About M-PULSE

The M-PULSE Inventory is an effective pre-conditional and post-conditional offer screening instrument designed for law enforcement officer selection. It can be used either pre-offer to identify candidates’ liability potential, or post-offer as part of a total assessment battery that includes historical, interview, and observational data.

The M-PULSE Inventory produces results for 18 Liability Scales which help predict officer misconduct, 16 Empirical Scales, which gauge attitudes, values, and beliefs, and 10 California POST Scales, which measure facets of personality that are of prime importance to police work. There are also 2 Validity Scales to assess response bias, and a Supplementary Scale that assesses potential for substance abuse problems.

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Key Features

• specifically developed for hiring law enforcement officers
• designed to reduce liability for law enforcement agencies by assessing job performance risks
• includes scales to assess POST personality-based competencies
• 455 statements
• 50 to 90 minutes administration time
• normative sample consisting of 2,000 candidates 
• web and paper-and-pencil administration 
• simple web-based scoring which produces reports in minutes 
• option to generate Follow-up performance reports 
• easy to read and understand reports
• psychometrically sound with excellent reliability and validity

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Scales

Validity Scales
There are typically two reasons why scores on the validity indices may be elevated—either a candidate is trying to create a good impression (Impression Management), or he or she has a negative attitude towards the testing process (Test Attitude). If either validity index score is elevated, the M-PULSE Inventory results may not be accurate.

Scale	Brief Description of High Score
Impression Management	This candidate may have misrepresented himself/herself in an overly positive way.
Test Attitude	Test respondent had a negative attitude toward test-taking which may have affected the results in unpredictable ways.

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Liability Scales
The M-PULSE Inventory takes into account certain liability risk areas that are associated with officer misconduct. The 18 misconduct areas that are assessed are as follows:

Scale	Brief Description of High Score
Interpersonal Difficulties	At risk for problems with personal relationships.
Chemical Abuse/Dependency	At risk for problems associated with chemical abuse/dependency.
Off-Duty Misconduct	At risk for “conduct unbecoming an officer”, including, for example, being drunk, fighting, indiscretions, etc.
Procedural and Conduct Mistakes	At risk for frequent occurrences of procedural and conduct mistakes.
Property Damage	At risk for causing damage to official property.
Misuse of Vehicle	At risk for the inappropriate use of a police vehicle.
Motor Vehicle Accidents	At risk for being involved in an at-fault motor vehicle accident.
Discharge of Weapon	At risk for firing a weapon in the line of duty (whether justified or not).
Inappropriate Use of Weapon	At risk for inappropriate use of a weapon.
Unprofessional Conduct	At risk for conduct that is inappropriate for an officer while on duty (e.g., verbal abusiveness, aggressiveness, rudeness, ethical violations).
Excessive Force	At risk for use of excessive force or aggressive behaviors that are inappropriate.
Racially Offensive Conduct	At risk for racially inappropriate behavior (e.g., racism or targeting a particular race in law enforcement).
Sexually Offensive Conduct	At risk for violation of sexual boundaries.
Lawsuit Potential	At risk of having a claim filed against them or for being sued.
Criminal Conduct	At risk of being arrested, charged, detained, or convicted of criminal activity or corruption.
Reprimands/Suspensions	At risk for receiving a formal written reprimand and/or suspension for breeches of acceptable conduct.
Potential for Resignation	At risk for resigning prematurely from the job as an officer.
Potential for Termination	At risk for being terminated for cause.

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Empirical Scales
The empirical scales of the M-PULSE Inventory gauge attitudes, values, and beliefs that have direct relevance to law enforcement work.

Scale	Brief Description of High Score
Negative Self Issues	Negative self-views that affect emotions, actions, and/or attitudes.
Negative Emotions	Poor mood, unhappiness, lacking confidence, and shyness.
Egocentricism	May think he/she is above the rules, may be seen as arrogant, or a "show-off."
Inadequate Views of Police Work	May lack high level of motivation to become a good officer, and views of policing may nt be adequate.
Poor Emotional Controls	Prone to temper outbursts, poor behavioral controls, and hard-headedness.
Negative Perceptions Related to Law Enforcement	Undesirable attitudes toward use of force, overly traditional views of police work, suspiciousness.
Inappropriate Attitudes About the Use of Force	Strong attitudes that condone the use of force in policing situations.
Overly Traditional Officer Traits	Unrealistically hyper-masculine or idealized views of police officers.
Suspiciousness	Distrust or suspicion regarding the intent of others.
Unethical Behavior	Beliefs and attitudes that are of questionable morality.
Lack of Personal Integrity	Willingness to cross ethical boundaries, or transgress (e.g, lie, cheat) to protect self-interests.
Negative Views of Department/Leadership	Distrust or suspicion regarding departmental systems or individuals who are in charge.
Amorality	Questionable ethical beliefs about police officers and others.
Unpredictability	Risk taking and thrill seeking.
Risk Taking	High enjoyment of risks and thrills.
Novelty Seeking	Adventurous and prefers new and varied experiences.

*Main scales shaded in gray. Subscales appear below the associated main scale.Back to the top

California POST Scales
The 10 M-PULSE Inventory Scales below are analogous to the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) screening dimensions that have been detailed by the California Commission.
 

Scale	Brief Description of High Score
Social Incompetence	May have problems communicating with others in a tactful and respectful way.
Lack of Teamwork	May have problems working effectively with others to achieve goals.
Unreliability	May have problems maintaining diligent, reliable, conscientious work patterns.
Reckless-Impulsive	May be predisposed to impulsive or risk behavior.
Rigidity	May handle change poorly, showing inflexibility or difficulty managing change or complex situations
Lack of Integrity/Ethics	Opinions regarding morality and ethical situations seem questionable
Emotional Instability-Stress Intolerance	May have trouble staying calm and composed in difficult situations. Coping skills for handling stress may be poor.
Poor Decision-Making & Judgment	May use impractical approaches to solving problems. May have difficulty sizing up situations and taking the proper actions.
Passivity-Submissiveness	May be too submissive and yielding in situations where assertiveness is required.
Poor Service Orientation	Does not show an active interest in helping others: does not go out of the way to help others, and generally doesn't show respect or compasion for others.

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Supplementary Scale
The M-PULSE includes a supplementary scale that serves as an indicator for potential substance abuse issues.
 

Scale	Brief Description of High Score
Substance Abuse	May indicate proneness to behavior that is inappropriate or self-damaging (e.g., alcohol abuse, drug abuse, or gambling).

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