What This Patrol-Officer Study Found

John A. Rible IV’s 2012 Master of Public Administration paper examined emotional intelligence scores and supervisors’ job-performance ratings for patrol officers in Greenville, North Carolina. The study found no relationship between those measures in the group studied.

That finding matters: the title poses a research question, and the study does not establish that emotional intelligence scores predict patrol-officer success. It is student research submitted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, not a formal report by the School of Government or its faculty.

Read John A. Rible IV’s patrol-officer research paper (PDF, 2012).

Read the Evidence in Context

When considering research for your organization, look at who participated, which assessment was used, and how performance was defined. A finding about one group and one performance measure should not be turned into a broad promise about every role, assessment, or training program.

This paper is not an evaluation of BlueEQ. We share it as a resource for readers who want to examine the evidence, including findings that do not support a simple link between an EQ score and job performance.

Separate Development Goals from Predictions

For leadership development, begin with a specific behavior you want to practice: listening before responding, checking assumptions, or preparing for a difficult conversation. Decide how you will gather feedback and reflect on your progress.

Explore BlueEQ’s emotional intelligence training to review its learning objectives and approach. You can also read Emotional Intelligence in Law Enforcement for a related professional perspective.