a t u r e , in t h a t they r e q u i r e p o l ic e o f f i c e r s to
d e s c r i b e previous physical i n c i d e n t s .

While t h i s survey technique

i s q u i t e commonplace the procedure gives r i s e to s p e c u la tio n reg a rd ­
ing the r e l i a b i l i t y o f data so ge nerated.

One might question whether

p o l ic e o f f i c e r s can remember the s p e c i f i c d e t a i l s o f each and every
physical i n c i d e n t in which they were involved over a period of several
months.

Any determination o f the frequency o f rep o rte d physical

71

TABLE 3 . 2 . —Random Sample Derived from Type 1-V II S t r a t i f i c a t i o n .

Type
1:
II:
III:

IV:

V:

VI:

V II.

D esired
O ffic e r
Sample

Agency
Michigan S ta te P o lic e

200

D e tro it P o lic e Department

260

Grand Rapids P o lic e Department
L ivonia P o lic e Department
Ann Arbor P o lic e Department
Dearborn P o lice Department
S te r lin g H eights P o lic e Department

F l i n t P o lic e Department
Saginaw P o lic e Department
Royal Oak P o lic e Department
P o n tiac P o lic e Department
T otal

ISO

W estland P o lic e Department
R o se v ille P o lic e Department
Jackson P o lic e Department
Midland P o lic e Department
M arquette P o lic e Department

S a u lt S te . Marie P o lic e Department
A drian P o lic e Department
Kalamazoo Township
Wayne S ta te U n iv e rsity D .P.S.
T otal

140

Owosso P o lic e Department
C a d illa c P o lic e Department
Woodhaven P o lic e Department
Fenton P o lic e Department
Ludlngton P o lic e Department
Cheboygan P o lic e Department
Ironwood P o lic e Department

C h a rlo tte P o lic e Department
Buchanan P o lic e Department
Gaylord P o lic e Department
C entral M ichigan U n iv e rsity D .P.S.
Buena V ista Township
Clay Township
T otal

130

Wayne County S h e r if f Department
Macomb County S h e r if f Department
Ingham County S h e r if f Department
Muskegon County S h e r i f f Department
Calhoun County S h e r i f f Department
Lenawee County S h e r if f Department
A llegan County S h e r i f f Department

Lapeer County S h e r if f Department
I s a b e lla County S h e r i f f Department
B arry County S h e r if f Department
Alpena County S h e r if f Department
M arquette County S h e r if f Department
Crawford County S h e r i f f Department
D elta County S h e r if f Department
Total

200

Departm ent o f N atural Resources
Genesee County Park S e c u rity
Huron C lin to n M etro p o litan A u th o rity
Kalamazoo County Parks & R ecreatio n
Camp Dearborn P o lic e Department
L ansing Park S e c u rity
L ansing C a p ito l C ity A irp o rt P o lic e
D elta County A irp o rt P o lic e
D e tr o it C ity A irp o rt P o lic e
D e tro it Metro A irp o rt P o lic e
Houghton County Memorial A irp o rt P o lic e
Kalamazoo M unicipal A irp o rt
Kent County A irp o rt
Muskegon County A irp o rt
Twin C i ti e s A irp o rt
T ri County A irp o rt
D e tr o it Toledo S h o re lin e R ailroad
C onrail
Grand Trunk and W estern R ailroad
C hessle System R ailroad
D e tro it Term inal R ailro ad
D e tro it Toledo and T renton R ailroad
Total

607

72
i n c i d e n t s , as well as the circumstances surrounding those i n c i d e n t s ,
may be s u b j e c t to e r r o r s of r e c o l l e c t i o n .

To avoid c r i t i c i s m s o f

t h i s na tu re a decisio n was made to develop a q u e s t io n n a ire which
could be administered on a watch-by-watch b a s i s .

N a t u r a l ly , i f

p o lic e o f f i c e r s are to complete q u e s t io n n a ir e s each and every time
a physical i n c i d e n t o c cu rs, such q u e s t io n n a ir e must be r e l a t i v e l y
b r i e f in order t o be i n o b t r u s i v e J
Instrument Val tdation - Field Test 1
During the f i r s t t h r e e weeks of October, t h r e e s e p ara te
o r i e n t a t i o n seminars were held by th e res ea rch team in Lansing, where­
in a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e from each o f the 67 agencies in the sample
a ttende d (see Appendix B).

A s l i d e / t a p e p r e s e n t a ti o n was developed

d e s c r ib in g the MLEOTC o r g a n i z a t i o n , the need f o r the physical a n a l y s i s
survey, the survey methodology and intended job r e l a t e d s e l e c t i o n and
t r a i n i n g s ta n d a r d s.
A fter the comprehensive o r i e n t a t i o n p r o c e ss , each o f the
t h r e e groups o f p o l ic e personnel was exposed t o a s e r i e s o f 16mm and
videotape p r o j e c te d r o l e playing s i t u a t i o n s involving p o l ic e o f f i c e r s
and the public and some physical a c t i v i t y .

A fter each r o l e pl aying

s i t u a t i o n , a tt e n d i n g p o l ic e personnel completed a copy o f the survey
instrument.
Following the r o l e playing and response s i t u a t i o n s extensive
d iscussio n was held between respondents and the res e a r c h team
1Wollack & A s s o c ia t e s , Development o f a Police O f f i c e r
Physical Performance Examination. Prepared f o r th e Texas Commission
on Law Enforcement O f f ic e r s Standards & Education, 1977, pp. 9-10.

73
regard ing problem a re a s in the q u e s t i o n n a i r e .

Based upon the r e s u l t s

o f the workshop the instrument was modified s l i g h t l y to in co rp o ra te
suggested changes generated by p a r t i c i p a t i n g p o lic e personnel.

One

s i g n i f i c a n t problem i d e n t i f i e d during the workshop se ss io n s was t h a t
a l l judgments regarding physical measurement ( h e i g h t , d i s t a n c e ,
weight, e t c . ) was somewhat obscure because respondents viewed them
on a sc reen.
Instrument V a lid ation - Field Test II
In o rder t h a t the r e l i a b i l i t y and i n t e r n a l

c onsistency of the

survey instrument be measured a c c u r a t e l y , an a d d it i o n a l r o l e playing
experiment was held a t F e r r i s S t a t e College on October 24, 1978.
In the second f i e l d t e s t , four l i v e r o l e playing scenes
in volving p o l i c e o f f i c e r s and t y p i c a l encounters with va rious persons
"in the s t r e e t " were acted out under th e ob se rv ation of 77 j u n i o r
criminal j u s t i c e s t u d e n ts a t F e r r i s S t a te College.
P r i o r to observing the scenes the experiment d i r e c t o r , t h i s
a u th o r , simulated a p o l i c e r o l e c a l l b r i e f i n g where he played the
s h i f t commander and the stu d e n ts were l i n e p a tr o l o f f i c e r s .

A

f i f t e e n minute b r i e f i n g on the purpose of the form and proper methods
of completing them was held.

Students were then advised they were to

assume the r o l e o f a designated o f f i c e r in each scene and to complete
the physical a c t i v i t y form as i f they had performed a l l t a s k s p e r­
formed by t h a t o f f i c e r .
The scenes were then held; two in the classroom sim ulating
indoor events and two o u t s i d e .

At the conclusion o f each scene the

74
s tu de nts each completed the physical a c t i v i t y form without any d i s ­
cussion with o th e r s tu d e n ts .
and the next scene commenced.

All forms were immediately c o ll e c t e d
At the end o f the evening a general

c r i t i q u e of the experiment, the physical a c t i v i t y form and the
p r i n te d i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r the form was held.

A complete d e s c r i p t io n

o f a l l four scenes may be viewed in Appendix C.
P r i o r to the evening of the experiment several r e h e a r s a l s of
each scene were held in the presence of the experiment d i r e c t o r .
When the scenes were perfe cte d to the s a t i s f a c t i o n of the group
p a r t i c i p a n t s and the d i r e c t o r a master physical a c t i v i t y sheet was
completed f o r each scene.

The master sheet was developed with the

f u l l cooperation and agreement of a l l scene p a r t i c i p a n t s and the
experiment d i r e c t o r .

This master form then became the c o r r e c t

answer f o r the computer item a n aly sis process to be run a t the com­
p l e t i o n o f the experiment.
An overview matrix was then completed i n c l u s i v e o f a l l four
scenes and the type of physical a c t i v i t i e s to be covered.

Except

f o r crawling , jumping and climbing, a l l items were covered on the
form.
At the completion of the experiment the student response
sh eets were key punched and processed by an item a n a ly sis computer
program.

The t e s t i n g o f f i c e a t F e r r i s S ta te College handled the key

punching and computer r e p o r t s f o r each of the four scenes.
The r e s u l t s of the experiment and item a n a l y s i s are e x hib ited
in Table 3.3.

75
TABLE 3 . 3 . —Desc riptive Data from October 24, 1978 F e r r i s Role
Playing Experiment.

SCENE #1:

R e l i a b i l i t y C o e f fi c ie n t Corrected odd-even

69 Items - -

Success Parameters:

N =76

Mean = 54/69 = 78%

SCENE #2:

Success Parameters:

N =76

Mean = 52/73 =71%

SCENE #3:

Success Parameters:

N =77

Mean = 48/69 = 70%

Success Parameters:

N =77

Mean = 56/69 = 81%

t.72

58% were 70% accura te or b e t t e r
94% were 60% accura te or b e t t e r

R e l i a b i l i t y C o e f fi c ie n t Corrected odd-even

69 Items —

.82

63% were 70% accurate or b e t t e r
83% were 65% accurate or b e t t e r

R e l i a b i l i t y C o e f fi c ie n t Corrected odd-even

69 Items —

SCENE #4:

50% were 80% accura te or b e t t e r
92% were 70% a ccu ra te or b e t t e r

R e l i a b i l i t y C o e f fi c ie n t Corrected odd-even

73 Items —

.81

i.70

74% were 80% accura te or b e t t e r
99% were 70% accura te or b e t t e r

The Spearman Brown Formula was used to ob tain the
c o rr e c te d odd-even c o r r e l a t i o n sc ores.
Because of time and budgetary c o n s t r a i n t s , t e s t - r e t e s t
and/or add ition al e v aluation techniques were not used in t h i s
experiment.

76
The primary purpose of the F e r r i s experiment was t o t e s t the
r e l i a b i l i t y o f th e physical a c t i v i t i e s survey form, i . e . , can i t be
used to a c c u r a t e l y measure what we want i t t o measure?

None o f the

odd-even c o r r e l a t i o n s was lower than .70 which a t t e s t s to a strong
i n t e r n a l c on sisten c y o f the form.
There was a s l i g h t drop in the r e l i a b i l i t y c o e f f i c i e n t s
between Scenes #1 and #2 and Scenes #3 and #4.

In r e t r o s p e c t , we are

o f the b e l i e f t h a t the d i f f e r e n c e s in s e t t i n g ; Scenes #1 and #2
in d oo rs, c o n t r o l l e d environment, well l i g h t e d and Scenes #3 and #4
ou tdo o rs, n ig h ttim e , not well l i g h t e d and somewhat lim i te d v i s i b i l i t y ,
were d i r e c t l y a t t r i b u t a b l e t o t h i s d i f f e r e n c e .
Also e s t a b l i s h e d by th e experiment i s some evidence t h a t p r e ­
se r v i c e stu d e n ts are not t r a i n e d o b se rv ers .

T here fo re , th in g s o ften

occurred t h a t were e i t h e r not recorded or sometimes erroneously
recorded on the a c t i v i t y form.

I t might t h e r e f o r e be i n f e r r e d t h a t

the accuracy would be considerably s t r o n g e r f o r p r a c t i c e d o b se rv ers .
In a d d i t i o n , p o lic e o f f i c e r s would be r e p o r t i n g on t h e i r own behavior
r a t h e r than on the behavior o f o t h e r s .
Based upon th ese r e s u l t s and e x i s t i n g r e v i s i o n s scheduled f o r
the survey instrument i t was recommended t h a t the instrument was now
ready to be used in the f i e l d .
Administration o f Questionnaire
Based upon the two f i e l d t e s t s involving the v a l i d i t y and
r e l i a b i l i t y of the physical a c t i v i t y q u e s t i o n n a i r e p r o t o ty p e ; the

77
f i n a l d r a f t of the Law Enforcement Physical A c t i v i t i e s Questionnaire
was developed (see Appendix D).
Every e f f o r t was made by the research team to provide admini­
s t r a t i v e guidance in the f i e l d implementation of the Law Enforcement
Physical A c t iv i t y Q u estio n naire.
Departmental coordinators (previously discussed) received
e xte nsive t r a i n i n g in the a d m in istratio n of the survey.

Informal

m a t e r i a ls were d i s t r i b u t e d to a l l p r o j e c t coo rdina tors and included
in the q u e stio n n a ir e m a t e r i a l s .

Supplemental i n s t r u c t i o n s and

answers to a n t i c i p a t e d problems were a ls o handed out.

An e ig h t minute

s l i d e / t a p e p r e s e n ta tio n o f the job an aly sis p r o j e c t was made a v a i l a b l e
to a l l p r o j e c t coord inato rs who decided to provide these additional
i n s t r u c t i o n s to the po lic e personnel in t h e i r departments.
For the purposes of t h i s study two survey periods were
s e l e c t e d , one in November-December 1978 and one in April-May 1979.
Within th es e da te ranges, each department p a r t i c i p a t e d fo r a
one-week (seven day) time period.

These two d i s t i n c t time periods

were s e l e c te d purposely to take i n to account any v a r i a t i o n s of p olic e
job task s because o f change of weather, vacation t r a v e l , e t c .

The

survey r e s u l t s a r e , t h e r e f o r e , deemed to be highly r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f
the job r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of law enforcement personnel in Michigan.
As in d ic a te d e a r l i e r , the r e s e a r c h e r 's purpose in t h i s study
was to a c c u ra t e l y i d e n t i f y the required physical tas ks to be performed
by Michigan po lic e o f f i c e r s .

To a d d i t i o n a l l y c l a r i f y t h i s m a t t e r ,

p o lic e o f f i c e r s are defined as sworn, f u l l - t i m e uniformed personnel
who are resp o nsib le f o r a l l basic p o lic e functions which may include

78
enforcement o f laws, maintenance o f o r d e r , pr evention o f crime and
the p r o t e c t i o n o f p rop erty .

This d e f i n i t i o n includes o f f i c e r s who

respond to c a l l s f o r a s s i s t a n c e and who a re r e s p o n sib le f o r observed
v i o l a t i o n o f the law.

This d e f i n i t i o n c l e a r l y does not include

o f f i c e r s assigned t o s p e cia l fu n ctio n s within an o rg a n i z a t i o n such as
c o n t r o l l e d su b s ta n c e s, d e t e c t i v e d i v i s i o n , j u v e n i l e d i v i s i o n , j a i l
s e c u r i t y and/or i n t e l l i g e n c e .
A department r o s t e r including each p o l ic e o f f i c e r f i t t i n g the
above d e s c r i p t i o n was reque sted and obtained by the res ea rch team.
T h erefore, when each packet o f departmental r e t u r n s came in an accur a t e p ercen t f i g u r e o f a ctual number o f r e t u r n s vs. expected number
o f r e t u r n s could be c a l c u l a t e d .

This r e t u r n r a t i o was deemed impor­

t a n t in terms o f a s s e s s in g the level o f p a r t i c i p a t i o n in each d e p a r t ­
ment.
Probably the major d i f f i c u l t y with any survey res e a r c h i s to
get an a c c u ra te and high response r a t e .

This study possesses a l l of

the t r a d i t i o n a l hazards o f survey res ea rch plus a d d it i o n a l hazards
in clud ing :

volunta ry p a r t i c i p a t i o n , l a r g e geographical a r e a , s u s p i ­

cious a t t i t u d e o f many p o l ic e o f f i c e r s , suspic ious p o l i c e management
and labo r o r g a n i z a t i o n s .

Because o f the s i z e o f the survey p o p u la tio n ,

local department c o o rd i n a to r s were chosen to a c t u a l l y a d m in iste r a l l
o f the survey instru m e n ts.

This decisio n meant t h a t t h es e coord ina­

t o r s must be both t e c h n i c a l l y competent in the use o f the survey
instruments and a c t as adjunct members o f the res e a r c h team in s e l l i n g
the p r o j e c t t o a l l p a r t i c i p a t i n g incumbents, s u p e r v iso rs and agency
heads.

79
To in su re a high and acc u ra te response r a t e , a s e l l i n g e f f o r t
was undertaken and aimed a t p o l i c e management groups, employee labor
o r g a n i z a t i o n s , local c o o rd i n a to r s and incumbents.

A s l i d e / t a p e pre ­

s e n t a t i o n was developed d e s c r i b i n g the MLEOTC o r g a n i z a t i o n , th e need
f o r a job a n a l y s i s survey, th e survey methodology and the intended
jo b r e l a t e d s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g s ta n d a r d s.

This s l i d e / t a p e p r e ­

s e n t a t i o n was used in s e l l i n g t h e p r o j e c t to management, labor and
local c o o r d i n a t o r s .

R ep resen tatives from the res e a r c h team met with

the Michigan P o lice C hiefs ' Association and the Michigan S h e r i f f ' s
A s so c ia tion .

