Public Significance Statement—This study examined the relationship between personality traits linked to psychopathic personality and proxy indicators of excessive force among samples of police officers and undergraduates.
Consistent findings across samples suggest that the relationships between personality and performance criteria measures are not unique to law enforcement, implying that psychopathic personality traits may explain problematic performance irrespective of environment and/or experience on the job. This is counter to the concept of a “police personality,” and the results suggest that measures of antagonism/meanness are most helpful in screening for potential excessive use of force in police candidates.