Sept. 8, 2000 – A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court’s decision that the city did not discriminate against Robert Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test.
“This kind of puts an official face on discrimination in America against people of a certain class,” Jordan said today from his Waterford home. “I maintain you have no more control over your basic intelligence than your eye color or your gender or anything else.”
He said he does not plan to take any further legal action.
Jordan, a 49-year-old college graduate, took the exam in 1996 and scored 33 points, the equivalent of an IQ of 125. But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training.
Most Cops Just Above Normal The average score nationally for police officers is 21 to 22, the equivalent of an IQ of 104, or just a little above average.
Jordan alleged his rejection from the police force was discrimination. He sued the city, saying his civil rights were violated because he was denied equal protection under the law.
But the U.S. District Court found that New London had “shown a rational basis for the policy.” In a ruling dated Aug. 23, the 2nd Circuit agreed. The court said the policy might be unwise but was a rational way to reduce job turnover.
Jordan has worked as a prison guard since he took the test.
I applied in Canada to a Law Enforcement program with a past-secondary institution.
I was told by a VERY senior member of the force (family friend) that I was simply too smart for the rank and file and was consequently turned down. He said “…they don’t want people who will think for themselves and question their orders. The whole point is to have force who will follow the rules without question. You don’t fit that mold”. The “rules” in this case is really just the police culture, and status quo.
The man who told me this, rose to Police Chief of a Major Canadian city from uniformed officer. Retired now.
I believe him.
Dumb soldiers who apply force when told. That’s what they want, …mostly.
Obtaining a barber license means that you have completed a minimum of 1,250 hours of instruction in barbering education within a period of at least 9 months or completed 1,250 hours of training. It takes 1,250 to 2,000 hours to be a cosmologist. Police in Germany get 2.5 years of training, and in Finland, police education takes three years to complete. Police in the USA get 750 hours.
Some police in america get 750. Others are merely elected to sheriff as a political appointment.
edit: This very silly and also somehow serious video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt5I3V5hWkU
New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training
Yea sure, because they could get “bored”. What you really mean is because they could start asking questions and potentially start changing the way things are typically done.
And have to be bullied out or fired to prevent that, making the police department lose their expensive investment.
There are good cops - they just end up getting bullied out or fired for trying to do the right (and legal) thing
There are policing organizations that are still very hungry for well-educated and intelligent recruits. In the USA, the FBI and the CIA both have high barriers to entry. The NSA is easily one of the biggest employers of mathematicians in the world. The IRS, the SEC, the FDA, the FCC, the DEA - all happy to hire smart young professionals.
You’re not going to get a job as a beat cop, but you’re very much in the running for the DA’s office as a prosecutor or the state homicide detective’s unit. And don’t worry, there are plenty of very intelligent people who are also very dependable when it comes to taking a kickback and keeping their mouths shut.
Yes but those places don’t hire people who have ever used cannabis even though that is most of the college educated population. So really you’re screwed either way.
Sure. But you can just… lie. When asked “have you ever used drugs”, say no.
Just as an FYI, whether lie detector tests are accurate or not, lying in a polygraph interview for a federal background check is a crime. Polygraph interviews can and do sometimes lead to criminal prosecution.
I didn’t get a job I applied for a few years ago for a broadly similar reason. Also they thought (correctly) that I didn’t know a lot about web development.
So I was rejected for being simultaneously overqualified and underqualified.