Meetings were a ls o held with each o f th e numerous labor

o r g a n i z a t i o n s r e p r e s e n t i n g p o l ic e in th e S t a t e o f Michigan.

These

meetings were considered p a r t i c u l a r l y c r i t i c a l because p o l ic e in
Michigan are highly organized.
In an e f f o r t to gain the cooperation of p o l i c e incumbents, a
small f o ld o u t brochure was p r i n t e d .
Your Future Parner" (see Appendix E).

The brochure was t i t l e d , "Se lect
Special emphasis was placed on

eye appeal and package of t h e brochure to gain the a t t e n t i o n o f the
2
incumbents.
As i n d i c a t e d e a r l i e r , the f i r s t survey period was held from
November 27-December 3, 1978.

In an e f f o r t to f u r t h e r c l a r i f y the

incumbent response in the p r o j e c t , an a d d it i o n a l f i v e minute s l i d e /
tape p r e s e n t a t i o n was developed which gave s t e p - b y - s t e p i n s t r u c t i o n s
on how t o complete the ph ysical a c t i v i t y q u e s t i o n n a i r e .
2

Special

Wollack & A s s o c ia t e s , A Job Analysis o f Police Physical S k i l l
Requirements, r e p o r t prepared f o r th e Michigan Law Enforcement
O f f i c e r s T rainin g Council, September 1979, pp. 2-3.

80
emphasis was made to c l a r i f y are as in the q u e stio n n a ir e and i n s t r u c ­
t i o n s which may have been overlooked by some respondents during the
f i r s t survey period.

During t h i s r e c o n t a c t with sample departments

every e f f o r t was made to define and improve upon the p r e c i s i o n and
accuracy of the data which the team sought to gath er.
On April 6, 1979, p r i o r to the second survey p e rio d , another
special workshop was conducted f o r law enforcement agencies in which
the response r a t e was deemed to be below average f o r the f i r s t survey
pe riod.

Agency p r o j e c t c o ord inato rs and the resea rch team discussed

the various problems o f a d m in is tr a tio n o f the survey instrument and
emphasized the need f o r following proper procedures.

Several sug­

gestio n s were made on how agencies could improve upon the q u a l i t y of
the q uestio n n a ire data which t h e i r o f f i c e r s had prepared.

At the con­

clusio n o f t h i s meeting, each agency developed proposed so lu t io n s on
how to incre ase the number o f respondents and q u a l i t y o f r e t u r n s .
D i s t r i b u ti o n of Survey Forms
Two weeks p r i o r to each o f the two survey periods a package
of survey instruments was mailed out to each o f the (67) departmental
coord inato rs along with l a s t minute i n s t r u c t i o n s .

Wherever p r a c t i c a l

each department c o o rd inato r observed the e s t a b l i s h e d seven day period
f o r the survey.

Occasio nally, because of unique manpower problems

within a s i n g l e department, the survey of t h a t department was taken
one o r two weeks o f f schedule.
P r i o r to the i n i t i a t i o n o f the seven day period a l l the patrol
o f f i c e r s in each agency to be involved were briefe d as to the purpose

81

o f the survey, importance o f the data to be c o ll e c t e d and the proper
method o f completing th e survey forms.

The seven day measurement

period was then commenced and forms were c o l l e c t e d from personnel
working a l l t h r e e s h i f t s , i . e . , 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. 12:00, 12:00 - 8:00 a .m ., and v a r i a t i o n s o f same.

At the end of the

measurement period a l l completed forms, along with a departmental
r o s t e r i d e n t i f y i n g each p a tr o l o f f i c e r p a r t i c i p a t i n g in the study,
were forwarded to research team headquarters a t MLE0TC in Lansing.
Cumulative data from a l l responding departments f o r both
survey period #1 and survey period #2 were then keypunched f o r item
a n a l y s i s by the computer.
Analysis
This research e f f o r t d e a l t with two basic questions r e l a t i v e
t o p o lic e work within Michigan:
1.

What are the physical requirements f o r the p o sitio n
o f p olic e o f f i c e r within the S t a te o f Michigan?

2.

What, i f any, d i f f e r e n c e s e x i s t in these physical
requirements among the seven s t r a t i f i c a t i o n s of
department types within t h i s study?

Research questio ns in t h i s study deal with i d e n t i f y i n g the
physical t a s k s po lic e o f f i c e r s perform, how o ften they perform them
and i f t h e r e are d i f f e r e n c e s in types o f t a s k s performed by o f f i c e r s
from various types of p o l ic e departments.

All data generated from

t h i s research w ill be analyzed in r e l a t i o n to the number o f man­
s h i f t s measured, the frequency and percentage o f occurrence o f each
a t h l e t i c and/or defensive a c t i v i t y and the Expected Annual Frequency
(EAF) o f each a c t i v i t y .

The EAF q u o t i e n t was chosen a f t e r lengthy

82
discussion with Dr. Stephen Wollack o f Wollack & A ssoc ia tes,
C a l i f o r n i a , who advised t h a t using EAF q u o t i e n t s , frequency t a b l e s
and percentage t a b l e s w ill provide the most meaningful d e s c r i p t io n
o f the data generated in t h i s research.
The EAF q u o t ie n t has been computed and applied in accordance
with the procedures developed by Wollack and Associates and has been
used s u c c e s s f u ll y in physical task a n a l y s i s s t u d i e s in the s t a t e s of
Texas, Washington and Kentucky.
The concept o f c r i t i c a l i t y o f jo b tas k s is v i t a l to the
establishm ent of statewide standards.

For the purposes of t h i s study

c r i t i c a l i t y has been defined and measured only as a r a t i o of the
number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s performed which were deemed c r i t i c a l
to the t o t a l number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s performed during the study.
This d i s s e r t a t i o n i s a

p a r t o f a m u lt i - y e a r comprehensive j o b - t a s k

a n a ly sis study being performed by the S t a te of Michigan.

A thorough

a n a ly sis o f the c r i t i c a l i t y o f each o f the a t h l e t i c s k i l l s and
defensive s k i l l s repor ted w i l l be completed in the next phase o f the
statewide study.
Summary Data Requested (Both Phases
I & II Measurements — Side I of
Questionnaire)
-

Total number o f usable responses
Total number o f a c t i v i t i e s reported
Ratio of a c t i v i t i e s to responses
Total a c t i v i t i e s reported as c r i t i c a l
Average o f physical i n c id e n ts per work s h i f t
Average a c t i v i t i e s / p e r s o n / y e a r worked (based
upon a 223 day work y e a r ) .

83
Outcome:
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
outcome
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
o f the s u b j e c t ( s )
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
to s e l f / o t h e r s
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
damage to pro perty
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
of l i f e

checked su ccessful
with a r r e s t as the
r e s u l t i n g in escape
r e s u l t i n g in i n j u r y
r e s u l t i n g in l o s s /
r e s u l t i n g in lo ss

C riticality:
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s i d e n t i f i e d
critical
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s t h a t might
r e s u l t e d in i n ju r y t o s e l f and o th e r s
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s t h a t might
r e s u l t e d in escape o f s u b j e c t ( s )
- Number o f physical a c t i v i t i e s t h a t might
r e s u l t e d in loss/damage to pr operty

as being
have
have
have

Physical Tas ks:
- Running - t o t a l times running occurred
Distance as follows:

1 25 50 75 100+

24 yards
49 yards
74 yards
99 yards
yards

Obstacles Encountered:
- Number o f times in
encountered
- Number o f times in
- Number of times in
- Number of times in
- Number of times in
- Number o f times in
were encountered

running a fence/wall was
running
running
running
running
running

shrubs encountered
v e h ic le encountered
s t a i r s encountered
d i t c h encountered
other obstacles

Crawling - t o t a l number o f times crawling occurred various d i s t a n c e s

84
Jumping

- t o t a l number o f times jumping occurred various d i s t a n c e s and o b s t a c l e s encountered.
Also i f speed was req u ire d .

Climbing - t o t a l number of times climbing occurred.
Also d i s t a n c e s , o b s t a c l e s and i f speed
was r e q u i r e d .
Pushing

- t o t a l number o f times pushing was r e q u ir e d .
Also d i s t a n c e s , weights involved, number
o f times an o f f i c e r was a s s i s t e d and
whether speed was r e q u ir e d .

Dragging/Pulling - t o t a l number o f times dragging/
p u l l i n g occu rred . Also d i s t a n c e , weights
in v o lv e d , a s s i s t a n c e provided and whether
speed was r eq u ire d .
L i f t i n g / C a r r y i n g - t o t a l number of times l i f t i n g /
c a r r y i n g occurred. Also height o f th e l i f t ,
d i s t a n c e o f c a r r y , weights involved, number
o f times the o f f i c e r was a s s i s t e d and whether
speed was r e q u i r e d .
Summary Data Requested from Size #2
o f Que stionnaire ( I n c i d e n ts
Involving R e sistin g !
-

Total
Total
Total
Average
Average

number o f physical i n c i d e n t s involving a r r e s t
numbero f males r e s i s t i n g
number of females r e s i s t i n g
h eig h t o f r e s i s t i n g persons
weight o f r e s i s t i n g persons

Type o f Resistance
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g pa ssive r e s i s t a n c e
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g a b a rric ad e
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g p u l l i n g away from
officer
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g running away
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g throwing o b j e c t ( s )
at officer
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g h i t / k i c k e d
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g sp e c i a l t a c t i c s
used a g a i n s t o f f i c e r
- Number o f responses i n d i c a t i n g weapon used a g a i n s t
an o f f i c e r

85
The second research question d e a l t with the p o s s i b i l i t y of
d i f f e r i n g physical tas k s being performed among the s t a t e d department
s t r a t i f i c a t i o n s within t h i s study.

To a cc ura tely answer t h i s ques­

t i o n the da ta were analyzed such t h a t a composite model of "the"
polic e o f f i c e r ' s physical requirement was developed.

A dd itio n a lly ,

a model was developed f o r each department type within th e seven
s t r a t i f i c a t i o n s such t h a t each type of department examined within
t h i s study could be compared a g ain st the s t a t e model.
From the data analyzed the researc her developed a statewide
p r o f i l e of the Michigan p o lic e o f f i c e r .
Statewide p r o f i l e o f

Police O f f i c e r :

- Average number of
physical a c t i v i t i e s / w o r k s h i f t
- Average number o f
physical a c t i v i t i e s / o f f i c e r / y e a r
- Average number o f
physical a c t i v i t i e s / o f f i c e r
i d e n t i f i e d as c r i t i c a l each y e ar.
- Average number o f
times o f f i c e r w ill run each year
- Average number o f
times o f f i c e r w i l l crawl each year
- Average number o f
times o f f i c e r w i l l jump each year
- Average number o f
times o f f i c e r w ill climb each year
- Average number of
times o f f i c e r will push each ye ar
- Average number of
times o f f i c e r w ill d rag /p u ll
each ye ar
- Average number of times o f f i c e r w ill l i f t / c a r r y
each year
- Average number of times r e s i s t a n c e i s encountered
by o f f i c e r each ye ar.
In ad d itio n to the above statewide p r o f i l e d a t a , the same
p r o f i l e was i d e n t i f i e d f o r each department Type I - V I I .

Final exami­

na tion o f th ese data w ill allow a g r e a t deal of comparative analysis
among departmental types to be accomplished.

86

Summary
The r e s e a r c h e r 's purpose in t h i s study was to determine the
physical requirements of the p a tro l o f f i c e r p o s i t io n within Michigan.
For t h i s study p a tr o l o f f i c e r i s defined as sworn f u l l - t i m e uniformed
polic e personnel who are resp o nsib le f o r a l l basic p o lic e functions
which may include enforcement of laws, maintenance of o r d e r , preven­
t io n o f crime and p r o te c tio n o f pro perty.

This d e f i n i t i o n includes

o f f i c e r s who respond to c a l l s f o r a s s i s t a n c e and who are responsible
f o r observed v i o l a t i o n s o f the law.

This d e f i n i t i o n c l e a r l y does

not include o f f i c e r s assigned to sp ecial functions within an
o rganization such as c o n tr o l le d su bsta nces, d e te c t i v e d i v i s i o n ,
j u v e n i l e d i v i s i o n , j a i l s e c u r i t y , i n t e l l i g e n c e and/or ad m in istratio n .
In order to obtain a s t r a t i f i e d random sample, the Michigan
population (608 individua l departments with 22,464 p e rs o nn el), was
s t r a t i f i e d i n to seven d i s t i n c t department types and a p roportio nate
random

sample was drawn from each department type.

Police personnel

p a r t i c i p a t i n g in the sample completed a survey instrument a t the end
o f each s h i f t worked f o r two s e p ara te 7-day peri od s.

All data from

both survey periods was analyzed and a statewide composite of the
physical requirements of a Michigan p olic e o f f i c e r was developed via
an item a n aly sis computer program.

A d d i t io n a l ly , a composite model

or p r o f i l e was developed f o r each o f the seven department types.
The study design is b a s i c a l l y d e s c r i p t i v e in natu re and
d i r e c t l y addresses the two research questions s t a t e d e a r l i e r in
t h i s c h apter.

CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
The data p e r t i n e n t to the two research questions enumerated
in Chapter I I I are presented in Chapter IV.
The p r e s e n t a ti o n o f the data in Chapter IV follows a format
of:

(1) b r i e f review o f the data c o l l e c t i o n procedures; (2) s t a t e ­

ment o f each research q u e s t i o n , (3) following the statement o f each
res ea rch q u e s t io n , p r e s e n t a ti o n and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the a p p lica b le
d a t a , (4) following the p r e s e n t a ti o n o f a l l a p plica ble d a t a , a
summary se ction with commentary regarding an overview o f da ta p re ­
sented.
Highlights o f Data C olle ction Procedures
The complexity o f the two res ea rch questions and the magni­
tude o f t h i s p r o j e c t l i t e r a l l y demanded an e x tr a o r d in a r y e f f o r t in
the a d m in istr a tio n o f the Law Enforcement Physical A c t iv i t y Question­
n a ir e and in the c o l l e c t i o n and a n a l y s i s of the f i n a l d a ta .
Every e f f o r t was made to provide a d m i n i s t r a t iv e guidance in
the f i e l d implementation o f the Law Enforcement Physical A c t iv i t y
Q u e stio n n aires.

Each departmental p r o j e c t c oo rdinato r received

ex te n siv e t r a i n i n g in the a d m i n i s t r a t iv e aspec ts of the survey, as
p reviously in d ic a t e d .

Informational m a t e r i a ls were d i s t r i b u t e d to

a l l p r o j e c t c o ord inato rs and included the qu estio n n a ire m a t e r i a l s ,

87

88
supplemental i n s t r u c t i o n s and answers t o a n t i c i p a t e d problems.

An

e i g h t minute s l i d e / t a p e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f the jo b a n a l y s i s p r o j e c t was
made a v a i l a b l e to a l l p r o j e c t c o o rd i n a to r s who d e s i r e d to provide the
p r o j e c t background t o the p o l i c e personnel in t h e i r departments.
survey was i n i t i a t e d during the l a s t week in November, 1978.

The

Follow­

ing t h i s , in Ja nuary, 1979, an a d d i t i o n a l f i v e minute s l i d e / t a p e
p r e s e n t a ti o n was developed which gave s t e p - b y - s t e p i n s t r u c t i o n s on
how to complete the physical a c t i v i t y q u e s t i o n n a i r e .

Special empha­

s i s was made to c l a r i f y a re as in th e q u e s t i o n n a i r e and i n s t r u c t i o n s
which may have been overlooked by some respondents during the f i r s t
survey p erio d .
The res e a r c h team took many s t e p s to promote a high r a t e of
p a r t i c i p a t i o n by p o l ic e departments in t h i s j o b a n a l y s i s study.

As

pre v io u sly i n d i c a t e d , the q u e s t i o n n a i r e for mat, i . e . , d i a r y method,
plac es a s u b s t a n t i a l burden upon th e manpower requirements o f a
p o l i c e department.

Resources in p o l i c e departments are i n c r e a s i n g l y

dim inishing, so th e cooperation and support o f th e departments work­
ing with us in t h i s survey was by no means assured.

Because p a r t i c i ­

pation was v o l u n ta r y , and f u r t h e r , because o f t r a d i t i o n a l suspic ions
among p o lic e management and la b o r o r g a n i z a t i o n s , an e x t r a o r d in a r y
promotional e f f o r t was necessary.

A promotional e f f o r t was under­

taken and d i r e c t e d a t p o l i c e management groups, employee lab or
o r g a n i z a t i o n s , and local p r o j e c t c o o rd i n a to r s and incumbent o f f i c e r s .
A s l i d e / t a p e p r e s e n t a t i o n was developed d e s c r i b i n g th e MLEOTC
o r g a n i z a t i o n , th e need f o r a jo b a n a l y s i s surv ey, th e survey method­
ology, and the intended j o b - r e l a t e d s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g o b j e c t i v e s .

89

This s l i d e / t a p e p r e s e n t a t i o n a s s i s t e d g r e a t l y in promoting the
p r o j e c t to management, l a b o r , and local c o o r d i n a to r s .

Representa­

t i v e s from the MLEOTC met with the Michigan Associatio n o f Chiefs o f
Police and the Michigan S h e r i f f s Asso cia tio n.

