View Full Version : Standards lowered for LEOs
This is insanity..
DAYTON -- The Dayton Police Department is lowering its testing standards for recruits.
It's a move required by the U.S. Department of Justice after it says not enough African-Americans passed the exam.
Dayton is in desperate need of officers to replace dozens of retirees. The hiring process was postponed for months because the D.O.J. rejected the original scores provided by the Dayton Civil Service Board, which administers the test.
Under the previous requirements, candidates had to get a 66% on part one of the exam and a 72% on part two.
The D.O.J. approved new scoring policy only requires potential police officers to get a 58% and a 63%. That's the equivalent of an ‘F’ and a ‘D’.
“It becomes a safety issue for the people of our community,” said Dayton Fraternal Order of Police President, Randy Beane. “It becomes a safety issue to have an incompetent officer next to you in a life and death situation."
“The NAACP does not support individuals failing a test and then having the opportunity to be gainfully employed,” agreed Dayton NAACP President Derrick Foward.
The D.O.J. and Civil Service Board declined Dayton’s News Source’s repeat requests for interviews. The lower standards mean 258 more people passed the test. The city won't say how many were minorities.
“If you lower the score for any group of people, you're not getting the best qualified people for the job,” Foward said.
“We need to work with the youth and make them interested in becoming law enforcement officers and firefighters,” said Beane. “Break down the barriers whether they are real or perceived, so we can move forward in this community.”
The D.O.J. has forced other police departments across the country to lower testing standards, citing once again that not enough black candidates were passing.
The Dayton Firefighter recruit exam is coming up this summer. The chief said it’s likely the passing score for that test will be lowered as well.Civil Service Board Announces Police Recruit Scores
Friday, March 11 2011, 12:17 AM EST
http://abc.daytonsnewssource.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wkef_vid_6103.shtml
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2687841/posts
daytondailynews.com ^ | March 6, 2011 | Lucas Sullivan
Posted on Saturday, March 12, 2011 4:54:33 PM by grundle
Black applicant protests lowering police entrance exam scores
Community leaders say Justice Department’s demand is ‘a slap in the face to black people.’
DAYTON — Zachary Williams is a 21-year-old black Wayne High School grad who wants nothing more than to be a Dayton police officer or firefighter.
He’s one of 225 black applicants who took the November police entrance exam now at the center of a dispute between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice.
His test results are pending the Justice Department’s demand that the city lower its passing score for a police exam to allow for a larger pool of black applicants, while the city argues it is trying to ensure it hires the most qualified candidates.
Dayton is in desperate need of black applicants like Williams.
There are roughly 650 Dayton police and firefighters and less than 40 are black in a city with 62,000 black residents. The fact a smaller percentage of blacks passed the police exam in November doesn’t help Dayton’s chances of improving those numbers.
“It doesn’t surprise me the test results aren’t different and it shouldn’t surprise anyone,” said Randy Beane, police union president. “Not enough African-Americans are taking the exam and we need to get in the schools and talk to kids about being in law enforcement. What we are doing here is the definition of insanity.”
Williams said he understands what the Justice Department is trying to accomplish, but he thinks it’s the wrong method and it’s keeping him from achieving his dream.
“You can’t blame the city for the lack of diversity,” Williams said. “This isn’t your normal 9 to 5 job and you have to want it. I don’t want to be in a department where I was hired because of my skin color. I want it because I earned it.”
Community leaders agree with Williams and said the Justice Department’s method stigmatizes blacks.
“I cannot make a legal judgment on the Justice Department’s method, but there are lots of instances where competent people test poorly,” said U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. “What can happen in these cases, minorities are incorrectly branded as less qualified when they are infinitely qualified.”
Keith Lander, chairman of the local Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said the lowering of the test score “is a slap in the face to black people.
“Black people are not dumb,” he said.
DOJ’s results lukewarm
The Justice Department’s method of forcing cities to diversify through litigation began in 1971 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled disparate racial impact violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The ruling stated if an entity could not provide a lawful reason why its hiring practices had a contrasting impact on races, it was in violation of federal law.
