GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Earlier this year, we told you barbers in Michigan are required to go through more hours of training than police officers.
What police do have to do differently, however, is pass a psychological evaluation.
"The very simple thing is that they don't have a significant mental illness or substance use condition," says Dr. Daniel Post, lead forensic psychologist for Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services. "They're not somebody who has maybe anger management difficulties."
Those factors, Post says, are searched for through an extensive interview.
"It could be anywhere from, you know, three hours up to, you know, seven or eight hours of time," says Post.
The applicants are also subject to questions about diversity.
"We're trying to weed out people who might have views, you know, that are maybe extreme or may not serve the communities they're in very well," explains Post.
Post says it's not often, but he has had to give a negative review back to employers before.
"National standards are somewhere in the ten percent range, you know, so one in ten," says Post. "I've noticed in West Michigan, though, it's a little bit lower."
While the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards requires the evaluation, Post does say an applicant can still be hired despite a negative report.
But he also says that's never happened in his career.
"If we have a negative opinion on a pre-employment evaluation, or on a fitness for duty evaluation, it's really hard for anybody to actually be hired or to be brought back to work," says Post.
Post calls the evaluations an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to hiring officers, but acknowledges there are some conditions that make it an imperfect solution.
"The best work a psychologist or psychiatrist can do can't ultimately say, in ten years, under extreme duress, if something might change," says Post.
Post says Pine Rest also offers resources to officers already hired to help improve their mental health while on the job.
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