Meetings were a ls o

held with each o f the eleven major employee o rg a n i z a t i o n s r e p r e ­
s e n tin g p o l i c e in the S t a t e .

These meetings were considered p a r t i c u ­

l a r l y c r i t i c a l because p o l ic e in Michigan a re highly organized.
Also, in an e f f o r t to gain the cooperation o f the incumbent o f f i c e r s ,
a small f o l d - o u t brochure was p r i n t e d .
" Se lec t Your Future P a r t n e r . "

The brochure was t i t l e d

On the i n s i d e , the need f o r the

p r o j e c t was explained and p a r t i c i p a t i o n and support by incumbent
o f f i c e r s was promoted.
The two 7-day survey periods were conducted w ith in each
department.

The d a te s below d e s c r i b e th es e survey periods:
November-December, 1978
April-May, 1979

Within th ese date rang e s, each department p a r t i c i p a t e d f o r
a one-week (7 days) time period.

The two survey periods were d i s ­

t r i b u t e d during w in ter and non-winter months to provide ample
o p po rtu n ity to take account o f p o s s ib le v a r i a t i o n s in a p o lic e
o f f i c e r ' s job r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s a t t r i b u t a b l e to such f a c t o r s as
weathe r, the school y e a r , vacation t r a v e l , e t c .

Accordingly, the

survey pe riods encompass various time and weather c on d itio ns which
span a broad range o f circumstances.

The survey r e s u l t s a r e , t h e r e ­

f o r e , deemed to be highly r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f th e jo b r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s
o f law enforcement personnel.

90

Two important in d ic e s o f survey e f f e c t i v e n e s s a re t h a t of
response r a t e and p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e .

The term "response r a t e " i s

defined as th e r a t i o o f the number o f q u e s t io n n a ir e s completed by
a department t o the number o f expected q u e s t io n n a ir e s f o r t h a t
department.

The term " p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e " r e f e r s to the number of

p a tr o l o f f i c e r s and o t h e r n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l law enforcement o f f i c e r s
who p a r t i c i p a t e d in the survey as compared with the t o t a l number of
p a tr o l o f f i c e r s within each department.

Simply p u t , p a r t i c i p a t i o n

r a t e r e f e r s to the number o f o f f i c e r s who p a r t i c i p a t e d in a p a r t i c u ­
l a r survey period f o r a given department in r e l a t i o n to the t o t a l
number which might have p a r t i c i p a t e d .

Table 4.1 summarizes both

measures o f survey e f f e c t i v e n e s s .

TABLE 4.1 . —Analysis o f Survey E ffe ctiv en e ss
Survey
Period

Number o f
Departments

Number of
O f f ic e r s

Participation
Rate

Response
Rate

First

64

1,952

.90

.97

Second

56

1,971

.84

.92

During the f i r s t survey pe rio d , 64 departments p a r t i c i p a t e d
f o r a t o t a l o f 1,952 o f f i c e r s .

The p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e f o r the f i r s t

survey period was 90%, while the response r a t e f o r t h a t period was
97%.

During th e second survey p e r i o d , 56 departments p a r t i c i p a t e d

f o r a t o t a l o f 1,971 o f f i c e r s .

The p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e was 84% and

91
and th e response r a t e was 92% f o r t h a t p e ri od .
f o r themselves.

These da ta speak

There can be l i t t l e q u estio n but t h a t the survey

r e s u l t s reveal a high level o f e f f e c t i v e n e s s , a f in d in g which i s
q u i t e e x t r a o r d in a r y in view of the very l arg e number o f o f f i c e r s
participating.
Data Refinements
Two s i g n i f i c a n t da ta manipulation refinements were made in
th e r e s e a r c h methodology.

F i r s t , the sample as desc ribed in Chapter

I I I was a s t r a t i f i e d random sample c o n s i s t i n g o f seven major d e p a r t ­
ment t y p e s .

As noted e a r l i e r , department Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l

p o l i c e agencies) re p re se nte d only 3% o f the t o t a l p o l i c e population
in Michigan.

A d e cisio n was t h e r e f o r e made t o sample 100% o f

department Type VII p o l ic e agencies in order to in su re an a ccu ra te
d e s c r i p t i o n o f ph ysical a c t i v i t i e s performed w ith in them.

Addition­

a l l y , i t was decided not to include t h i s 100% sample data in the
sta te w id e composite t o be developed because i t could e a s i l y d i s t o r t
the f i n a l d a t a .

(This de cision was made because of prelim inary

information e x i s t i n g which showed a s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e in job
tas k s between members o f department Types I through VI and department
Type VII a g e n c i e s . )

For comparison purposes a summary o f the physi­

cal a c t i v i t i e s performed by department Type VII agencies i s compared
with the state w ide composite and with a l l o t h e r agency typ es.
The second methodology refinement was made in th e data c o l ­
l e c t i o n process .

O r i g i n a l l y , the sample c a l l e d f o r a s p e c i f i e d

number of o f f i c e r s to be randomly sampled from each agency s e l e c te d

92
f o r the sample.

However, o p e ra tio n a l c o n s t r a i n t s w ith in th e d e p a r t ­

ments chosen and the stro n g o p po sitio n o f some lab o r unions precluded
t h i s approach.

The n e c e s s i t a t e d compromise in t h i s s i t u a t i o n was to

attem pt t o sample 100% o f a l l p o l i c e o f f i c e r s working in each
department in the sample during the two 7-day survey p e ri o d s .

The

t o t a l da ta c o l l e c t e d , t h e r e f o r e , might not be mathematically pro­
p o r t i o n a t e as o r i g i n a l l y d e s i r e d , however, the magnitude of the data
r e c e i v e d , along with the s t r a t i f i c a t i o n by department t y p e s , and
random s e l e c t i o n o f departments s e l e c te d a s s u r e the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e ­
ness o f the f i n a l d a ta .
Research Question I
Research Question I i s :

What are the i d e n t i f i a b l e physical

requirements o f the jo b o f p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in Michigan?
Table 4.2 provides summary d a ta p e r t a i n i n g to the frequency
o f the physical i n c i d e n t s r e p o r t e d .

TABLE 4 . 2 . —Summary Data:

Frequency o f Physical I n c i d e n ts .
Department
Type I-VI

Total number of usable responses

Department
Type I-VII

10,212

14,682

Total number o f i n c i d e n t s rep orted

1,872

2,942

Ratio o f i n c i d e n t s t o responses

0.1833

0.2003

Ratio o f i n c i d e n t s t o w o rk shif ts

1:5.46

1:4.99

Average i n c i d e n t s / o f f i c e r / y e a r

40.99

44.8

93
A t o t a l of 14,682 usable q u e stio n n a ire s were derived from the
two survey periods combined.

Of t h i s number, 2,942 i n c i d e n t s were

recorded in which physical s k i l l s by the p o lic e o f f i c e r were required.
The remaining q u e stio n n a ire s were marked as "no a c t i v i t y " in section 1
o f the survey instrument to i n d i c a t e t h a t no s i g n i f i c a n t a c t i v i t y had
occurred f o r a p a r t i c u l a r o f f i c e r during a p a r t i c u l a r s h i f t .

In some

c a s e s , the responding o f f i c e r in d ic ate d t h a t a physical a c t i v i t y had
oc curred, but f a i l e d to provide d e t a i l s o f t h a t a c t i v i t y .

A conserva­

t i v e measure was taken to p r o t e c t the i n t e g r i t y of the d a ta .
c a s e s , the q u e stio n n a ir e s were re-coded as "no a c t i v i t y . "

In such

This

measure was taken to safeguard a g a i n s t ob taining an i n f l a t e d est im ate
o f the number o f in c i d e n t s r e q u i r i n g physical s k i l l s on the p a r t of
the o f f i c e r .

To be counted as a physical i n c i d e n t , the q u e stio n n a ir e

must have contained documentary evidence o f the nature o f the
physical a c t i v i t y undertaken.

The number o f physical in c i d e n t s thus

recorded i s considered to be a con se rv ativ e and b e liev a b le est im ate
f o r the abov e-stated reason.
For comparison purposes, Table 4.2 shows th e d i f f e r e n c e in
physical a c t i v i t i e s portrayed when Type VII departments are included
in composite d a ta .

Of p a r t i c u l a r s i g n i f i c a n c e i s the change o f

r a t i o o f physical in c i d e n t s to work s h i f t s (1 :4 .9 9 in department
Types I-VII as compared to 1:5.46 in department Types I-VI) and the
change in average in c id e n ts per o f f i c e r per y e a r (44.8 in department
Types I-VII as compared to 40.99 in department Types I-VI).

Based

upon t h i s information and the s i g n i f i c a n t d i s t o r t i o n a l impact of

94
department Type VII d a t a , the following composite data w i l l be
derived from department Types I-VI only unless otherwise s t a t e d .
Table 4.2 shows t h a t the r a t i o o f physical i n c id e n ts to t o t a l
responses i s 0.1833.

This f i g u r e t r a n s l a t e s i n to a r a t i o o f one

physical in c i d e n t per 5.46 wor ks hifts per o f f i c e r .

In o t h e r words,

an o f f i c e r can expect to p a r t i c i p a t e in an in c id e n t r e q u i r i n g a s i g ­
n i f i c a n t level o f physical s k i l l s once every 5.46 s h i f t s .
The number o f physical i n c id e n ts was r e l a t e d to the t o t a l
number o f o f f i c e r/ w a t c h e s 10,212 f o r the purpose o f computing the
frequency r a t e .

There were 1,872 physical in c i d e n t s recorded, as

i n d i c a t e d , which i s 18.33% o f the t o t a l number of o ffic e r/w a tc h e s
(10,212).

Therefore, the r a t e o f occurrence i s 18.33% o r , more

p r e c i s e l y , .1833 per o f f i c e r / w a t c h .

By m u ltiply ing t h i s r a t e times

the number o f o f f i c e r/ w a t c h e s per y e a r , one may compute an expected
annual frequency per o f f i c e r f o r in c i d e n t s re q u i r i n g physical s k i l l s .
The MLEOTC s t a f f provided data based upon t h e i r own a n a l y s i s which
i n d i c a t e t h a t an o f f i c e r works an average o f 223.6 days per ye ar.
By m u ltiply in g the r a t i o of physical incid en ts to t o t a l responses
.1833 times the t o t a l number o f days worked per y e a r (2 2 3.6), one
can determine the expected number of times an o f f i c e r should be
involved in in c i d e n t s r e q u i r i n g physical s k i l l s on an annual b a s i s .
The expected annual frequency (EAF) f o r physical in cid en ts i s 40.99
i n c id e n ts per o f f i c e r per y e a r .

The survey data reveal t h a t a pa tro l

o f f i c e r can expect t o encounter an in c i d e n t involving physical s k i l l s
once approximately every f i f t h s h i f t , f o r a t o t a l o f approximately
41 times annually.

95
A fter measuring the frequency o f occurrence of physical
a c t i v i t i e s i t was f e l t necessary to measure the outcome o r r e s u l t s of
t h es e i n c i d e n t s and c o ncurren tly the number o f times t h e o f f i c e r s
considered the performance of a physical t a s k c r i t i c a l .
A physical a c t i v i t y was considered c r i t i c a l in t h i s study i f
one o f the following t h r e e c r i t e r i a were p r e s e n t :
1.

f a i l u r e to s u c c e s s f u l l y complete the a c t i v i t y might
have r e s u l t e d in the d e a t h / i n j u r y o f the o f f i c e r
and/or o th er pe rsons;

2.

f a i l u r e to s u c c e s s f u l l y complete the a c t i v i t y might
have r e s u l t e d in the escape of a s u b j e c t ; or

3.

f a i l u r e to s u c c e s s f u l l y complete the a c t i v i t y might
have r e s u l t e d in loss/damage t o prop erty.

Table 4.3 summarizes the f i n a l outcome o f the ph ysical i n c i ­
dents measured.

TABLE 4 . 3 . —Outcome of Physical In c i d e n ts .

Percent

EAF Expected
Annual
Frequency

1,302

70

28.69

525

28

11.48

Someone Injured

69

4

1.64

Property Lost/Damaged

56

3

1.23

Escape o f Subject

42

2

.82

Loss o f Life

20

1

.41

Outcome
Successful Outcome
A r r e st Made

Number

96
During the survey period a t o t a l o f 1,302 physical a c t i v i t i e s
out o f 1,872 rep o rte d were recorded as su ccess ful outcome.

This

f i g u r e i n d i c a t e s t h a t 70% of the physical a c t i v i t i e s engaged in by
a p o l i c e o f f i c e r were completed s u c c e s s f u l l y .

A t o t a l o f 525, or

28% o f the physical a c t i v i t i e s r e s u l t e d in an a r r e s t o f a s u b j e c t .
The escape o f a s u b j e c t was noted to have occurred 42 times o f 2%
o f the time a physical a c t i v i t y occurred.

The number o f physical

a c t i v i t i e s r e s u l t i n g in i n ju r y to an o f f i c e r o r o t h e r persons was
69 o r 4% o f the time a physical a c t i v i t y occurred.

The number of

physical a c t i v i t i e s which r e s u l t e d in l o ss o r damage to prop erty was
56 o r 3% o f the time physical a c t i v i t y occurred.

The number of

ph ysi cal a c t i v i t i e s r e s u l t i n g in l o ss o f l i f e ( o f f i c e r s or o t h e r s )
was 20 or 1% o f the time physical a c t i v i t i e s occurred.

In each o f

the above cases the expected annual frequency per o f f i c e r f o r each
o f the p o s s ib l e outcomes i s a l s o given.
Federal g u id e lin e requirements in the area o f employment
t e s t i n g , as well as common se n se , d i c t a t e t h a t s p e cia l a t t e n t i o n be
paid to those jo b a c t i v i t i e s which are o f a high c r i t i c a l i t y l e v e l .
This survey sought t o d i s t i n g u i s h the physical i n c i d e n t s rep o rted
on the b asis o f t h e i r c r i t i c a l i t y .

Those a c t i v i t i e s o f a physical

natu re which a re c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y deemed to be most c r i t i c a l would
c e r t a i n l y have important im p lica tio n s f o r both employment t e s t i n g as
well as t r a i n i n g curriculum development.

While the frequency o f a

job a c t i v i t y i s c e r t a i n l y an important b i t o f info rm a tio n, the
c r i t i c a l i t y o f t h a t a c t i v i t y would seem to be o f y e t g r e a t e r s i g n i f i ­
cance.

For example, i f analyses were pr e d ic a te d p r i m a r il y on the

97
b a s i s o f t a s k frequency, i t could be argued t h a t p o l ic e o f f i c e r s need
not be p r o f i c i e n t in the use o f t h e i r weapons, because such weapons
are used i n f r e q u e n t l y .

However, hardly anyone would agree with t h i s

co n clu sio n , as i t i s commonly recognized t h a t the use o f a weapon
would be confined to important l i f e - d e a t h s i t u a t i o n s .

This i l l u s t r a ­

t i o n shows t h a t the c r i t i c a l i t y of a job t a s k i s o f g r e a t e r l o g ic al
s i g n i f i c a n c e than i t s frequency.

On th e o t h e r hand, what is the

importance o f a jo b duty which i s frequ en t but in co nsequ e ntia l?

For

the purpose o f t h i s r es ea r ch stu d y , an i n c i d e n t was regarded as
c r i t i c a l based upon the probable consequences o f a f a i l u r e to p e r ­
form the t a s k in a competent manner.

Responding o f f i c e r s were asked

to e v a l u a t e the probable consequences i f a p a tr o l o f f i c e r was unable
t o perform the a c t i v i t y .
f i e d in t h e q u e s t io n n a ir e :

Three c a t e g o r i e s o f c r i t i c a l i t y were i d e n t i ­
(1) i n j u r y to s e l f / o t h e r s ; (2) escape of

s u b j e c t ( s ) ; and (3) loss/damage to p ro p erty.

Table 4 .4 i n d i c a t e s the

percentage o f physical in c i d e n t s which were desc ribed as p o t e n t i a l l y
c r i t i c a l in one o r more o f the t h r e e areas o f r i s k i d e n t i f i e d .
Approximately tw o - t h ir d s o r 65% o f the responses in d ic a t e d
t h a t t h e outcome o f the physical a c t i v i t y was p o t e n t i a l l y c r i t i c a l .
A Michigan p o l ic e o f f i c e r w i l l engage in a p o t e n t i a l l y c r i t i c a l
physical a c t i v i t y 26.64 tim e s / y e a r .

The high est occurrence of

c r i t i c a l type i n c i d e n t s involved physical a c t i v i t i e s which involve
p o t e n t i a l i n j u r y to the p o l i c e o f f i c e r .

The survey showed t h a t t h i s

s i t u a t i o n w i l l occur 40% o f the time physical a c t i v i t i e s a re engaged
in o r 16.4 times per y e a r .

