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Recorded Workshop
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    Police Psychological Services Section

    Pre-Employment Psychological Evaluations on Gen Z Candidates

    Saturday, October 14, 2023
    1:00 PM – 2:20 PM PST
    Location: Room: 11A

      Submitter and Speaker(s)

    • Laura Kokinda, PhD

      Director of Psychology
      City of Los Angeles, California
      Los Angeles, California, United States

      • Speaker(s)

    • SM

      Shahin Mirkof, PsyD

      Occupational Psychologist
      City of Los Angeles, California
      Los Angeles, California, United States

    • DT

      Diana Turner, PhD

      Occupational Psychologist
      City of Los Angeles, California
      Los Angeles, California, United States

    Historically, police candidates for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) tended to exhibit certain common traits or approaches to the psychological evaluation. With the rise of Gen Z candidates in a post-pandemic world, “typical" police candidates are becoming few and far between. This presentation examines the data supporting changed attitudes towards mental health, policing, substance use, and other notable changes in LAPD candidates who have reached the psychological evaluation stage. It discusses necessary shifts in perspective of the psychological evaluator and implications for the future of pre-employment psychological screening and hiring practices.