Identifying Basic Police Cognitive Characteristics
What are we looking to evaluate?
Do you possess any of these characteristics?
Do you know how to develop and demonstrate these characteristics?
Perceptions
This involves the ability to identify key elements of a situation, the importance of these elements of a situation, the importance of these elements and their relationship to one another.
Judgment
This dimension involves the developing of alternative courses of action and making sound and logical decisions based upon assumptions that reflect factual information and evidence.
Decisiveness
This dimension involves the willingness/readiness to make decisions, take action, or commit one’s self to a course of action and it involves the willingness to accept responsibility for the decisions. If one appears willing to make a decision or if a decision is made, this is decisive regardless of the quality of the decision. Any reference to the quality of a decision is considered under the judgment dimension.
Oral Communication
Clear, unambiguous, composed and effective expression of one’s self through oral means. This includes skills in listening to others in order to gain accurate understanding of what they are intending to communicate. The use and interpretation of nonverbal communications, such as hand, facial and body gestures, as well as eye contact are part of this dimension.
Written Communication
This involves the clear, organized, logical and effective expression of one’s self in written format. The proper use of spelling, grammar, and punctuation are included, but the improper use of one or more of these items are detrimental only to the extent that the errors are frequent or change the meaning of the written document.
Identifying Police Leadership Characteristics and Management Skills
What are we looking to evaluate?
Do you possess any of these characteristics?
Do you know how to develop and demonstrate these characteristics?
Planning & Organization
Organizing is the extent to which work is effectively arranged and prioritized for the most efficient accomplishment of tasks. Organizing has a present orientation, whereas planning has a future orientation. Planning is the extent to which a person can efficiently establish an appropriate course and sequence of action for self and/or other to accomplish a specific goal.
Leadership
This involves getting ideas accepted and the direction, guidance, and control of activities of others towards the accomplishment of tasks. This requires relating the needs of the department and the individual and monitoring the performance of the individual in order to provide assistance, to extend recognition, to discipline and/or provide counseling. This involves appropriate representation of views of employees and more senior managers to each other. Accomplishing this without generating resentment on anyone’s part is an important aspect of this skill. The candidate must be able to get ideas accepted and influence others without alienating them. These results are achieved through delegation, control and follow-up procedures.
Critical Thinking
The ability to make analysis, conceptualize and reason effectively. It requires significant critical, independent thought, particularly in the legal sector involving the application of abstract concepts. Although critical thinking primarily deals with cognitive ability, there is often a learned, developable aspect to critical thinking. Psychological research has found critical thinking to be highly valid predictors of future performance in work and education.
Self-Sufficiency
The ability to work autonomously without the need of guidance or relying on others to complete a task. Although some direction may be needed, self-sufficiency denotes a confident and capable attitude when undertaking a task, whether it requires team work or individual attention.