98
TABLE 4 . 4 . — C r i t i c a l i t y o f Physical In c id e n ts .
P o t e n ti a l Consequences

Number

Percent

EAF

1,222

65

26.64

Injury Risk

754

40

16.40

Loss/Damage to Property

591

32

13.12

Escape o f Subject

519

28

11.48

Total I n c id e n ts In d ica te d C r i t i c a l

Incid e n ts Involving A t h l e t i c S k i l l s
For the purpose o f a n a l y s i s , th e q u e s t io n n a ir e was divided
roughly i n t o two broad c a t e g o r i e s measuring physical a c t i v i t i e s ,
t h a t i s th ose a c t i v i t i e s involving a t h l e t i c s k i l l s and those
a c t i v i t i e s involving defensiv e s k i l l s .

F i r s t , the physical a c t i v i ­

t i e s which involve a t h l e t i c s k i l l s are examined.

Table 4.5 summar­

i z e s th ose a c t i v i t i e s .
Table 4.5 d e scrib e s the va rious types o f physical a c t i v i t i e s
which were i d e n t i f i e d in th e survey and t h e i r a s s o c i a t e d frequency.
The term " a c t i v i t y " should be d i s t i n g u i s h e d from the term " i n c i d e n t s . "
The l a t t e r term r e f e r s to a more comprehensive s i t u a t i o n o r occurrence.
For example, the p u r s u i t and apprehension o f a s u b j e c t would c o n s t i ­
tute an i n c i d e n t .
such i n c i d e n t .

A q u e s t io n n a ir e form was to be completed f o r each
However, a physical a c t i v i t y might c o n s i s t o f such

d i v e r s e events as running, climbing, pushing, jumping, e t c .

In o th er

words, a physical i n c i d e n t would be comprised o f one, o r more, types

99
TABLE 4 . 5 . —De sc ription o f A t h l e t i c S k i l l s Performed.
EAF

Type o f A c t iv i t y

Number

L if tin g /C a r r y in g

632

34

13.94

Pushing

616

33

13.53

Dragging/Pulling

444

24

9.84

Running

420

22

9.02

Climbing

314

17

6.97

Jumping

187

10

4.10

Crawling

75

4

1.64

of a c tiv itie s .

Percent

Table 4.5 l i s t s a l l o f the physical a c t i v i t i e s which

were i d e n t i f i e d in order o f t h e i r frequency.

An inspe ctio n of t h i s

t a b l e w ill show t h a t the a c t i v i t y of l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g was recorded
632 times and was a s so c iated with 34% o f the physical in cid en ts
which occurred.

The expected annual frequency o f t h i s l i f t i n g /

c arryin g a c t i v i t y was 13.94 times per o f f i c e r .

The physical a c t i v i ­

t i e s in descending order of frequency are i n t e r p r e t a b l e d i r e c t l y
from Table 4.5 .

In ord er to understand b e t t e r the s p e c i f i c nature

o f th ese physical demands, the reminder of t h i s por tio n of the job
a n a l y s i s res ea rch w i l l be devoted to a d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n of
these require d a t h l e t i c s k i l l s .

TOO
A c t i v i t i e s Involving L if t i n g / C a r r y i n g
Table 4.6 d e s c r i b e s th e various asp ec ts o f l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g
physical a c t i v i t i e s performed by o f f i c e r s .

TABLE 4 . 6 . —L i f t i n g / C a r r y i n g Objects (N = 632 A c t i v i t i e s ) .
Dimensions
I.

Height o f L i f t :
1 fo ot
2 feet
3 feet
4 feet
5 feet
Unspecified

II.

Percent

EAF

72
107
276
99
39
39
632

11
17
44
16
6
6
100

1.53
2.37
6.13
2.23
.84
.84
13.94

310
74
62
21
79
86
632

49
12
10
3
13
14
101*

6.83
1.67
1.39
0.42
1.81
1.95
14.07*

148
73
103
193
100
15
632

23
12
16
31
16
2
100

3.21
1.67
2.23
4.32
2.23
0.28
13.94

344

54

7.53

381

60

8.36

143

23

3.20

Distance o f Carry
1-19 f e e t
20-39 f e e t
40-59 f e e t
60-79 f e e t
80+ f e e t
Unspecified

III.

Weight in Pounds
25-49 lb s .
50-99 l b s .
100-149 lb s .
150-199 lb s .
200+ l b s .
Unspecified

IV.

Number

Circumstances
Number o f times person
lifted/carried
Number o f times o f f i c e r
was a s s i s t e d
Number o f times speed
was r eq u ir e d
*

Rounding e r r o r

101

Table 4.6 d e s c r i b e s the physical a c t i v i t y o f l i f t i n g /
c a r r y i n g in t h r e e b asic dimensions, i . e . , the h eig h t o f l i f t , d i s t a n c e
o f c a r r y and weight in pounds.

P a r t I o f 4 . 6 , f o r i n s t a n c e , shows

t h a t 276 in stan c es out o f 632 an o b j e c t was l i f t e d by p o lic e
o f f ic e r( s ) a distance of 3 fe e t.

This number amounted t o 44 pe rc ent

o f t h e times an o b j e c t was l i f t e d / c a r r i e d and an o f f i c e r can expect
t o l i f t an o b j e c t 3 f e e t 6.13 times a y e a r .

P a r t I I o f Table 4.6

d e sc r ib e s the parameters o f the d i s t a n c e s o f c a r r y in g an o b j e c t .

In

310 i n sta n c e s out o f 632 an o f f i c e r c a r r i e d an o b j e c t a d i s t a n c e of
between 1 and 19 f e e t .

This r e p r e s e n t s 49% o f t h e time an o f f i c e r

w i l l p h y s i c a l l y c a r r y an o b j e c t and the EAF i s 6.83 times a y e ar
f o r t h e average p o l i c e o f f i c e r .

Pa rt I I I o f Table 4.6 d e sc r ib e s th e

weight in pounds l i f t e d by p o l i c e o f f i c e r s .

In 193 a c t i v i t i e s a

p o l i c e o f f i c e r l i f t e d and/o r c a r r i e d an o b j e c t weighing between 150
and 199 pounds.

This r e p r e s e n t s 31% o f the o b j e c t s l i f t e d and the

EAF expected annual frequency i s 4.32 times a y e a r f o r the average
police o ffic e r.
P a r t IV o f Table 4 .6 i d e n t i f i e s t h a t in 344 times out of
632 (54% o f the time) th e o b j e c t c a r r i e d by p o l i c e o f f i c e r s i s a
person.

A p o lic e o f f i c e r can expect to l i f t and /o r c a r r y a person

7.53 times a y e a r .

A d d i t i o n a l l y , the o f f i c e r w i l l be a s s i s t e d in

l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g 381 times out o f 632 o r 60% of th e time.
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Pushing
A t o t a l o f 616 a c t i v i t i e s were recorded in which the o f f i c e r
was re q u ir e d t o push an o b j e c t .

Table 4.7 provides a breakdown o f

102

TABLE 4 . 7 . —Pushing (N = 616 A c t i v i t i e s ) .
Dimensions
I.

Number

Percent

EAF

365
115
47
18
42
29
616

59
19
8
3
7
5
101*

7.98
2.57
1.08
0.41
0.95
0.68
13.67*

16
12
67
107
388
26
616

3
2
11
17
63
4
100

0.41
0.27
1.49
2.30
8.52
0.54
13.53

375
341
616

61
39
100

8.25
5.28
13.53

453
141

74
23

10.01
3.11

Distance Moved
1-19 f e e t
20-39 f e e t
40-59 f e e t
60-79 f e e t
80+ f e e t
Unspecified

II.

Weight of Object Moved
25- 49 l b s .
50- 99 l b s .
100-149 l b s .
150-199 l b s .
200- l b s .
Unspecified

III.

Type o f Object
Vehicle
Other

IV.

Circumstances
O f f i c e r A s sisted
Speed Required

*

Rounding Error

the d i s t a n c e the o b j e c t was moved, th e type o f o b j e c t , th e weight of
the o b j e c t and the circumstances surrounding t h e a s s o c i a t e d a c t i v i t i e s .
In 365 out o f 616 a c t i v i t i e s (59%) an o b j e c t was pushed
between 1-19 f e e t .

The expected annual frequency f o r pushing an

o b j e c t between 1-19 f e e t i s 7.98.

In 388 out o f 616 a c t i v i t i e s (63%)

103
the o b j e c t pushed was 200+ l b s . in weight.
quency o f pushing a v eh ic le i s 8.25.
an o f f i c e r was

The expected annual f r e ­

In 453 pushing a c t i v i t i e s (74%)

a s s i s t e d in pushing an o b j e c t .

pushing a c t i v i t i e s (23%

F i n a l l y , in 141

the p olic e o f f i c e r was required to use speed.

A c t i v i t i e s Involving Dragging/Pul 1ing
Table 4.8 describes the a c t i v i t i e s involving dragging and/or
p u l li n g by a po lic e o f f i c e r in the two basic dimensions of d istan c e
moved and weight of the o bjec t moved.
There
to drag

were 444 a c t i v i t i e s in which the o f f i c e r was required

and/or pull an o bject or a person.

Part I of Table 4.8 shows

t h a t an o f f i c e r dragged and/or pulled an o b je c t 1-19 f e e t a t o t a l of
289 times o f 65% o f the time ob jec ts were dragged/pulled.
i s 6 .4 .

The EAF

In Pa rt II we see t h a t an o f f i c e r dragged/pulled an o bject

between 150-199 pounds a t o t a l
a c t i v i t y occurred.

of 190 times or 43%of the time

this

The EAF in t h i s in stan c e would be 4.23.

Part I I I of Table

4 .8 i d e n t i f i e s t h a t in 315 times out of

444 (71% of the time) the o b je c t dragged and/or pulled by the police
o f f i c e r was a person.

A po lice o f f i c e r can expect to drag and/or pull

a person on the average o f about 6.99 times per ye ar.

A d d itio n a lly ,

the o f f i c e r was a s s i s t e d in the d rag g in g /p u llin g a c t i v i t i e s 293 out of
444 or 66% o f the time.

Speed was a requirement in 29% o f the times

an o b je c t was dragged/pulled.

104

TABLE 4 . 8 . —Dragging/Pulling Objects (N = 444 A c t i v i t i e s )
Dimensions
I.

Number

Percent

289
53
29
14
44
15
444

65
12
7
3
10
3
100

6.40
1.18
0.69
0.30
0.98
0.30
9.85*

34
23
113
190
60
24
444

8
5
25
43
14
5
100

0.79
0.49
2.46
4.23
1.38
0.49
9.84

315

71

6.99

293

66

6.49

127

29

2.85

Distance Moved
1-19 f e e t
20-39 f e e t
40-59 f e e t
60-79 f e e t
80+ f e e t
Unspecified

II.

Weight in Pounds
25- 49 l b s .
50- 99 l b s .
100-149 l b s .
150-199 lbs
200+ l b s .
Sp ecif ied

III.

EAF

Circumstances
Number o f times person
was dragged/pulled
Number o f times o f f i c e r
was a s s i s t e d
Number o f times speed
was required
★
Rounding e r r o r .

A c t i v i t i e s Involving Running
The 420 a c t i v i t i e s in which the o f f i c e r was req u ired to run
a re summarized in Table 4 . 9 .
P a r t I o f Table 4.9 shows t h a t

a p o lic e o f f i c e r ran a d i s ­

tance o f between 1-24 yards a

t o t a l o f 182 or 43% o f th e times

a c t i v i t y o f running oc curred.

The EAF f o r an o f f i c e r to run a

the

105

TABLE 4 . 9 . —Running (N = 420 A c t i v i t i e s ) .
Dimensions
I.

Number

Percent

EAF

182
73
39
24
80
22
420

43
17
9
6
19
5
99

3.88
1.53
0.81
0.54
1.71
0.45
8.92*

87
90
69
60
73
97
476

18
19
14
13
15
20
~99*

1.62
1.71
1.26
1.17
1.35
1.80
8.91*

Distances
1-24 yards
25-49 yards
50-74 yards
75-99 yards
100+ yards
Unspecified

II.

Obstacles Encountered
Fence/wall encountered
Shrubs
Vehicle
Sta i r s
Di tch
Other Obstacles

*

Rounding e r r o r

d i s t a n c e o f between 1-24 yards i s 3.88.

P a r t I I o f th e t a b l e i d e n t i ­

f i e d the type o f o b s t a c l e s encountered while running.

In 87 or 18%

o f the running a c t i v i t i e s a fence and/o r a wall was encountered.

A

p o l i c e o f f i c e r can expect to encounter a fence/wall while running an
average o f 1.62 times per ye ar.
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Climbing
Another r e l a t i v e l y frequ e n t a c t i v i t y performed by p o l ic e
o f f i c e r s in the performance o f t h e i r cuty i s t h a t o f climbing.
were 314 a c t i v i t i e s o f t h i s n a tu re recorded.

There

Table 4.10 provides a

d e s c r i p t i o n of the types of o b j e c t s which a re most o f te n climbed by
offi c ers.

106

TABLE 4 . 1 0 . —Climbing (N = 314 A c t i v i t i e s ) .
Dimensions
I.

Number

Percent

113
97
55
38
27
330

34
29
17
12
8
100

2.37
2.02
1.18
0.84
0.56
6.97

33

2.30

Object Climbed
Fence/wal1
Stairs
Embankments
Ditches
Ladders

II.

B a r r i e r Size (mean
7.12
2.10
25.82
5.68
14.48

Fence/wal1
Stairs
Embankments
Ditches
Ladders
III.

EAF

feet
flights
feet
feet
feet

Circumstances
Speed Required

103

P a r t I o f Table 4.10 i d e n t i f i e s t h a t fences and/o r walls a re
the o b j e c ts most f r e q u e n t l y climbed with 113 a c t i v i t i e s out o f 314
or 34% o f the t o t a l .

A p o l i c e o f f i c e r can expect to climb a fence

an d /o r a wall an average of 2.37 times a year in t h e normal perform­
ance o f h i s d u t i e s .

When the a c t i v i t y o f climbing a fence/wall i s

combined with s t a i r s , i t accounts f o r 63% o f the o b j e c t s climbed a
year.

P a r t I I o f t h i s t a b l e i d e n t i f i e s the mean s i z e o f each b a r r i e r

r e g u l a r l y encountered.

For i n s t a n c e , i t i s noted t h a t the average

f l i g h t s o f s t a i r s an o f f i c e r will climb i s 2.10.
33% o f th e time climbing occurred.

Speed was required

107
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Jumping
There were 187 a c t i v i t i e s in which the o f f i c e r was required
t o jump over, a c r o s s , or down some o b j e c t .

Table 4.11 provides an

a c c u ra t e p i c t u r e o f the d i s t a n c e s jumped and types o f o b s t a c l e s
encountered.

TABLE 4 . 1 1 . —Jumping (N = 187 A c t i v i t i e s ) .
Dimensions
I.

EAF

71
81
11
9
1
14
187

38
43
6
5
0.5
7
99.5*

1.56
1.76
0.25
0.21
**
0.29
4.07*

Obstacles Encountered
Fence/Wall
Ditch
Shrubs
Other

III.

Percent

Distance
1- 3 f e e t
4- 6 f e e t
7 - 9 feet
10-12 f e e t
13+ f e e t
Unspecified

II.

Number

73
65
30
42
210

35
31
14
20
100

1.44
1.27
0.57
0.82
4.10

107

57

2.34

Circumstances
Speed Required
*

Rounding E rro r
Data Base too small f o r a n a l y s i s

During the course o f jumping, t h e o b s t a c l e s t y p i c a l l y
encountered involved d i t c h e s , fe n c e s , w a l l s , and shrubs.

By combining

the 1-3 f e e t and 4 to 6 f e e t d i s t a n c e s jumped we account f o r 81% of

108
the i n c i d e n t s where an o f f i c e r would jump each y e a r .

The EAF o f a

p o l i c e o f f i c e r jumping a d i s t a n c e between 1 to 6 f e e t i s 3.3 2.

Speed

was req u ired in 57% of th e i n c i d e n t s involving jumping by a p o lic e
officer.
A c t i v i t i e s Involving Crawling
Of the a c t i v i t i e s r e q u i r i n g a t h l e t i c s k i l l s , the a c t i v i t y of
crawling was shown by the survey to be the l e a s t f r e q u e n t .
o f 75 a c t i v i t i e s o f t h i s n a tu r e were i d e n t i f i e d .

A total

Table 4.12 provides

an a c c u ra te p i c t u r e o f the d i s t a n c e s crawled.

TABLE 4 . 1 2 . --Crawling (N = 75 A c t i v i t i e s ) .
Dimensions
I.

Percent

EAF

Distance Traveled
1- 3 f e e t
4- 6 f e e t
7 - 9 feet
10-12 f e e t
13* Feet
Unspecified

II.

Number

37
9
1
10
6
12
75

49
12
1
13
8
16
99*

0.80
0.15
★★
0.21
0.13
0.26
1.55*

21

28

0.46

Circumstances
Speed Required
★
Rounding e r r o r .
**

Data base too small f o r a n a l y s i s .

109

By combining th e 1 t o 3 f e e t and 4 to 6 f e e t d i s t a n c e s we
account f o r 61% o f th e times an o f f i c e r would be expected to crawl in
a year.

This combined t o t a l has an EAF of 0.95 and speed was required

in 28% o f the a c t i v i t i e s involving crawling.
I n c i d e n ts Involving Defensive S k i l l s
For t h e purpose o f a n a l y s i s in t h i s res ea rch e f f o r t , physical
i n c i d e n t s were divided i n to two major c a t e g o r i e s ; those involving
purely a t h l e t i c s k i l l s and those in c i d e n t s r e q u i r i n g the a p p l i c a t i o n
o f defen siv e s k i l l s .

