Police/law enforcement and psychology

The number of areas of interface between psychology and law enforcement has grown sharply in the past few decades. At the same time the field of law enforcement-related psychology has acquired increased knowledge and sophistication based on extensive research and practical experience. Areas of interface between law enforcement and psychology include selection of police officer candidates; fitness-for-duty evaluations; prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders; hostage negotiation; psychological profiling of terrorists and mass murderers; and eyewitness testimony. Trends and developments in these areas are surveyed in this article.