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Minimum Selection Standards
To be selected as a reserve officer in California is an
accomplishment to be proud of. California peace officers
undergo an extensive selection process before they are hired by
law enforcement agencies. POST's role in this selection process
includes responsibility for instituting the minimum selection
standards governing the employment of peace officers in California,
and responsibility for conducting the research that results in the
development of the tests and procedures used by local law enforcement
agencies to adhere to these minimum selection standards. Reserve
Officers must pass all of the tests required to become a regular
peace officer except the written test. Each reserve officer in
California must minimally pass the following POST selection standards:
Interview
POST requires that reserve officers be personally interviewed prior to
employment by the department head or a representative(s) to determine the
person's suitability for law enforcement service. The interview must
address, but is not limited to, the person's ability to communicate.
Background Investigation
The histories of reserve officer applicants must be thoroughly
investigated to make sure that nothing in their backgrounds
is inconsistent with performing peace officer duties. During
this phase of the selection process, verification is also
made that the applicant conforms with requirements of POST
Regulation 1007 (doc) and the California Government Code which,
in part, specifies that as a minimum every peace officer shall:
(1) be a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident
alien who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship;
(2) be at least 18 years of age; (3) be fingerprinted for
purposes of search of local, state, and national fingerprint
files to disclose any criminal record; (4) be of good moral
character, as determined by a thorough background investigation;
(5) be a high school graduate, pass the General Education
Development test or have attained a two-year or four-year
degree from an accredited institution; and (6) be free of
any felony convictions. To assist agencies with this process,
POST has developed a revised Background Investigation Manual which focuses
on appropriate areas of investigation to determine peace officer
suitability.
Psychological Suitability
Pursuant to the California Government Code, all California
peace officers must be found to be free from any ". . . emotional,
or mental condition which might adversely affect the exercise
of the powers of a peace officer" as determined by a licensed
physician and surgeon, or a licensed psychologist who has
a doctoral degree in psychology and at least five years of
postgraduate experience in the diagnosis and treatment of
emotional and mental disorders. Under POST Administrative
Manual Section C-2 (doc), reserve officers must pass the same Psychological
Suitability Examination as is required of regular Peace Officers, be found to be free from job-relevant
psychopathology, including personality disorders, and that
a minimum of two objectively scored psychological tests must
be used to assess psychological suitability, one normed in
such a manner as to identify patterns of abnormal behavior
and the other geared toward assessing dimensions of normal
behavior. A clinical interview is also required if the test
results are inconclusive or suggest that the candidate should
be disqualified. To assist in the required evaluations, POST
has developed a Psychological
Screening Manual (1984; POST Publication #50).
Medical Suitability
Peace officers must also be free from any physical condition
which might adversely affect the exercise of peace officer
powers. The California Government Code requires that physical
condition shall be evaluated by a licensed physician and surgeon.
To assist physicians in their examinations of peace officer
applicants, POST has developed a Medical
Screening Manual which includes recommended examination
and evaluation protocols for the individualized assessment
of each candidate, and provides detailed information on commonly
detected medical conditions.
Other Selection Requirements
In addition to POST-required minimum selection standards,
reserve officer applicants may be required to undergo additional
testing required by the individual law enforcement agencies.
Additional testing may include the Peace Officer Entry-level
Test Battery (i.e., the written test), physical abilities
(or agility) testing, drug screening, a polygraph examination
or voice stress analysis.
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