Table 4.13 provides a c l e a r d e s c r i p t i o n of sub­

j e c t s o f f e r i n g r e s i s t a n c e who were encountered by the average p olic e
officer.

TABLE 4 . 1 3 . - - D e s c r ip t i o n o f Subjects Who Resisted (N = 425 I n c i d e n t s ) .
Characteristics
I.

499
85
584

S u b j e c t ' s Height
Mean =
S.D. =

III.

Percent

EAF

Sex o f Subjects
Males
Females

II.

Number

5'9"
3 '6 "

S u b j e c t ' s Weight
Mean S.D. =

165.66 l b s .
31.9 l b s .

85
15
100

9.76
1.72
11.48

110

Of the physical i n c id e n ts recorded, 425 (28%) involved
su b j e c t s who offered some form of r e s i s t a n c e .
the su b je c t o f f e r i n g r e s i s t a n c e was a male.

In 85% o f the s i t u a t i o n s ,
The EAF of a police

o f f i c e r encountering a r e s i s t i n g male sub je ct i s 9.76 times per year.
Female s u b j e c t s who of fered r e s i s t a n c e accounted f o r only 15% of the
s i t u a t i o n s measured.

The average height of the individual o f f e r i n g

any form of r e s i s t a n c e was 5 ' 9 ” with a standard de via ti o n o f 3 '6 " .
The average weight o f the r e s i s t i n g su bje ct was 165.66 pounds with a
standard dev ia tio n o f 31.9 pounds.
Another f a c t o r important in the a n a ly sis of i n c id e n ts involv­
ing r e s i s t a n c e i s the type of r e s i s t a n c e encountered.

Table 4.14

provides an acc u ra te d e s c r i p t io n of the types o f r e s i s t a n c e encountered
during t h i s study.

TABLE 4 , 1 4 . —Type of Resistance Encountered (N = 524 I n c i d e n t s ) .
Types o f Resistance
Pulled away
Wrestled
Passive r e s i s t a n c e
Hit/Kicked
Ran away
Weapon
Threw Object
Barricade
Special t a c t i c s

*

**

Number

Percent

282
265
137
135
92
27
9
5
3
955

30
28
14
14
10
3
1
1
**
101

Rounding e r r o r .
Data base too small f o r a n a l y s i s .

EAF
3.44
3.21
1.61
1.61
1.15
0.34
0.11
0.11
**
11.58*

Ill
The m a j o r it y of the time r e s i s t a n c e was encountered by a
p o l ic e o f f i c e r , t h e s u b j e c t e i t h e r pulled away o r w r e s t l e d .

This

occurred in 58% o f t h e i n c i d e n t s and the expected annual frequency o f
th es e types o f r e s i s t a n c e f o r the average p o l i c e o f f i c e r i s 6.65.
Twenty-seven i n c i d e n t s were recorded in which th e o f f i c e r confronted
a s u b j e c t with a weapon.

The expected annual frequency of t h i s

encounter i s 0.34 times per o f f i c e r per y e ar.

In o t h e r words, an

o f f i c e r , on th e average, can expect to face an armed s u b j e c t once
every t h r e e ye ars in the l i n e o f duty.
Research Question II
Research Question II i s :

Does t h e d i f f e r e n c e in type of

agency, i . e . , Michigan S t a t e P o lice vs. Oakland County S h e r i f f ' s
Department, a f f e c t th e type o f physical t a s k s performed by p o lic e
officers?

Table 4.15 provides an overview o f the s i m i l a r i t i e s and

d i f f e r e n c e s among the seven department types in expected annual
frequency o f physical a c t i v i t i e s .

Type VII departments a re shown f o r

comparative a n a l y s i s .
The purpose o f Table 4.15 (comparison by department type
EAF) i s to determine whether meaningful d i f f e r e n c e s e x i s t among the
seven department types with r e s p e c t to req uire d physical a c t i v i t i e s .
The i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f t h i s t a b l e i s f a i r l y s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d .
Figures 4.1 through 4.7 h i g h l i g h t major d i f f e r e n c e s in
physical a c t i v i t i e s by department type.

TABLE 4 .1 5 .— Com parisons by D epartm ent Type (EAF)

Q uestionn a ire s

P .A .'s
Measured

P .A .'s
M orkshift

P .A .'s
O ffic e r /
Year

C r itic a l
In c id e n ts /
Year

S ta te P o lice

1,482

246

.166

37.12

20.67

6.06

D e tro it

2,108

255

.121

27.05

19.84

III.

M etropolitan
Departments
(100-500)

2,006

512

.255

57.07

IV.

M etropolitan
Departments
(30-99)

1,488

268

.180

V. M etropolitan
Departments
(1-29)

1,085

231

VI. S h e r i f f *
C ontract
Departments

2,043

Department Type

I.

II.

L iftin g /
C arrying
(EAF)

Climbing
(EAF)

Pushing
(EAF)

1.06

3.02

4.98

15.99

8.45

14.18

5.13

8.23

1.49

3.39

4.24

7.11

7.74

5.41

13.37

41.91

14.38

1.89

5.91

10.91

15.49

13.93

21.62

19.51

40.27

28.10

8 .42

3.16

3.16

6.31

12.62

10.67

13.07

12.77

.214

47.61

30.09

7.21

1.24

2.68

5.77

16.28

10.51

17.72

10.30

360

.176

39.40

20.69

8.97

1.09

5.25

7.99

15.43

7.44

13.13

5.91

.290

65.02

36.69

12.51

3.91

12.43

25.18

8.75

17.50

24.26

2.69

.1833

40.99

26.76

9.20

1.64

4.09

6.88

13.49

9.72

13.34

11.47

2,913

847

Statew ide
Composite
(Departments 1-VI)

10,212

1,872

Crawling
(EAF)

Dragging/
P u llin g
(EAF)

Jumping
(EAF)

V II. N o n -trad itio n al
Departments

Running
(EAF)

R esistance
Encountered

Incidents/O fficer/
Year/(EAF)

55 50 -

40 ■

25 -

Composite
Depts. I-VI

1

n

nI

Iv

v

VI

VII

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - VI

Figure 4.1.--Physical Activities Encountered/Officer/Year.
department type

(EAF) by

114

(EAF)
C ritic al Incidents/
O ffice r/Y ea r
45
40
35
30
25
20

15

Composite
Depts. I-VI

T

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - VI

Figure 4.2.— Critical Physical Incidents Encountered/Officer/Year.
(EAF) by department type

115

A c t i v i t i e s Involving
Running/Officer/Year
15
14
13
12

11
10

9
8
7
6

Composite
Depts. I-VI

i

ii

m

iv

V

VI

VII

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - V I

Figure 4.3.--Physical Activities Involving Running Encountered/Officer/
Year. (EAF) by department type

116

A c t i v i t i e s Involving
Pushing/Officer/Y ear
18
16
14
12

10

8
6

Composite
Depts. I-VI

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - V I

Figure 4.4.--Physical Activities Involving Pushing Encountered/Officer/
Year. (EAF) by department type

117

A c t i v i t i e s Involving
D ra g gin g/P ulling/O fficer/Y ear
18
16
14
12
10

8
6

Composite
Depts. I-VI

T

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - V I

Figure 4.5.--Physical Activities Involving Dragging/Pulling Encountered/
Officer/Year. (EAF) by department type

118

A c t i v i t i e s Involving
L if t i n g /C a r r y in g
Off icer/Y ear

27-

15*
12-

Composite
Depts. I-VI

i

n

III

IV

V

VI

VII

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - V I

Figure 4.6.--Physical Activities Involving Lifting/Carrying Encountered/
Officer/Year. (EAF) by department type

119
I n cid e n ts
Involving
R e sistance/
O f f ice r/Y ea r
20
18
16
14
12

10

8
6

4
2

Composite
Depts. I-VI

i

n

m

iv

V

VI

Department Types I - VII and Composite I - V I

Figure 4.7.--Physical Incidents Involving Resistance Encountered/
Officer/Year. (EAF) by department type

VII

120

Physical A c t i v i t i e s Encountered/
O ffice r/Y ea r
Figure 4.1 i n d i c a t e s t h a t th e average or mean physical
a c t i v i t i e s expected to be encountered by a Michigan p o lic e o f f i c e r ,
department types I-VI i s 40.99.

Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l ) d e p a r t ­

ments a r e th e most p h y s i c a l l y a c t i v e with an expected annual f r e ­
quency (EAF) o f 65.02 per o f f i c e r .

Also very high in physical

a c t i v i t i e s was Type I I I (metro 100-500) departments with an EAF of
57.07.

D e t r o i t p o l i c e o f f i c e r s were shown t o be the l e a s t a c t i v e

with an EAF o f 27.05 per o f f i c e r .
C r i t i c a l Physical I n c id e n ts
Encountered/Officer/Year
Figure 4.2 i n d i c a t e s t h a t th e average number o f c r i t i c a l
physical i n c i d e n t s expected to be encountered by a Michigan p o lic e
o f f i c e r , department types I-VI i s 26.76.

Type I I I (metro 100-500)

departments were involved in t h e h i g h e s t number o f c r i t i c a l physical
i n c i d e n t s per o f f i c e r with an EAF o f 41.91.

Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l )

departments were a l s o very high with an EAF o f 36.69 i n c i d e n t s per
officer.

Type II ( D e tr o i t ) department had the lowest EAF (19.84) per

officer.
Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving Running
Figure 4.3 i n d i c a t e s t h a t th e average number o f physical
a c t i v i t i e s involving running expected to be encountered by a Michigan
p o l ic e o f f i c e r , department types I-VI, i s 9.20.

Type I I I (metro 100-

500) departments were shown to have the h i g h e s t EAF per o f f i c e r with

121

14.38.

Type I (Michigan S t a t e P olice) department had th e lowest EAF

(6.06) per o f f i c e r .
Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving Pushing
Figure 4.4 i n d i c a t e s t h a t th e average number o f physical
a c t i v i t i e s involving pushing expected to be encountered by a Michigan
p o l ic e o f f i c e r , department types I-VI i s 13.49.

Type V (metro 1-29)

departments were shown to have the hig hest EAF o f pushing with 16.28
per o f f i c e r .

Type II ( D e t r o i t ) department had th e lowest EAF (7.11)

per o f f i c e r .
Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving
Dragging/Pulling
Figure 4.5 i n d i c a t e s t h a t the average number o f physical
a c t i v i t i e s involving d r a g g i n g / p u ll i n g expected to be encountered by
a Michigan p o l ic e o f f i c e r , department types I-VI, i s 9.72 times per
year.

Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l ) departments were shown to have the

h ig h e s t EAF per o f f i c e r with 17.50.

Type II ( D e t r o i t ) department

had the lowest EAF o f (7.11) per o f f i c e r .
Physical A c t i v i t i e s Involving
L if t i n g /C a r r y in g
Figure 4.6 i n d i c a t e s t h a t the average number o f physical
a c t i v i t i e s involving l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g expected to be encountered by
a Michigan p o l ic e o f f i c e r , departments I-VI, i s 13.34 times per ye ar.
Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l ) departments were shown to have the high est
EAF per o f f i c e r with 24.26.

Type II ( D e t r o i t ) department had the

lowest EAF o f (5.41) per o f f i c e r .

122

Physical In cid e n ts Involving Resistance
Figure 4.7 i n d i c a t e s t h a t the average number o f i n c i d e n t s
where r e s i s t a n c e was expected t o be encountered by a Michigan p o lic e
o f f i c e r , department type I-VI, i s 11.47.

Type I I I (metro 100-500)

departments were shown to have th e hig hest EAF per o f f i c e r with 19.51.
Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l ) departments had the lowest EAF (2.69) per
officer.
Summary o f Analysis
The p r e s e n t a t i o n o f the data in Chapter IV follows a format
of (1) b r i e f review o f data c o l l e c t i o n procedu res, (2) statement o f
both research q u e s t io n s , (3) following the statement o f each research
q u e s t io n , p r e s e n t a t i o n and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f the a p p l i c a b l e da ta and
a summary s e c t i o n .
Research Question I
What a r e the i d e n t i f i a b l e physical requirements o f the job of
polic e o f f i c e r s in Michigan?

The average p o l ic e o f f i c e r in Michigan

will be involved in a physical in c i d e n t once in every 5.46 8-hour
work s h i f t s o r 40.99 times a y e a r .

The o f f i c e r will have a successful

outcome in 70% or approximately 28.69 times out o f 40.99 physical
incidents.

Approximately 65% o f th e physical a c t i v i t i e s were deemed

potentially c r i t i c a l .

For the purpose o f a n a l y s i s the physical

a c t i v i t i e s were divided i n to two broad c a t e g o r i e s , t h a t i s , those
a c t i v i t i e s involving a t h l e t i c s k i l l s , and th ose a c t i v i t i e s involving
defe nsive s k i l l s .

123
A t h l e t i c s k i l l s were de fined as l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g , pushing,
d r a g g i n g / c a r r y in g , running, clim bing, jumping and crawling.

The

a c t i v i t i e s o f l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and pushing were the two most freq uent
a c t i v i t i e s in occurrence and crawling occurred the l e a s t o f t e n .

The

o b j e c t most o f ten l i f t e d / c a r r i e d and dragged/pulled was a person.
Defensive s k i l l s were measured when an o f f i c e r encountered
physical r e s i s t a n c e during th e performance o f t h e i r jo b.

A Michigan

p o l ic e o f f i c e r can expect to encounter physical r e s i s t a n c e a pp rox i­
mately 11.47 times per y e a r .

E ig h t y - f iv e (85) pe rc ent o f the persons

r e s i s t i n g were found to be males.

The average heig ht of a s u b j e c t

o f f e r i n g r e s i s t a n c e was 5'9" and the average weight was 165.66 pounds.
The m aj o r it y o f times r e s i s t a n c e was encountered by a p o lic e o f f i c e r
(58%) i t involved the s u b j e c t p u l l i n g away o r w r e s t l i n g .

Also very

i n t e r e s t i n g was data which in d ic a te d t h a t t h e p o l i c e o f f i c e r can
expect to encounter a s u b j e c t armed with a weapon on the average of
0.34 times per y e a r .

In o t h e r words, an o f f i c e r , on the average, can

expect to face an armed s u b j e c t once every t h r e e y e a r s in the l i n e of
duty.
Research Question II
Does the d i f f e r e n c e in type o f agency, i . e . , the Michigan
S t a t e P o lice vs. Oakland County S h e r i f f ' s Department, a f f e c t the type
o f physical t a s k s performed by p o l i c e o f f i c e r s ?

The resounding

answer to t h i s question i s Yes; to a v a r i a b l e e x t e n t various types of
departments have s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s of physical tas k s performed.
Almost u n i l a t e r a l l y , Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l ) departments were the

124

most p h y s i c a l ly a c t i v e in a c t i v i t i e s involving l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and
d r a g g i n g / p u ll i n g .

Type I I I (metro 100-500) departments proved to be

th e most highly a c t i v e departments p h y s i c a l ly and in encountering
r e s i s t a n c e , across t h e board.

Type II ( D e t r o i t ) department was shown

to be l e a s t involved in a l l physical a c t i v i t i e s .

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Summary
In Chapter I the need f o r t h i s study was explored as i t
r e l a t e d to the v a l i d i t y o f the c u r r e n t mandated basic p o lic e t r a i n i n g
program in the S t a t e of Michigan.
P r i o r to 1965 the p o l i c e t r a i n i n g t h a t was conducted in
Michigan v aried g r e a t l y in q u a l i t y and q u a n t i t y .

The l a r g e r metro­

p o l i t a n departments provided t h e i r r e c r u i t s with s t r u c t u r e d schools
p r i o r to pl acin g in the f i e l d .
had only lim i te d c l a s s time.

G enerally, medium sized departments
The emphasis here was on f i e l d t r a i n i n g

with a more experienced o f f i c e r .

With few exceptions the small

p o lic e departments r e l i e d s o l e l y on t r a i n i n g through f i e l d experience.
During the two decades preceding 1965, the Michigan S t a t e P o lice and
the Federal Bureau of I n v e s t i g a t i o n can be c r e d i t e d with providing the
bulk of standardized p o l ic e t r a i n i n g a c t i v i t i e s within Michigan.
Statewide standards f o r the t r a i n i n g o f Michigan p o lic e
o f f i c e r s began with the passage o f Public Act 203, on Ju l y 16, 1965.
This l e g i s l a t i o n c r e a t e d the Michigan Law Enforcement O f f i c e r s T r a in ­
ing Council.

The Council was a p o lic y making board c o n s i s t i n g of

eleven members; t h r e e from t h e Michigan S h e r i f f s ' A s s o c ia t io n , t h r e e
from th e Michigan Asso cia tio n o f Chiefs o f P o l i c e , and one member each
from th e D e t r o i t P o lice O f f i c e r s ' A s s o c ia t io n , The F ra tern a l Order of
125

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P o l i c e , and th e Metropolitan Club.

