What Background Investigators Should Know About the Psychological Screening

Where the psych fits in the process

Most background investigators know the psychological evaluation comes near the end of the process. The reason matters. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an evaluation that is medical in nature generally cannot happen until after the agency has made a conditional offer of employment. That is why the psych usually sits alongside the medical exam, after the background investigation is largely complete.

In California, Government Code section 1031(f) requires that peace officers be free from emotional or mental conditions, including bias, that might adversely affect the exercise of their powers. POST Commission Regulation 1955 sets out how that psychological screening is done and who is qualified to do it. Texas agencies work under TCOLE requirements, which also call for a psychological evaluation before licensing.

What a solid evaluation includes

Every evaluator has a style, but a defensible pre-employment evaluation has the same core pieces.

• Validated psychological testing designed and normed for public safety screening.
• A personal history questionnaire that gives the evaluator a full picture of the candidate's background.
• Review of background information from the agency, so the interview can follow up on what matters.
• A structured clinical interview focused on job-related factors, conducted by a qualified evaluator.
• A written report with a clear suitability finding the agency can act on.

The best evaluations connect every conclusion back to the demands of the job. If a finding is not tied to how the person will function as an officer or dispatcher, it does not belong in the report.

Why the background packet matters

The background investigation and the psychological evaluation look at the same person from different angles. When the evaluator can see what your investigation found, the interview can focus on the issues that matter most for that candidate.

Without that information, the evaluator is working from the candidate's self-report alone. That makes the evaluation slower and less useful to you.

How to keep candidates moving

Delays almost always come from the same few places. Here is what helps most.

• Send a complete referral. Candidate name, contact information, position, your point of contact, and any deadline.
• Include the background packet or the relevant parts of it with the referral, not after.
• Tell the candidate what to expect. They will get an email with intake forms. Candidates who finish forms quickly get scheduled quickly.
• Use one point of contact for scheduling and for receiving the report.
• Ask about expedited scheduling early if you have an academy date coming up.

When to pick up the phone

Call when something new comes up mid-process, such as a candidate disclosing information late, a question about how a finding applies to a different position, or a candidate requesting reconsideration. A five-minute conversation early on usually saves weeks later.

About the author

Jonathan Arditti, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist in California and Texas who conducts pre-employment, second opinion, and fitness-for-duty evaluations for public safety agencies. He has worked alongside LAPD as a field clinician since 2015.