Prediction of Police Officer Performance Among New Mexico State Police as Assessed by the Personality Assessment Inventory

Little research has been conducted regarding the use of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in law enforcement screening and selection. The limited body of research that does exist appears to support its utility in the selection process. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Psychological Rating Risk Factor Statement (PRRFS) developed by Roberts, Thompson, and Johnson (2004) in predicting and discriminating problem from non-problem New Mexico State Police (NMSP) applicants. PAI profiles for each officer were obtained and transferred into the PAI Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Public Safety Selection software program, which generated probability estimates (PRRFS) to predict the likelihood that participants were not well-suited for a career in law enforcement. Subsequent logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) statistical analyses revealed that the PRRFS was ineffective in predicting and discriminating between problem and non-problem officers. Potential explanations for this finding are discussed.     

Adolescent Refusal of MMR Inoculation: F (Mother) v F (Father)

F (Mother) v F (Father) concerned a dispute between parents as to whether or not their 15 and 11 year old children should receive the MMR inoculation. Mrs Justice Theis took into consideration the wishes of both parents and the two ‘intelligent, articulate and thoughtful’ minors and held that inoculation was in their best interests. The troubled history of the MMR vaccine and its importance to public health provided the backdrop. Whilst the court's efforts to establish the views of the minors are to be commended, the decision is problematic in its assessment of the minors' individual medical interests and capacities, and in the significance placed on their views when determining whether inoculation would be in their best interests.