The o t h e r two members a r e the

D irec to r o f t h e Michigan S t a te Po lice and th e Attorney General o f
Michigan.
The l e g i s l a t i o n o f P.A. 203 empowered th e Council to e s t a b l i s h
and pub lis h recommended minimum standards with regard t o the r e c r u i t ­
ment, s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g o f a l l p o l i c e o f f i c e r s employed in
Michigan.

The i n i t i a l b asic p o l ic e t r a i n i n g program was developed

in 1966 by th e Council and was 120 hours in l e n g t h .

This curriculum

was only recommendatory to a l l p o l ic e agencies u n t i l the passage of
mandatory p o l ic e t r a i n i n g l e g i s l a t i o n which became law January 1,
1971.

E f f e c t i v e January 1, 1971, P.A. 203 was amended and th e Council

was given the power to e s t a b l i s h mandatory s ta n d ard s in the above
c i t e d a r e a s o f r e c r u i tm e n t , s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g .
Based upon the 1971 r e v i s i o n o f P.A. 203 th e Council e s t a b ­
l i s h e d a 256 hour b asic p o l ic e t r a i n i n g program (se e Appendix A).
Currently a 296 hour program i s in e x is te n c e and i s p r a c t i c a l l y
unchanged from the o r i g i n a l 256 hour curriculum.

The design o f th e

mandatory b a s i c p o lic e t r a i n i n g program was a t t h a t time the "bes t
s h o t , " so t o speak, of the members o f the Council and s t a f f during
t he period of 1970-1971.
L i t t l e or no emperical examination was conducted o f the p o l ic e
job w ithin Michigan in the design of th e 296 hour curriculum.

A tas k

a n a l y s i s o f th e job o f policeman within t h i s s t a t e had not been con­
ducted as o f the w r i t in g o f t h i s proposa l.

In r e a l i t y no p o s i t i v e

c o r r e l a t i o n can be e s t a b l i s h e d between the completion of th e e x i s t i n g

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b a sic p o l i c e t r a i n i n g curriculum and job performance in one of
Michigan's 608 p o lic e a g en cie s.
The problem addressed in t h i s study was t h a t a t p r e s e n t ,
MLEOTC s e l e c t i o n and t r a i n i n g standards f o r the physical requirements
o f the p o lic e job a re t h e r e s u l t s o f c o l l e c t i n g judgments by p r o f e s ­
s i o n a l s based upon t h e i r s u b j e c t i v e e stim a te s o f what s k i l l s and
a t t r i b u t e s an o f f i c e r should poss ess.

Consequently, th e v a l i d i t y and

relevance o f the standards i s d i f f i c u l t i f not impossible t o su b s ta n ­
t i a t e by a cceptable s t a t i s t i c a l methods.
The r e s e a r c h e r ' s purpose in t h i s study was to (1) i d e n t i f y the
physical t a s k s requ ire d to be performed by Michigan p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in
the r e g u l a r completion of t h e i r d u t i e s , and (2) to determine i f d i f ­
f e r e n t types o f p o lic e agencies have s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s in
physical performance requirements.
In ord er t o ob tain a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e sample the Michigan po lic e
population (22,464 sworn p o l ic e o f f i c e r s employed in 608 individual
law enforcement agencies) was s t r a t i f i e d i n t o seven d i s t i n c t d e p a r t ­
ment types as follows:

Type I - Michigan S t a t e P o l i c e ; Type II -

D e t r o i t Police Department; Type I I I - m etro p olitan agencies 100-500;
Type IV - m etropolitan agencies 30-99; Type V - m etropolitan agencies
1-29; Type VI - s h e r i f f departments; and Type VII - n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l
a g e n c ie s , i . e . , DNR, park p o l i c e .

A p r o p o r t io n a te random sample was

then obtained from each o f t h e s e agency ty p es .

The f i n a l sample con­

s i s t e d o f 67 d i f f e r e n t agencies and approximately 1950 p o l i c e o f f i c e r s .
The res ea rch q u e s t io n n a ir e was two pages in length and was
developed s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r t h e study u t i l i z i n g th e d i a r y approach.

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The instrument was f i e l d t e s t e d on fo ur se p a r a t e occasions with
regard to r e l i a b i l i t y and i n t e r n a l c onsistency.
Two 7-day survey periods were used; th e f i r s t was November 27December 3 and the second was April 10-22, 1979.
Within t h es e da te range s, each department p a r t i c i p a t e d f o r a
one-week (7-day) time period.

The two survey periods were d i s t r i b u t e d

during w in ter and non-winter months to provide ample op p ortunity to
take account o f p o s s ib l e v a r i a t i o n s in a p o lic e o f f i c e r ' s job
r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s a t t r i b u t a b l e to such f a c t o r s as weather, the school
y e a r , vacation t r a v e l , e t c .

Accordingly, the survey periods encompass

various time and weather c o nd ition s which span a broad range o f c i r ­
cumstances.

The survey r e s u l t s a r e , t h e r e f o r e , deemed to be highly

r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e job r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s o f law enforcement per­
sonnel .
Two important i n d ic e s o f survey e f f e c t i v e n e s s a re t h a t of
response r a t e and p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e .

The term "response r a t e " i s

defined as the r a t i o o f the number o f q u e s t io n n a ir e s completed by a
department to th e number o f expected q u e s tio n n a ir e s f o r t h a t d e p a r t ­
ment.

The term " p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e " r e f e r s t o th e number of p a trol

o f f i c e r s and o t h e r n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l law enforcement o f f i c e r s who
p a r t i c i p a t e d in the survey as compared with th e t o t a l number of pa trol
o f f i c e r s within each department.

Simply p u t , p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e

r e f e r s to the number o f o f f i c e r s who p a r t i c i p a t e d in a p a r t i c u l a r
survey period f o r a given department in r e l a t i o n to the t o t a l number
which might have p a r t i c i p a t e d .
survey e f f e c t i v e n e s s .

Table 4.1 summarizes both measures of

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During the f i r s t survey pe riod. 64 departments p a r t i c i p a t e d
f o r a t o t a l o f 1,952 o f f i c e r s .

The p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e f o r th e f i r s t

survey period was 90%, while the response r a t e f o r t h a t period was
97%.

During t h e second survey p e r i o d , 56 departments p a r t i c i p a t e d

f o r a t o t a l o f 1,971 o f f i c e r s .

The p a r t i c i p a t i o n r a t e was 84% and

t h e response r a t e was 92% f o r t h a t period.
themselves.

These data speak f o r

There can be l i t t l e question but t h a t t h e survey r e s u l t s

reveal a high level o f e f f e c t i v e n e s s , a f in d in g which i s q u i te
e x t r a o r d i n a r y in view o f the very l a r g e number o f o f f i c e r s p a r t i c i ­
p a tin g .
The study design i s d e s c r i p t i v e in n a t u r e , employing two
r e s e a r c h q u e stio n s .
Research Question I
What a r e the i d e n t i f i a b l e physical requirements o f the job
o f p o l i c e o f f i c e r s in Michigan?

The average p o l ic e o f f i c e r in

Michigan w ill be involved in a physical i n c i d e n t once in every 5.46
8-hour work s h i f t s or 40.99 times a y e a r .

The o f f i c e r w ill have a

success ful outcome in 70% or approximately 28.69 times out o f 40.99
physical i n c i d e n t s .

Approximately 65% o f th e physical a c t i v i t i e s

were deemed p o t e n t i a l l y c r i t i c a l .

For th e purpose o f a n a l y s i s the

physical a c t i v i t i e s were divided i n to two broad c a t e g o r i e s , t h a t i s
those a c t i v i t i e s involving a t h l e t i c s k i l l s , and those a c t i v i t i e s
involving defen siv e s k i l l s .
A t h l e t i c s k i l l s were defined as l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g , pushing,
d r a g g i n g / c a r r y in g , running, climbing, jumping and crawling.

The

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a c t i v i t i e s o f l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and pushing were th e two most freq uent
a c t i v i t i e s in occurrence and crawling occurred th e l e a s t o f t e n .

The

o b j e c t most o ften l i f t e d / c a r r i e d and dragge d/pulled was a person.
Defensive s k i l l s were measured when an o f f i c e r encountered
physical r e s i s t a n c e during th e performance o f t h e i r jo b.

A Michigan

p o lic e o f f i c e r can expect t o encounter physical r e s i s t a n c e ap pro xi­
mately 11.47 times per y e a r .

E ig h t y - f iv e (85) perc ent o f th e persons

r e s i s t i n g were found to be males.

The average h e ig h t of a s u b j e c t

o f f e r i n g r e s i s t a n c e was 5'9" and the average weight was 165.66 pounds.
The m a jo r ity o f times r e s i s t a n c e was encountered by a p o lic e o f f i c e r
(58%) i t involved the s u b j e c t p u l li n g away or w r e s t l i n g .

Also very

i n t e r e s t i n g was data which i n d ic a te d t h a t th e p o lic e o f f i c e r can expect
to encounter a su b j e c t armed with a weapon on the average of 0.34 times
per y e a r .

In o t h e r words, an o f f i c e r , on the averag e, can expect to

face an armed s u b j e c t once every t h r e e ye ars in th e l i n e o f duty.
Research Question II
Does the d i f f e r e n c e in type o f agency, i . e . , the Michigan
S t a t e Police vs. Oakland County S h e r i f f ' s Department, a f f e c t the type
o f physical task s performed by p o lic e o f f i c e r s ?

The resounding answer

to t h i s questio n i s Yes; to a v a r i a b l e e x te n t various types o f d e p a r t ­
ments have s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s o f physical t a s k s performed.

Almost

u n i l a t e r a l l y , Type VII ( n o n - t r a d i t i o n a l ) departments were th e most
p h y s i c a l ly a c t i v e in a c t i v i t i e s involving l i f t i n g / c a r r y i n g and dragging/
pulling.

Type II ( D e tr o i t ) department was shown to be l e a s t involved

in a l l physical a c t i v i t i e s .

Type I I I (metro 100-500) departments

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proved t o be th e most highly a c t i v e departments p h y s i c a l ly and in
encountering r e s i s t a n c e , acro ss the board.
Conclusions
At the p r e s e n t time the e x i s t i n g MLEOTC minimum employment
standards with regard to physical c on d ition in g a re as follows:
The can didate must possess normal h e aring , normal c o lo r
v i s i o n and normal visual fu n ctio n s and a c u i t y in each eye
c o r r e c t a b l e t o 20/20. Be f r e e from any o th er impediment o f
the s e n se s, p h y s i c a l l y sound, in possession o f his
e x t r e m i t i e s and well developed p h y s i c a l l y , with heig ht and
weight in r e l a t i o n to each o t h e r as i n d ic a t e d by accepted
medical s ta n d a r d s. Be f r e e from any physical d e f e c t s ,
chronic d i s e a s e s , organic d i s e a s e s , or ganic or functional
c o n d i t i o n s , o r mental and emotional i n s t a b i l i t i e s which
may tend to impair the e f f i c i e n t performance o f his duty
o r which may endanger t h e l i v e s of o t h e r s o r himself.
These standards a re gen eralize d and c e r t a i n l y not job s p e c i f i c .
V a l i d i t y with regard to job r e l a t e d n e s s was impossible to prove.

The

r e s e a r c h e r ' s purpose in t h i s study was to generate a data bank s u f f i ­
c i e n t to e s t a b l i s h job real ted physical performance sta n d ard s.

As a

r e s u l t o f th e study th e following conclusions can be drawn:
1.

There i s an i d e n t i f i a b l e group o f physical a c t i v i t i e s

which th e m a jo r ity of Michigan p o lic e o f f i c e r s a re req uired to per­
form with r e g u l a r i t y each y e a r .

These physical tas k s can be broken

down i n t o two basic c a t e g o r i e s , which a re (1) a t h l e t i c s k i l l s , and
(2) defe nsive s k i l l s .

Approximately 65% of the physical a c t i v i t i e s

were considered c r i t i c a l by the o f f i c e r s surveyed i n d i c a t i n g t h a t
s e r i o u s consequences might r e s u l t had th e o f f i c e r been unable to
complete th e t a s k .

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2.

While s i g n i f i c a n t frequency level d i f f e r e n c e s in

physical performance e x i s t e d among th e seven department types
examined, t h e r e appears t o be a uniform base o f physical a c t i v i t y
requirements which w ill su pport th e development o f sta te w id e minimum
e n t r y level physical standards f o r a l l p o lic e o f f i c e r s .
3.

The r e s u l t s o f t h i s state w ide study should be analyzed

thoroughly and a d e cisio n r u l e developed with rega rd t o the c r i t i c a l i t y level o f each of th e physical s k i l l s performed.

The decisio n

r u l e o r " c u t - o f f " poin t should be u t i l i z e d to develop a physical p e r­
formance examination which w ill e f f e c t i v e l y determine th ose cand id ates
capable o f performing those physical a c t i v i t i e s i d e n t i f i e d as c r i t i c a l
in th e performance of t h e p o l ic e job in Michigan.
Recommendations
1.

Federal g u i d e l i n e requirements in th e are a o f employment

t e s t i n g , as well as common se n se , d i c t a t e t h a t sp e cia l a t t e n t i o n be
paid t o those job a c t i v i t i e s which a re o f a high c r i t i c a l i t y l e v e l .
While t h i s res e a r c h proposal d e a l t only with the types of physical
a c t i v i t i e s performed and frequency d i f f e r e n c e s between department
t y p e s , data regarding t h e c r i t i c a l i t y o f each physical a c t i v i t y was
c o l l e c t e d f o r phase II o f the sta te w id e study.

Those a c t i v i t i e s of a

physical n a tu re which a re c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y deemed to be most c r i t i ­
cal must be c l e a r l y i d e n t i f i e d because of t h e i r important im p lic a tio n s
f o r both employment t e s t i n g as well as t r a i n i n g curriculum development.
2.

Once the data on c r i t i c a l i t y o f a c t i v i t i e s i s c a r e f u l l y

analyzed i t i s recommended t h a t two types o f physical performance

133
t e s t s be developed.

The f i r s t t e s t should be u t i l i z e d t o a s s e s s the

p o lic e can did ates p r i o r to employment.

Such an examination would be

d i r e c t l y jo b r e l a t e d and designed to measure the c a n d i d a t e s ' physical
s k i l l s with regard to the a t h l e t i c s k i l l s i d e n t i f i e d as being
c r i t i c a l to th e performance o f th e p o l ic e jo b.

Those candidates

passing th e f i r s t exam along with meeting the o t h e r requirements of
t he p o lic e s e l e c t i o n process would then r e c e i v e a b asic p o l ic e t r a i n ­
ing program which would include the de fe n siv e s k i l l s i d e n t i f i e d as
c r i t i c a l to the performance o f th e p o l ic e job .

The physical and

defe nsive s k i l l s o f each can didate would then be measured a t the end
o f the t r a i n i n g program.

Again, th e t e s t would have to be d i r e c t l y

r e l a t e d to th e data base supplied in t h i s re s e a r c h .
In summary, the data base regardi ng th e physical requirements
necessary to perform the job o f p o l ic e o f f i c e r in Michigan now e x i s t s .
The e x i s t i n g (very generalize d ) physical standards under the mandatory
p o l ic e t r a i n i n g a c t should be e li m in a te d as soon as p o s s ib l e and be
r eplaced with job r e l a t e d , v a l i d a t e d physical standard s which will
stand any t e s t in the courtroom.

APPENDICES

134

APPENDIX A
MICHIGAN ACT 203, P.A. 1965

135

ACT NO. 203, P.A. 1965
as a m ended by , 4 c / No. 220, P.A. 196s. A c t No. 1ST, P.A. 1970,
A ct No. 31, P.A. 1971, and A c t N o. 422. P.A. 1976
A N A C T to p ro v id e fo r th e c r e a tio n o f a la w e n f o r c e m e n t o ffic e rs tra in in g c o u n c il;
t o p r o v id e f o r a d d itio n a l c o s ts in c r im in a l c a s e s a n d t h e e s t a b l is h m e n t o f th e la w
e n f o r c e m e n t o ff ic e r s tr a in in g f u n d a n d a llo c a tio n s th e r e f r o m to lo c a l a g e n c ie s o f
g o v e r n m e n t p a r tic ip a tin g in a p o lic e tr a in in g p ro g r a m .

