I was just given some astounding information about the hiring practices for many police departments in America. Apparently, many of them intentionally hire people that are not of high intellect. Even going so far as to discriminate against those who might actually be of the smarter caliber! Now of course every Police Department in America does not subscribe to this philosophy. And my sharing this information about the New London, Connecticut case should not be construed to mean that I think that every officer hired in America has a lower intellect. I think reality proves that to be wrong. I do believe that there are tens of thousands of police officers in America that possess above average intelligence. Still it makes you wonder how many departments do discriminate against those that possess confident of skills that they deem would threaten their longevity on the force or their inability to be more easily manipulated. Ultimately this may help explain why there have been a rash of horrible incidents in our country as of recent, where poor judgment led to an unnecessary escalation of events, which in too many cases consequently led to unfathomable tragedy for too many American families. Case in point: Mr. Robert Jordan of New London, Connecticut wanted to become a cop. The first step in that jurisdiction is for applicants to take a Wonderlic test. Many Americans may have heard of this exam because NFL prospects must take it as part of the draft process. Jordan took the test on March 16, 1996 and scored a 33 (out of 50). He was not allowed to move on to the next stage of the application process because he scored too high on the test. The City of New London defended its policy, saying Jordan scored too far above the “normative median” of 21 and would “get bored” with the job and quit. The average NFL player scores around 20 on the test, according to Bleacher Report. Mr. Jordan filed a discrimination lawsuit in federal court alleging a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The district court dismissed the case, ruling that New London’s policy is “rational.” The U.S. Second Circuit Court Of Appeals affirmed. In other words, it is legal for police departments to purposely hire individuals of lower intelligence. The less education they’ve obtained, the easier they are to manipulate. This is why so many Americans are being savagely attacked. A 2010 Michigan State University study found that cops with a two or four-year degree resorted to using force 56 percent of the time, while those with only a GED or high school diploma used force 68 percent of the time. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found in 2003 that 83 percent of U.S. police agencies require cops only to have a GED or high school diploma, and only one percent require a four-year college degree. A September 2, 2010 article in Pacific Standard magazine suggested that requiring police to have college degrees may be discriminatory towards minorities. Oh the irony. God bless our police departments across America. Because God knows that we need them. I dont think I could handle the job myself. And I respect the officers whose responsibility it is to answer the tragic calls that we read about in the paper every day. I would not want that job. That said shouldnt we have systems in place that encourage smart cognitive thinkers to be hired if in fact they choose the noble profession of peace officer? Certainly we should NOT have hiring mechanisms in place which discriminate against those who are smarter and therefore less prone to knee-jerk reactionism that leads to loss of life. Can Someone Be Too Smart To Be A Cop?
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 21:26:41 +0000