Police psychology is broadly defined as the application of psychological principles and methods to law enforcement. With the popularity of television shows like Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU, the work of a police psychologist has become better known and even popular. As seen in these programs, a police psychologist can be helpful in profiling a criminal, but they also provide many other services to members of a police department. Although the development of this field has a long history, police psychology as a separate entity is still relatively recent and growing. This intimate relationship between psychology and law enforcement can be traced back nearly a century.[1] It developed initially from the need for a variety of psychological services in the law enforcement field, including applicant screening and counseling during grief and stressful situations. Since it has been around, it has proven to be a valuable asset to the law enforcement profession. Since the inception of this niche in psychology, there has been an increased appreciation for the use of police psychological services. Now almost every police department has a separate psychology department with a number of psychologists working with the other employees. This specialized subset of psychology offers a number of services to its employees, from evaluating qualified candidates, to counseling, to profiling suspects, and providing expertise during hostage situations. The field has grown enormously, especially over the last 40 years, and has developed into its own subspecialization with dedicated research, journals, and professional organizations. During that time great strides were made in developing this relationship between......middle of paper......established the first field internship, establishing the fact that there was a need for this sub-specialty. In the early 1970s, although many law enforcement agencies used psychological evaluation before hiring trainees, it was not yet a widespread phenomenon. Another important step in the recognition of this subspecialty came with certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). This certification demonstrates that you have achieved the highest level of expertise in the field, but also recognizes the field as an important area of ​​study within the broad category of psychology. Certification in psychology was first established in 1947 through the American Psychological Association (APA). Then, in 2010, police psychology was recognized as a subspecialty by the APA's Committee on Recognition of Specialties and Skills.