The People o f the S tate o f Michigan enact:
S e c . 1 . T h is a c t s h a ll b e k n o w n a n d m a y b e c ite d a s th e “ M ic h ig a n la w e n f o r c e m e n t
o ffic e rs tra in in g c o u n c il a c t o f 1 9 6 5 “ .
S e c . 2 . A s u s e d in th is a c t:
(a )
“ C o u n c il" m e a n s th e la w e n f o r c e m e n t c o u n c il.
(b )
“ E x e c u tiv e s e c r e ta r y ” m e a n s th e e x e c u tiv e s e c r e ta r y o f th e c o u n c il.
(c)
“ P o lic e o f f ic e r ” o r “ la w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f ic e r ” m e a n s a m e m b e r o f a p o lic e
f o r c e o r o t h e r o r g a n i z a ti o n o f a c it y , c o u n t y , t o w n s h i p , v illa g e o r o f t h e s ta te , r e g u la r ly
e m p l o y e d a s s u c h a n d w h o is r e s p o n s ib le f o r t h e p r e v e n tio n a n d d e t e c ti o n o f c r im e a n d
th e e n f o r c e m e n t o f th e g e n e r a l c r im in a l la w s o f th is s ta te , b u t s h a ll n o t in c lu d e a n y
p e r s o n s s e r v in g a s s u c h s o le ly b y v ir tu e o f h is o c c u p y in g a n y o t h e r o f f ic e o r p o s itio n .
S e c . 3 . T h e r e is c r e a t e d t h e la w ' e n f o r c e m e n t c o u n c i l t o c a r r y o u t t h e i n t e n t o f t h i s
a c t a n d to c o n s is t o f 1 1 m e m b e rs s e le c te d a s fo llo w s :
(a )
T h e a tto r n e y g e n e ra l, o r h is d e s ig n a te d r e p r e s e n ta tiv e .
(b )
T h e c o m m is s io n e r o f s ta te p o lic e , o r h is d e s ig n a te d r e p re s e n ta tiv e .
(c )
T h r e e m e m b e r s a p p o in te d t o th e c o u n c il b y th e g o v e r n o r f r o m a lis t o f 6
a c tiv e m e m b e r s s u b m itte d b y th e M ic h ig a n a s s o c ia tio n o f c h ie f s o f p o lic e .
(d )
T h r e e m e m b e r s a p p o in te d t o th e c o u n c il b y th e g o v e r n o r f r o m a lis t o f 6
a c tiv e la w e n f o r c e m e n t o ff ic ia ls s u b m it te d b y t h e M ic h ig a n s h e r if f s a s s o c ia tio n .
(e )
O n e m e m b e r a p p o in te d to th e c o u n c il b y th e g o v e rn o r fro m a lis t o f 3 n a m e s
s u b m itte d b y th e fra te rn a l o rd e r o f th e p o lic e .
(f)
O n e m e m b e r a p p o in te d t o th e c o u n c il b y th e g o v e rn o r fro m a lis t o f 3 n a m e s
s u b m itte d b y th e m e tr o p o lita n c lu b .
(g )
O n e m e m b e r a p p o in te d to th e c o u n c il b y th e g o v e rn o r fro m a lis t o f 3 n a m e s
s u b m itte d b y th e D e tr o it p o lic e o ffic e rs a s s o c ia tio n s .
(h )
A ll a p p o in tm e n ts m a d e b y th e g o v e r n o r s h a ll b e s u b je c t t o th e a d v ic e a n d c o n ­
s e n t o f th e s e n a te .
S e c . 4 . A ll m e m b e rs o f th e c o u n c il s h a ll h o ld o ffic e f o r a te r m o f 3 y e a rs , e x c e p t
t h a t o f t h e m e m b e r s f ir s t a p p o in te d f r o m n o m in e e s s u b m itte d b y th e M ic h ig a n a s s o c i­
a ti o n o f c h ie f s o f p o lic e a n d t h e n o m in e e s s u b m it te d b y t h e M ic h ig a n s h e r if f s a s s o c ia ­
tio n — 1 s h a ll b e a p p o in te d fo r 3 y e a rs , 1 f o r 2 y e a rs , a n d 1 f o r 1 y e a r. A v a c a n c y c a u s e d
b y e x p ir a tio n o f a te r m o r te r m in a tio n o f h is o f f ic ia l p o s itio n in la w e n f o r c e m e n t s h a ll
b e f il le d in t h e s a m e m a n n e r a s t h e o r i g i n a l a p p o i n t m e n t . A m e m b e r a p p o i n t e d t o fill
a v a c a n c y c r e a te d o th e r th a n b y e x p ir a tio n o f a te r m s h a ll b e a p p o in te d f o r th e u n e x ­
p ir e d t e r m o f t h e m e m b e r w h o h e is t o s u c c e e d in t h e s a m e m a n n e r a s t h e o r ig in a l
a p p o in tm e n t. A n y m e m b e r m a y b e r e a p p o in te d f o r a d d itio n a l te rm s .
S e c . 5 . T h e c o u n c il s h a ll d e s ig n a te f r o m a m o n g its m e m b e r s a c h a i r m a n a n d a v ic e
c h a r im a n w h o s h a ll s e rv e f o r 1 -y e a r te r m s a n d w h o m a y b e r e - e le c te d . M e m b e r s h ip o n
th e c o u n c il s h a ll n o t c o n s titu te h o ld in g a p u b lic o f f ic e , a n d m e m b e r s o f t h e c o u n c il
s h a ll n o t b e r e q u ir e d t o ta k e a n d file o a th s o f o f f ic e b e f o r e s e rv in g o n th e c o u n c il. T h e
c o u n c il s h a ll n o t h a v e th e rig h t t o e x e rc is e a n y p o r tio n o f th e s o v e re ig n p o w e r o f th e
s ta te . N o m e m b e r o f th e c o u n c il s h a ll b e d is q u a lifie d fro m h o ld in g a n y p u b lic o ffic e o r
e m p lo y m e n t b y r e a s o n o f h is a p p o i n t m e n t o r m e m b e r s h ip o n th e c o u n c il, n o r s h a ll h e
f o r f e it a n y s u c h o f f ic e o r e m p lo y m e n t, b y r e a s o n o f h is a p p o in tm e n t h e r e u n d e r , n o t ­
w ith s ta n d in g th e p ro v is io n s o f a n y g e n e ra l, s p e c ia l o r lo c a l la w , o r d in a n c e o r c ity c h a r te r .

136

137

S e c . 6 . T h e c o u n c il s h a ll m e e t a t le a s t 4 tim e s in e a c h y e a r a t L a n s in g a n d s h a ll h o ld
s p e c ia l m e e tin g s w h e n c a lle d b y t h e c h a ir m a n o r , in th e a b s e n c e o f th e c h a ir m a n , b y
th e v ic e c h a ir m a n o r w h e n c a lle d b y t h e c h a ir m a n u p o n t h e w r i tt e n r e q u e s t o f 5 m e m ­
b e rs o f th e c o u n c il. T h e c o u n c il s h a ll e s ta b lis h its o w n p ro c e d u r e s a n d r e q u ir e m e n t'
w ith r e s p e c t t o q u o r u m , p la c e a n d c o n d u c t o f its m e e tin g a n d o th e r m a tte r s
S e c . 7. T h e c o u n c il s h a ll m a k e a n a n n u a l r e p o r t t o t h e g o v e r n o r w h ic h w ill in c lu d e
p e r tin e n t d a ta re g a rd in g th e s ta n d a r d s e s ta b lis h e d a n d th e d e g re e o r p a r tic ip a tio n o f
m u n i c i p a l it ie s in t h e t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s .
S e c . 8 . T h e m e m b e r s o f th e c o u n c il s h a ll s e rv e w i t h o u t c o m p e n s a ti o n b u t s h a ll b e
e n title d to th e ir a c tu a l e x p e n s e s in a tte n d in g m e e tin g s a n d in th e p e r f o r m a n c e o f th e ir
d u tie s h e re u n d e r.
S e c , 9 . ( 1 ) T h e c o u n c il s h a ll p r e p a r e a n d p u b lis h m in im u m e m p lo y m e n t s ta n d a r a s
w ith d u e c o n s id e r a tio n t o v a r y in g f a c to r s a n d s p e c ia l r e q u ir e m e n ts o f lo c a l p o lic e
a g e n c ie s r e la tiv e to :
(a)
M in im u m s ta n d a r d s o f p h y s ic a l, e d u c a tio n a l, m e n ta l, a n d m o ra l fitn e s s w h ic h
s h a ll g o v e rn th e r e c r u itm e n t, s e le c tio n , a n d a p p o in tm e n t o f p o lic e o ff ic e r s .
(b )
T h e a p p r o v a l o f p o lic e tr a in in g s c h o o ls a d m in is te r e d b y a c ity , c o u n ty , to w n ­
s h ip , v illa g e , o r c o r p o r a t io n .
(c)
M in im u m c o u r s e s o f s tu d y , a tte n d a n c e r e q u ir e m e n ts o f a t le a s t 2 4 0 in s tr u c ­
tio n a l h o u rs , e q u ip m e n t, a n d f a c ilitie s r e q u ir e d a t a p p r o v e d c ity , c o u n ty , to w n s h ip ,
v illa g e , o r c o r p o r a t io n p o l ic e t r a in in g s c h o o ls .
(d )
T h e r e q u i r e m e n t s in s u b d i v i s i o n ( c ) s h a ll b e w a i v e d i f a n y o f t h e f o l l o w i n g
o cc u r:
(i)
T h e p e rs o n h a s p re v io u s ly c o m p le te d th e m a n d a to r y tra in in g re q u ir e m e n ts
a n d le s s th a n 1 y e a r o f p o lic e s e r v ic e , h a s v o l u n ta r il y o r i n v o l u n ta r il y d is c o n t in u e d h is
w o r k a s a la w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f i c e r , a n d is a g a in e m p l o y e d w i t h i n 1 y e a r a f t e r d i s c o n ­
tin u in g w o rk as a p o lic e o ffic e r.
(ii)
T h e p e r s o n h a s s e rv e d m o re th a n 1 y e a r a n d le s s th a n 5 y e a r s , h a s c o m p le te d
t h e m a n d a t o r y t r a i n i n g r e q u i r e m e n t s , a n d t a k e s e m p l o y m e n t w i t h a n o t h e r p o lic c a g e n c y w ith in 1 8 m o n th s o f d is c o n tin u e d s e rv ic e .
(iii) T h e p e rs o n h a s s e rv e d 5 y e a rs o r m o re a n d ta k e s e m p lo y m e n t w ith a n o th e r
p o lic e a g e n c y w ith in 2 y e a r s o f d is c o n tin u e d s e rv ic e .
(iv )
T h e p e r s o n i s a m e m b e r o f a s h e r i f f ’s p o s s e o r p o l i c e a u x i l i a r y t e m p o r a r i l y
e n g a g e d in th e p e r f o r m a n c e o f h is d u tie s a n d w h ile u n d e r th e d ir e c tio n o f th e s h e r if f o r
p o lic e d e p a r tm e n t.
(e )
M in im u m q u a lif ic a tio n s f o r in s tr u c to r s a t a p p r o v e d p o lic e tr a in in g s c h o o ls .
(f)
M in im u m b a s ic tr a in in g r e q u ir e m e n ts w h ic h r e g u la r ly e m p lo y e d p o lic e o f f i­
c e rs e x c lu d in g s h e r if f s s h a ll c o m p le te b e f o r e b e in g e lig ib le f o r e m p lo y m e n t.
(g )
C a te g o rie s o r c la s s if ic a tio n s o f a d v a n c e d in -s e rv ic e tr a in in g p r o g r a m s a n d
m in im u m c o u rs e s o f s tu d y a n d a tte n d a n c e r e q u ir e m e n ts f o r th e s e c a te g o rie s o r
c la s s ific a tio n s .
(h )
T h e e s ta b lis h m e n t o f s u b o r d in a te r e g io n a l tr a in in g c e n te r s in s tr a te g ic g e o ­
g ra p h ic lo c a tio n s in o r d e r t o s e r v e t h e g r e a te s t n u m b e r o f p o lic e a g e n c ie s t h a t a r e
u n a b le to s u p p o rt th e ir o w n tra in in g p ro g ra m s .
(i)
A c c e p t a n c e o f c e r t i f i e d b a s i c p o l i c e t r a i n i n g a n d e x p e r i e n c e r e c e i v e d in s t a t e s
o t h e r t h a n M ic h ig a n in f u l f il lm e n t in w h o le o r in p a r t o f t h e m in im u m e m p lo y m e n t
s ta n d a r d s p re p a re d a n d p u b lis h e d b y th e c o u n c il.
(2 )
N o tw ith s ta n d in g a n y o th e r p ro v is io n o f th is s ta tu te , a re g u la rly e m p lo y e d
p e r s o n e m p lo y e d o n o r a f te r J a n u a r y 1 , 1 9 7 7 , a s a m e m b e r o f a p o lic e f o r c e h a v in g a
f u ll- tim e o f f ic e r s h a ll n o t b e e m p o w e r e d t o e x e r c is e a ll th e a u t h o r i t y o f a p e a c e o f f i c e r
in t h i s s t a t e , n o r e m p l o y e d in a p o s i t i o n w h i c h is g r a n t e d t h e a u t h o r i t y o f a p e a c e
o ffic e r b y s ta tu te , u n le s s th e p e rs o n h a s c o m p lie d w ith th e m in im u m e m p lo y m e n t
s ta n d a r d s p re p a re d a n d p u b lis h e d b y th e c o u n c il p u r s u a n t t o th is s e c tio n . L a w e n f o r c e ­
m e n t o ffic e rs e m p lo y e d b e fo re J a n u a ry 1 , 1 9 7 7 , m a y c o n tin u e th e ir e m p lo y m e n t a n d

138

p a r t ic i p a t e in t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s o n a v o l u n ta r y o r a s s ig n e d b a s is b u t f a ilu r e t o m e e t
s t a n d a r d s s h a l l n o t b e g r o u n d s f o r d i s m i s s a l o f o r t e r m i n a t i o n o ' e m p l o y m e n t . A la w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f i c e r e m p l o y e d b e f o r e J a n u a r y 1 . 1 9 7 7 , w ! ic f a ils t o m e e t t h e
m i n i m u m e m p l o y m e n t s ta n d a r d s e s ta b lis h e d p u r s u a n t t o th is s e c tio n a n d w -h e v o lu n ­
ta r ily o r in v o lu n ta r ily d is c o m m o n * h is w o r k a s a le w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f ic e r m a y h t
e m p l o y e d w i t h a l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c y i f t h a t o f f i c e r m e e t s th > - r e q u i r e m e n t s o f
s u b s e c ti o n ; 1 ) < d ) ( iii).
S e c . 1 0 . T h e c o u n c il m a y e n te r in to a g r e e m e n ts w ith o th e r a g e n c ie s , c o lle g e s a n d
u n iv e rs itie s to c a rry o u t th e in te n t o f th is a c t
S e c . 1 1 . T h e c o u n c il m a y :
(a)
V is it a n d in s p e c t a p o lic e tra in in g s c h o o l, o r e x a m in e th e c u r r ic u lu m o r
tra in in g p ro c e d u r e s , fo r w h ic h a p p lic a tio n f o r a p p ro v a l h a s b e e n m a d e .
(b >
Is s u e c e r tif ic a te s to p o lic e tra in in g s c h o o ls q u a lify in g u n d e r th e ru le s o t th e
c o u n c il.
ic )
A u th o riz e th e is s u a n c e o f c e rtific a te s o f g ra d u a tio n o r d ip lo m a s b y a p p ro v e d
p o lic e tr a in in g s c h o o ls t o p o lic e o ff ic e r , w h o h a v e s a tis f a c to r ily c o m p le te d mhhmum
c o u rse s o f s tu d y .
(d )
C o o p e r a t e w i t h s t a t e , f e d e r a l , a n d l o c a l p o l ic e a g e n c i e s in e s t a b l i s h i n g a n d
c o n d u c tin g lo c a l o r a re a s c h o o ls , o r re g io n a l tra in in g c e n te r s fo r in s tr u c tio n a n d tr a in ­
in g o f p o l ic e o f f i c e r s o f th is s t a t e , its c itie s , c o u n t ie s , t o w n s h i p s , a n d v illa g e s .
(e )
M a k e r e c o m m e n d a tio n s to th e le g is la tu re o n m a tte r s p e r ta in in g to q u a lif ic a ­
tio n a n d tr a in in g o f p o lic e o ff ic e r s .
(f)
E s ta b lis h p re s e rv ic e b a s ic tr a in in g p ro g r a m s a t c o lle g e s a n d u n iv e r s itie s w h ic h
q u a lify u n d e r th e ru le s o f th e c o u n c il.
(g )
R e q u ir e a s ta te e x a m in a tio n f o r p o lic e o ff ic e r c e r tif ic a tio n .
S e c . 1 2 . T h e r e s h a ll b e a n e x e c u tiv e s e c r e ta r y o f th e c o u n c il w h o s h a ll b e a p p o in te d
b y th e c o u n c il, a n d w h o s h a ll h o ld o ff ic e d u r in g th e p le a s u r e o f th e c o u n c il. H e s n a il
p e r f o r m s u c h f u n c tio n s a n d d u tie s a s m a y b e a s s ig n e d t o h im b y th e c o u n c il. H e s h a ll
re c e iv e c o m p e n s a tio n a n d r e im b u r s e m e n t f o r e x p e n s e s w ith in th e a m o u n ts a v a ila b le
th e r e f o r b y a p p ro p ria tio n .
S e c . 1 3 . T h e r e is c r e a te d in t h e s t a t e t r e a s u r y a la w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f i c e r s t r a i n i n g
f u n d , f r o m w h ic h , th e le g is la tu re s h a ll a p p r o p r ia te s u m s d e e m e d n e c e s s a r y f o r th e
p u rp o s e s o f th is a c t.
S e c . 1 4 . T h e a m o u n ts a n n u a lly a p p r o p r ia te d b y th e le g is la tu re s h a ll b e p a id b y th e
s t a t e t r e a s u r e r in a c c o r d a n c e w ith th e a c c o u n tin g la w s o f t h e s t a t e u p o n c e r tif ic a tio n
o f th e e x e c u tiv e s e c re ta ry o f th e c o u n c il fo r th e p u rp o s e o f re im b u rs in g a n a m o u n t n o t
to e x c e e d th e tra in in g c o s ts in c u rre d f o r e a c h o ff ic e r m e e tin g th e r e c r u itm e n t s ta n d a r d s
p re s c r ib e d p u r s u a n t t o th is a c t d u r in g th e p e r io d c o v e re d b y th e a llo c a tio n , p lu s a n
a m o u n t n o t t o e x c e e d t h e n e c e s s a r y liv in g e x p e n s e s in c u r r e d b y t h e o f f i c e r w h ic h a re
n e c e s s ita te d b y tra in in g r e q u ir in g t h a t h e b e a w a y f r o m h is re s id e n c e o v e r n ig h t. I f th e
m o n e y s i n t h e l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f i c e r s t r a i n i n g f u n d t o b e a p p r o p r i a t e d b y t h e le g is­
l a t u r e f o r t h e t r a i n i n g a n d liv in g e x p e n s e s a r e in s u f f ic ie n t t o a llo c a te t h e a m o u n t f o r
tr a in in g a n d liv in g p u r p o s e s , t h e a m o u n t s h a ll b e r e d u c e d p r o p o r tio n a te ly . A n a llo c a ­
tio n s h a ll n o t b e m a d e t o a tr a in in g a g e n c y o r t o a c it y , c o u n ty - , t o w n s h i p , o r v illa g e o r
a g e n c y o f th e s ta te w h ic h h a s n o t, th r o u g h o u t th e p e rio d c o v e re d b y th e a llo c a tio n ,
a d h e re d to th e s ta n d a r d s e s ta b lis h e d b y th e c o u n c il as a p p lic a b le to e ith e r tra in in g o r
p e rs o n n e l o r b o th re c ru ite d o r tra in e d b y th e tra in in g a g e n c y , c ity , c o u n ty , to w n s h ip ,
o r v illa g e o r a g e n c y o f th e s ta te d u r in g th is p e r io d .
S e c . 1 5 . A t r a i n i n g a g e n c y , c i t y , c o u n t y , t o w n s h i p , o r v illa g e o r s t a t e a g e n c y w h ic h
d e s ire s to re c e iv e r e im b u r s e m e n t p u r s u a n t to th is a c t s h a ll m a k e a p p lic a tio n t o th e
c o u n c il f o r th e r e im b u r s e m e n t. T h e a p p lic a tio n s h a ll c o n ta in in f o r m a tio n r e q u e s te d b y
th e c o u n c il.
T h is a c t is o r d e r e d t o t a k e i m m e d ia t e e f f e c t.