Justice Department officials have said almost all litigation related to racial disparities is triggered by an outside complaint.
They have refused to release the complainant’s name in Dayton’s case.
Since 1990 the Justice Department has filed 24 hiring discrimination lawsuits against cities and states from New Jersey to Los Angeles. In almost every case, cities or states settle with a consent decree — a binding agreement to change questionable practices.
Justice Department spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in an e-mail Friday the goal of the lawsuits is to uphold the Civil Rights Act by removing “unnecessary barriers” in hiring practices. She added the Justice Department does not file lawsuits “based solely on the (diversity) numbers.”
“We only challenge examinations when we determine that the employer has failed to demonstrate the exam will do a good job of selecting qualified candidates,” she said.
The process has produced lukewarm results as many metropolitan law enforcement agencies in the country continue to struggle with diversity.
Chesapeake, Va., for example, agreed to settle its lawsuit in 2007 that claimed the math portion of its police entrance exam had a disparate impact on blacks and Hispanics because more failed than whites.
Chesapeake agreed to lower its cumulative passing score to 66 percent, below the widely accepted passing mark of 70 percent, and eliminated a cutoff score for the math section.
Since settling the lawsuit, Chesapeake has 46 black and 17 Hispanic officers in a force of 373. Of Chesapeake’s estimated 220,000 residents, 66,000 are black and less than 7,000 are Hispanic.
Stanard & Associates Inc., which produced Chesapeake’s test and others for cities around the country, defended its test in a letter to its customers in August.
“Despite the vast amount of research S&A has accumulated, documenting the relationship between (the test’s) content and the job of law enforcement officer ... the DOJ appears ready to combat usage of any selection instrument resulting in any amount of adverse impact against protected groups, even if the job-relatedness and validity of the (tests) have been established.”
Officials from Stanard & Associates did not return calls seeking comment.
Dayton, like Chesapeake, slightly lowered its passing marks and graded the roughly 1,100 police exams taken in November on a curve. Dayton proposed participants had to answer 57 of 86 (66 percent) questions correctly on one portion and 73 of 102 (72 percent) on the other.
The Justice Department rejected those thresholds and wants the scores slightly lowered, city attorney John Danish said, because not enough blacks (57 of 225) passed compared to whites (386 of 788).
Dayton hired Fire & Police Selection Inc., based in Folsom, Calif., at a cost of $150,000 to revamp its civil service exam. FPSI officials talked to police and firefighters about the skills needed to do the job before drawing up the exam.
A smaller percentage of blacks in Dayton passed FPSI’s test than Dayton’s internal exam in 2006. Officials from FPSI also did not return calls seeking comment.
Another hiring issue
Dayton’s next step once it clears the Justice Department’s hurdles could be to voters to approve a change in the way it hires employees.
The city’s charter mandates employees must be hired one at a time based on test performance from best to worst passing score, also called the Rule of One.
In 2006 one black applicant scored in the top 100 of the city’s police exam.
Many other cities allow a Rule of Three or 10, meaning they can look at a group of candidates and hire the best ones from the group.
Dayton Commissioner Dean Lovelace and leaders from the Dayton chapters of the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other minority groups called for such a change last summer.
Lovelace said he is considering whether to have the issue placed on a ballot and has asked the city’s law department to draft a proposal.
His fellow commissioners said they are interested in discussing a change and Mayor Gary Leitzell said he would support it “if it benefits the majority of the citizens of the city of Dayton.”
Police and fire union officials said they would challenge a rule change.
“It comes to down to hiring the best person for the job,” Beane said.
Rice said changing the hiring rule is one of the biggest steps the city can take if it is serious about diversification.
“There is no difference in the competency of a person who is No. 1 and No. 10 on the hiring list,” he said. “Dayton needs a charter amendment like other jurisdictions who have rules of three, five or 10 so it can hire the employees that are the best benefit to the city.”
