3 Hours / 3 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Evaluation of Police Candidate Suitability: Advances in Empirically Based Methods is presented by David M. Corey, Ph.D., ABPP, in partnership with The American Academy of Forensic Psychology.

This program discusses findings from empirical research with direct implications for refining predictions of post-hire performance in law enforcement officers. These findings and their related assessment methods (including the use of the MMPI-2-RF) address suitability criteria involving implicit bias, cultural competence, effective interpersonal engagement (with the public, peers, and supervisors), performance under stress, performance during field training, and other targeted interests.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe no fewer than eight psychological constructs with empirical links to police officer performance
  • 2 Describe evidence-based strategies for interpreting clinically non-elevated MMPI-2-RF scores of police officer candidates
  • 3 Describe research findings to assess the malleability of a police officer candidate’s propensity toward implicit bias
  • 4 Describe psychological constructs that are problematic for police officers at both high and low levels (e.g., control, vigilance, activation, self-importance)

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who work with or support law enforcement and public safety personnel, particularly those specializing in occupational or police psychology and those involved in the assessment, evaluation, and support of law enforcement officers, including officer selection, fitness-for-duty evaluations, and performance assessments.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental health professionals (psychologists, counselors, social workers)
    • Allied professionals (psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, behavioral health specialists)
    • Professionals specializing in occupational or police psychology
    • Individuals involved in officer selection, fitness-for-duty evaluations, or performance assessments

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for mental health professionals at various stages of experience in police psychological assessment and interpretation of empirical research findings.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to police psychological assessment and seek foundational knowledge of empirical constructs, MMPI-2-RF interpretation, and suitability criteria for law enforcement candidates.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience with police psychological evaluations and are looking to deepen their understanding of research-based assessment methods, including nuanced interpretation of MMPI-2-RF scores and the application of findings to complex suitability criteria.

    • Advanced: Participants are highly experienced in police psychological assessment and are interested in integrating the latest empirical research into advanced practice, refining predictive models, and contributing to the development of best practices in the field.

  • Practice Setting

    They practice within public safety and occupational behavioral health environments embedded in or contracted to law enforcement, working in structured clinical and assessment contexts. Activities center on pre-employment screening, fitness-for-duty determinations, and performance-focused consultation using empirical methods (including the MMPI-2-RF) to refine predictions of post-hire functioning, cultural competence, interpersonal effectiveness, and stress resilience.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Police department or sheriff’s office behavioral health/psychology units
    • Public safety agency occupational health and wellness programs
    • Law enforcement academy recruit screening units and field training programs
    • Fitness-for-duty and return-to-duty evaluation services
    • Employee Assistance Programs serving first responders
    • Independent or forensic assessment practices contracted by agencies for HTML only.

Presented By

David M. Corey, PhD, ABPP Psychologist

David M. Corey, Ph.D., ABPP is a licensed psychologist with nearly 40 years of experience performing high-stakes evaluations of candidates and employees in public safety positions (e.g., police officers, firefighters, emergency dispatchers, corrections officers, parole and probation officers, federal law enforcement personnel) and other safety-sensitive positions, including physicians, nurses, and pilots. He is the founding president of the American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 18). He is an ABPP board certified specialist in both forensic psychology and in police and public safety psychology.

View More Programs from this Presenter
David M. Corey, PhD, ABPP

Presented By

Stephen D. Hart, PhD Faculty in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University

Dr. Stephen D. Hart obtained BA, MA, and PhD degrees in psychology at the University of British Columbia. He has been on faculty in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University since 1990, and has held the rank of Professor since 2001. He also served as a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen in Norway between 2000 and 2021. His expertise is in the field of clinical-forensic psychology, with a special focus on the assessment of violence risk and psychopathic personality disorder. He has co-authored more than 250 books, chapters, and articles. He has served as editor of two scientific journals; a member of the editorial board of eight journals; and ad hoc reviewer for more than 40 journals. He has served as an executive committee member of several professional organizations, including President of the American Psychology-Law Society and the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services. He has received various distinctions for his professional work, including the Career Achievement Award from the Society of Clinical Psychology, the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Research Excellence in Psychology and Law from the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. He maintains an active practice in violence risk assessment. He has consulted with government agencies from more than 25 countries; led more than 500 training workshops around the world; and given expert evidence before courts, tribunals, inquests, review boards, and parliamentary committees in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Stephen D. Hart, PhD
We are proud to partner with

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

We are proud to partner with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) for this training. AAFP is a non-profit organization of board-certified forensic psychologists whose mission is to contribute to the development and maintenance of forensic psychology as a specialized field of study, research, and practice. The Academy does this by providing high-quality continuing education workshops, providing a forum for the exchange of scientific information among its members, and conferring awards upon outstanding students and practitioners in the field of forensic psychology.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.