139
MICHIGAN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TRAINING COUNCIL
MINIMUM BASIC POLICE TRAINING CURRICULUM
296 HOURS

I.

ADMINISTRATION SECTION,

Hours

Program O r i e n t a t i o n
Classroom Notetaking
Examinations
Examination Review
C o o r d in a to r 's Time ( gradu a tion , cou n selin g, review, e t c . )
MLEOTC Time
Total
II.

15

LEGAL SECTION
I n tr o d u c tio n t o C o n s t i t u t i o n a l Law
Law o f A r r e s t
Detention and Custody
Admissions and Confessions
Search and Seizure
Court Functions
Law o f Evidence
Criminal Law
J u v e n i le Law

1
4
2
3
8
10
10
14
2
Total

III.

1
1
6
3
2
2

54

INVESTIGATIVE SECTION
Criminal I n v e s t i g a t i o n
Vice I n v e s t i g a t i o n
Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
Crime Scene Search
* C o lle ctio n and P re se rv atio n o f Evidence
Interview and I n t e r r o g a t i o n
* F i n g e r p r in t i n g and Palm P r i n t i n g
Latent P r i n t s
Mock Crime Scene
Stolen Motor Vehicles

10
2
4
6
6
3
4
4
6
2

Total

47

140
IV. GENERAL POLICE SECTION

Hours

History and Philosophy o f Law Enforcement
The Ju v e n ile Offender
Firearms Trainin g
Police F i r s t Aid
F ie ld Notetaking and Report Writing
Blockade and Roadblock, Procedure
* Police Communications
Patrol Techniques
Civil Disorders
Mechanics o f A r r e s t and Detention
Domestic Complaints
S t a te Liquor Law Enforcement
Emergency Preparedness - D i s a s t e r Control
Stopping Vehicles and Occupant Control
Physical T ra inin g and Defensive T a c t i c s

2
4
28
14
4
1
4
10
9
4
3
3
3
6
28
Total

V.

TRAFFIC SUBJECTS
Motor Vehicle Law
Driver Licensing
D.U.I.L. Enforcement
Motor Vehicle Accident I n v e s t i g a t i o n
T r a f f i c D irectio n and Control
Techniques and Methods of T r a f f i c Law Enforcement
Total

VI.

36

8
4
2
2
Total

16

EXTERNAL RELATIONS
J u r i s d i c t i o n o f Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
Michigan C o r r e c t io n s , Parole and Probation System

VIII.

10
2
2
18
2
__ 2_

SPECIAL SUBJECTS SECTION
Human Rela tions
Po lice Courtesy and Ethics
Handling Abnormal Persons
S t a te and Regional Social Services

VII.

123

OPTIONAL SUBJECTS

2
3

Total

5

Total

24

141
RECOMMENDED COURSES IN ADDITION TO THE MINIMUM 296 HOURS:
P r e c i s i o n - P u r s u i t Driving
Alcohol Education-Understanding the Problems o f Alcohol
and Alcoholism
Vocabulary and Spelling
P r a c t i c a l Exercises in Patrol S i t u a t i o n s
Public Speaking
PROPOSED COURSES TO BE GIVEN TO EACH RECRUIT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN
ADDITION TO REGIONAL RECRUIT TRAINING:
Department Rules, Regulations, and P o l i c i e s
Department Forms and Reports
Local Court and Prosecutor Procedure
Local Government
Departmental Emergency Plan
Local Ordinances
Local Blockade and Roadblock Plans
Conservation Law
Boat and Water Safety
NOTE:

ADDITIONAL COURSE MATERIAL SHOULD BE GIVEN TO
MEET THE TRAINING NEEDS THAT MAY BE UNIQUE
WITHIN EACH DEPARTMENT. THESE COURSE NEEDS
CAN BEST BE DETERMINED BY THE LOCAL
ADMINISTRATOR.

APPENDIX B
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

142

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SURVEY WORKSHOPS
Tuesday, October 3, 1978
Captain Gerald Higgins
I n sp e cto r Jack F a i r f i e l d
Sgt. Joseph D. Smith
Captain Bruce Lucey
Deputy Dave Harken
Cpl. Andrew Henderson
Inspector Paul A. Schnarr
Lt. Burton Kleeves
Sgt. Robert Aguirre
Ms. Karen McCracken
Training Coordinator Michael Ramsey
S h e r i f f David 0. Wood
Sgt. Joseph K. Pavlick
As st. J a i l Admin. Tony Shannon
Ptlm. Stanley Dziuba
D/Sgt. Ronald Tuscany
Captain Allan A. Nalepa
Lt. Calvin W. Wylie
Ptlm. Kent Maurer
U n de rshe riff Wilbur Bond
Sgt. John Wilson
Sgt. Kenneth Giles
D/Sgt. John Bodenschatz
Sgt. Donavon Stockbridge
Lt. James Doty
Captain James McDonagh

Saginaw PD
R ose ville PD
Ingham Co. SD
Lenawee Co. SD
Muskegon Co. SD
Marquette PD
Westland PD
Grand Rapids PD
F l i n t PD
F l i n t PD
Pontiac PD
Barry Co. SD
Dearborn PD
Wayne Co. SD
D e t r o i t PD
Macomb Co. SD
S t e r l i n g Heights PD
Midland PD
Jackson PD
Lapeer Co. SD
Allegan Co. SD
Allegan Co. SD
Ann Arbor PD
Livonia PD
Calhoun Co. SD
Calhoun Co. SD

Tuesday, October 24, 1978
Sgt. G. Paul Cross
Sgt. Eugene Bombich
Chief Willard Irwin
Lt. Stan Dinius
Asst. Chief Clyde Weaver
U n de rsh e riff Roger Good
O f f i c e r William Shafer
O f f i c e r Milton S t r i n g e r
Sgt. David Emerson
Chief William L. Hartley
Sgt. S c o tt F i t z g e r a l d
Asst. Chief Lee. E. Edward
Sgt. Gary Sauer

Royal Oak PD
Kalamazoo Township
C a d illac PD
Central Michigan U nivers ity
Buchanan PD
Delta C o ., SD
Fenton PD
Clay Township
Adrian PD
Ludington PD
Sau lt St e. Marie PD
S a u lt Ste. Marie PD
MSP - N o r t h v i ll e
143

144
Tuesday, October 24, 1978 (continued)
Sgt. Elmer Haustein
Sgt. William P e r t n e r
Sgt. Charles Keebler
Sgt. Robert Ring
Sgt. John F i e d le r
Sgt. James Witz
Sgt. David Aho
Sgt. Robert Vezzetti
D/Sgt. Ernest Berry
Ptlm. Gary E. Kusz
Sgt. Frank E. Stevens
O f f i c e r C hristo p her Jens
L t/A s st. Chief W. Robert Huff
John L o n g streth , Admin. Analyst
Chief Barton E. Howe
Sgt. Wayne Thomas
Lt. Lyle Reddy
Jack Jankovic

MSP - West Branch
MSP - B a t t l e Creek
MSP - South Haven
MSP - Rockford
MSP - Gaylord
MSP - Negaunee
MSP - Wakefield
MSP - S a u l t Ste . Marie
Woodhaven PD
Ironwood PD
I s a b e l l a Co. SD
Wayne S t a t e U n iv e rs ity
Buena Vista Township
MSP - East Lansing - HQ.
C h a r lo t t e PD
Gaylord PD
C a d illac PD
Owosso - Dept. Public Savety

Thursday, October 26, 1978
Captain Earl L. McGaw
Donald Kelley, Parks D irec tor
Lt. A. Randall
D etective R. Mehl
Sgt. Ronald M. Yura
O f f i c e r Terry L. Nelson
Sgt. Robert S. Tobol ski
Robert F. S e lig
Captain D. F. M i l le r
Lt. L. M. Corbin
Roger L. Wood, Law. Enf. Exec.
O f f i c e r Hassan Makled
Captain Richard P o tts
A lb e rt A. S h e a ff e r , Sr. Park Ranger
Sgt. Phil Davis
Ptlm. David Bush
Ptlm. Elroy Green
Chief Robert Skelle nger

Tri-County A i r p o r t S e c u rity
Kalamazoo County Parks & Rec.
Grand Trunk Railroad
Grand Trunk Railroad
ConRail Railroad
Muskegon County A i r p o r t
D e t r o i t Terminal Railroad
Kalamazoo Municipal A irpo rt
Norfolk & Western Railroad
Norfolk & Western Railroad
Department of Natural Resources
D e t r o i t Metro A irp o rt
D e t r o i t Toledo & Ironton RR.
Genesee County Parks & Rec.
Capital Regional A irp o rt
Chessie System
Lansing Parks & Recreation
Huron/Clinton Metro Authority

APPENDIX C
NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF FOUR ROLE PLAYING SCENES
USED IN FIELD TEST II OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT

145

SCENE 1
Group P a r t i c i p a n t s :

B i ll Martin
Greg Lovell
Kevin Swierczynski
J e r r y Earhart

D escrip tion of A c t i v i t y :
Encounter with a Drunk
The scene takes place a t a bar. The p o l i c e a re requested by
t h e ba rte n der to come t o hi s a s s i s t a n c e . Two p o lic e o f f i c e r s a r r i v e
a t the scene and they observe a drunk throwing c h a i r s and breaking
b o t t l e s . The o f f i c e r s issu e a verbal warning to sto p and the drunk
throws a b o t t l e a t the o f f i c e r s . A fter throwing th e b o t t l e , th e
drunk attem pts to f l e e through the back door. Both o f f i c e r s go a f t e r
him and O f f i c e r No. 1 reaches him f i r s t and encounters r e s i s t a n c e .
They w r e s t l e t o the f l o o r and O f f i c e r No. 2 a s s i s t s in subduing the
drunk. O f f i c e r No. 2 pins the s u b j e c t to the f l o o r and O f f i c e r No. 1
places handcuffs on and both o f f i c e r s c a r r y him, s t i l l r e s i s t i n g , to
th e p a tr o l v e h ic le .
L o ca tio n :

200 s e a t c l a s s auditorium, F e r r i s S t a t e College, Education
Building 003. Time - approximately 8:30 p.m.
SCENE 2

Group P a r t i c i p a n t s :

Matt V a lle t
Denise L este r
Bruce Rix
Karen Jo ngekrijg

Desc rip tion o f A c t i v i t y :
Subject comes home from a bar i n to x i c a t e d a f t e r spending h is
e n t i r e paycheck. His wife argues with him and a f i g h t ensues. Police
come to the door, e n t e r , calm the s i t u a t i o n momentarily. Each o f f i c e r
takes one o f them t o a corner and proceeds to t a l k to them. S u b j e c t ' s
wife s t i l l i s in a highly emotional s t a t e and the husband p h y s i c a l ly
a s s a u l t s her in the presence of the o f f i c e r s . I t ta k e s both p o lic e
o f f i c e r s t o r e s t r a i n him. The wife then o b ta in s a gun and shoots
husband in the c h e s t . The p o lic e subdue th e wife and both p a r t i e s
a re a r r e s t e d , handcuffed and removed from the home.
L o ca tio n :

200 s e a t c l a s s auditorium a t F e r r i s S t a t e College,
Education Building 003. Time - approximately 8:45 p.m.

146

147
SCENE 3
Group P a r t i c i p a n t s :

Doug
B i ll
Dale
Gary

Lubdhn
Bigge
Graczyk
M i l la r

Desc rip tion o f A c t i v i t y :
Two man p a tr o l v e h ic le makes a stop of a rep orted s t o l e n
v e h ic le c o n ta in in g two occupants. As th e suspect v e h ic le comes to a
stop with the p o l ic e v e h ic le d i r e c t l y behind, the passenger side
occupant o f th e suspect v e h ic le st e p s out o f the c ar and f i r e s one
round a t th e o f f i c e r s . Both o f f i c e r s r e t u r n f i r e and the suspect
drops his weapon. At t h i s time the d r i v e r opens h is door and f l e e s
on f o o t . O f f i c e r #1 o rd ers him to h a l t without su ccess, then pursues
the s u b j e c t on f o o t . O f f i c e r #2 then a r r e s t s the passenger side
suspect and places him in the r e a r o f th e p a tr o l v e h ic le . O f f ic e r #2
then j o i n s #1 in p u r s u i t o f suspect.
Suspect #1 ( d r i v e r ) runs forward a t o t a l o f about 50 f e e t then
t u r n s r i g h t and runs toward corn er o f Ed. Bldg. Suspect lo ses fo otin g
and f a l l s in grass a t the co rn e r o f Ed. Bldg. O f f i c e r #1 attempts to
subdue susp ect and a 3 minute physical encounter ensues. O f f i c e r #1
f i n a l l y p o s i t i o n s su sp ect fac e down on g r as s but cannot handcuff.
O f f i c e r #2 a r r i v e s and 1 and 2 handcuff su sp ect. Suspect complains
of i n j u r y t o ankle so o f f i c e r s c a r r y su sp ect back to p a tr o l v e h ic le .
O f f i c e r #1 i s i n ju r e d during th e s c u f f l e .
L o ca tion :

Rear parking l o t , Education Build ing, F e r r i s S t a t e College.
Time - approximately 9:00 p.m.
SCENE 4

Group P a r t i c i p a n t s :

Denise Leste r
Karen Jon gekrijg
J e r r y Earha rt
Matt V a l le t

D e scrip tion of A c t i v i t y :
Subject d r i v in g a v e h ic le i s stopped f o r suspic ion of D.U.I.L.
O f f i c e r taxe s d r i v e r behind c a r and ad m inisters simple s o b r i e t y t e s t .
Driver f a i l s and i s placed under a r r e s t . The d r i v e r s t a r t s pushing
o f f i c e r , p u l l s away and then begins to p h y s i c a l ly r e s i s t o f f i c e r .
O f f i c e r then subdues s u b j e c t and places her in handcuffs. At the
time o f f i c e r a dv is es t h e d r i v e r she i s under a r r e s t , the passenger
comes to her a id and i s subdued by the back-up o f f i c e r .
L o ca tio n :

Rear parking l o t , Education Build ing, F e r r i s S t a t e College.
Time - approximately 9:30 p.m.

APPENDIX D
LAW ENFORCEMENT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
QUESTIONNAIRE AND INSTRUCTIONS

148

PLEASE NOTE:
Copyrighted m a t e r i a l s in t h i s document
have n o t been filmed a t the r e q u e s t of
t he a u th o r . They a r e a v a i l a b l e f o r
c o n s u l t a t i o n , however, in th e a u t h o r ' s
university lib rary .
These c o n s i s t o f pages:
H 9-156

University

Mkrdnlms

International
3 0 0 N. ZEEB RD.. ANN A R B O R . Ml 4 8 1 0 6 (3131 761 -4700

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