Hopefully, 30-40 years from now we'll look back on these stories and laugh. It can't get worse than this.
Texas_Shooter
03-13-2011, 02:53
What happened to studying? Can anybody tell me?
A while back I came across a SCOTUS case of Frank Ricci, et al., Petitioners v. John DeStefano, et al.
http://www.scotuswiki.com/index.php?title=Ricci%2C_et_al._v._DeStefano%2C_et _al.
What is this 1975. I thought we were done with this shit since a Black man made it to the most powerful job in the world.
What is this 1975. I thought we were done with this shit since a Black man made it to the most powerful job in the world.
used to be...
What is this 1975. I thought we were done with this shit since a Black man made it to the most powerful job in the world.
I expect the President to start speaking out against this kind of stuff during the twilight of his presidency. The pendulum has been swinging that way for far too long.
used to be...
I can't think of a period in my (I'll admit short :p) lifetime where the federal government was not regurgitating this type of thing down communities' throats.
I think Gratz v. Bollinger is the closest we have gotten to a call for equality recently.
We conclude, therefore, that because the University’s use of race in its current freshman admissions policy is not narrowly tailored to achieve respondents’ asserted compelling interest in diversity, the admissions policy violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-516.ZO.html
What happened to studying? Can anybody tell me?Ah, irony.
Ah, irony.
:D:D:D Sig, you never fail to crack me up.
This is a curious development considering reports of the aggregate finances of municipalities across the country. Specifically IIRC QP Richard posted on austerity measures a while back which showed cities across the country like Detroit, Stockton, and Oakland CA, were laying off LEO and reducing police and fire coverage areas and responsibilities. This definitely seems to be the case in the Bay Area.
You would think there would be a bunch of qualified experienced LEO from the above cities who might find Dayton Ohio to be a nice town to go for work. If Dayton has the benefit of their finances in order , amidst this recession in which a recent Bloomberg poll found only 1 in 7 Americans feels they are better off than 2008, why even bother with a pool of untested applicants when there are a lot of experienced LEO available?
[W]hy even bother with a pool of untested applicants when there are a lot of experienced LEO available?One reason may be to lower overhead costs.
DJ Urbanovsky
03-13-2011, 13:44
I wish I could say that I agree...
It can't get worse than this.
Hopefully, 30-40 years from now we'll look back on these stories and laugh. It can't get worse than this.I wonder if residents of Dayton, OH thought the same thing in 1966 <<LINK (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A2EaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1ScEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7364,19891&dq=lester+mitchell+dayton&hl=en)>>.
Texas_Shooter
03-13-2011, 15:28
Ah, irony.
ha.......ha
I wonder if residents of Dayton, OH thought the same thing in 1966.
The context there is so different that contrasting the two issues isn't necessary.
Trip_Wire (RIP)
03-13-2011, 15:33
The lowering of any established standards for a police applicant, IMO is a huge mistake. This isn't affirmative action in any way shape or form.
I think Miami PD dropped their Standards in the 70's to accommodate the Cuban and Black communities which resulted in many of them getting caught up in drug trafficking and other crimes. (As I recall part of this was lowering the need for passing criminal history standards.)
As I recall, they recently dropped the swimming requirement for Blacks, because many couldn't swim good enough to pass the swim test.
In most cases standards and requirements are there for VERY good reasons. In the Miami-Dade County area I can see a real need for LEO's to be able to pass a swim test.
The context there is so different that contrasting the two issues isn't necessary.Well, then it looks like the DDRR is just wasting its time.
