POLICE - International Personnel Management Association

Public Safety Assessment Center
System (PSACS)
IPMA-HR offers the PSACS to help assess the promotional potential of police
personnel for the positions of sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. The system is
carefully designed to allow agencies to administer an assessment center
without incurring the added expense of hiring a consulting firm.
Chief Joseph D. Bishop; City of Columbia, Tennessee:
“The assessors and candidates were very impressed with the training they
received. By having the opportunity to practice all phases of the assessment
process, the assessors became very familiar with each exercise which gave
them confidence when the actual scoring process began. Candidate training
provided the candidates with a good understanding of exactly what was
expected of them during all three exercises. We did not get one complaint
about our promotional process.”
The PSACS is based on legal and
professional guidelines and was
designed by professional
consultants who have more than
25 years of experience
developing and administering
police assessment centers at all
levels of government. Research
has shown that the assessment
center method of testing
accurately predicts performance
on the job. In addition to having
withstood court scrutiny, the
assessment center method is well
accepted by candidates and is
viewed as a fair assessment tool.
Assessment centers also provide
valuable information that can be
used for both individual and
organizational development.
Each PSACS contains
detailed information
including:
n Assessment Center Model and
Exercise Materials
n Content Validation Guidelines and
Materials
n Project Management Plan
n Assessor Trainer Guidelines and
Training Materials
n Sample Scoring Forms, Rating
Scales and Scoring Guidelines
n Candidate Orientation Guidelines
and Orientation Materials
n Miscellaneous Support Materials
n CD-ROM containing Assessor
Training and Candidate Training
PowerPoint Presentations as well as
examples of support materials
Chief Bill Hogan; City of Asheville, North Carolina:
“After each of 3 exercises was administered, candidates made very positive
comments on the job relatedness and fairness of the system. The assessors
thought the scoring process was outlined very thoroughly. I received all the
information I needed to make confident promotional decisions. Their on-site
employment testing specialist added to the professionalism of the system and
assisted us in ensuring the assessment center ran smoothly.”
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