Buffalobob
03-13-2011, 16:27
The problem is so many of the white LEO retire on disability and so the gov't is hoping the AA ones will have a little more integrity and pride and not claim disability upon retirement. :D It will be a big help to their financial situation to get rid of the desk jockey white guys and get some guys who will actually go out on patrol and not game the system. It would also be a big help if they would not go around shooting peoples dogs and beating up their kids after basketball games. Off course they could come and shoot my neighbors dog for me except after I chased it home with a baseball bat they haven't let it run loose again. :D
The Reaper
03-13-2011, 16:57
The problem is so many of the white LEO retire on disability and so the gov't is hoping the AA ones will have a little more integrity and pride and not claim disability upon retirement. :D It will be a big help to their financial situation to get rid of the desk jockey white guys and get some guys who will actually go out on patrol and not game the system. It would also be a big help if they would not go around shooting peoples dogs and beating up their kids after basketball games. Off course they could come and shoot my neighbors dog for me except after I chased it home with a baseball bat they haven't let it run loose again. :D
BB:
That is a pretty broad generalization.
How would that look if you changed white to black?
"The problem is so many of the black LEO retire on disability and so the gov't is hoping the white ones will have a little more integrity and pride and not claim disability upon retirement. :D It will be a big help to their financial situation to get rid of the desk jockey black guys and get some guys who will actually go out on patrol and not game the system. It would also be a big help if they would not go around shooting peoples dogs and beating up their kids after basketball games. Off course they could come and shoot my neighbors dog for me except after I chased it home with a baseball bat they haven't let it run loose again."
IIRC, DC had a huge issue a few years back with officer corruption when they waived standards and let a bunch of minority officers on their force who failed to meet standards and had felony convictions in their records. Seems that criminal behavior is frequently a recurring life choice.
My understanding is that military recruiters have problems getting sufficient minority recruits because there are low percentages who have HS diplomas, high ASVAB scores, clean criminal records, no history of drug abuse, etc., and those who meet these requirements are also being recruited by universities, businesses, etc.
Jackie Robinson did not break the barrier because someone gave him anything. He had the skills to meet or exceed his peers, and proved himself daily. That is the way to destroy prejudice. Not by reverse discrimination.
Life isn't always fair. Or easy. And our actions have consequences.
Just my .02, YMMV.
TR
...IMO is a hugh mistake.
I knew the Mistakes but never knew 'hugh'...I think I knew his twin, Terrence William...we always called him Terry Bill. :p
Richard :munchin
Texas_Shooter
03-13-2011, 17:12
Jackie Robinson did not break the barrier because someone gave him anything. He had the skills to meet or exceed his peers, and proved himself daily. That is the way to destroy prejudice. Not by reverse discrimination.
Well spoken. Now if we can just get some more people to listen to you.
Jackie Robinson did not break the barrier because someone gave him anything.
Well, somebody actually went against the mainstream thinking of the time and gave him a chance.
Richard :munchin
The Reaper
03-13-2011, 17:52
Well, somebody actually went against the mainstream thinking of the time and gave him a chance.
Richard :munchin
Branch Rickey picked a standout athlete (first four sport letterman at UCLA), an Army officer, a non-drinker, and one of the finest hitters in the league (.327 average from 1949-1954) to play on his baseball team.
If you find a guy with those sort of outstanding creds applying for a job as an LEO today and who is rejected, someone needs to be fired.
Rickey said that he picked Robinson because "my selfish objective is to win baseball games."
I would say that the chance taken on Robinson, talent wise, was a no brainer. Rickey did show a huge amount of moral courage, however, as did Robinson as a player.
TR
Jackie Robinson did not break the barrier because someone gave him anything. He had the skills to meet or exceed his peers, and proved himself daily. That is the way to destroy prejudice. Not by reverse discrimination.TR--
With respect, had it just been about skills and work ethic, might many other players from the Negro Leagues have broken MLB's color barrier sooner than 1947?
Were it not for the active support of whites, namely Branch Rickey and Pee Wee Reese (forever number one in the hearts of Dodgers fans), would Robinson ever have made it to the majors or endured the avalanche of catcalls, slurs, and threats?
IMO, Jackie Robinson was obviously given his chance based on his astonishing athletic abilities and incredible strength of character (among other things) - particularly useful in professional sports - certainly not by lowering standards.
It's a long way from Cairo, Georgia (I visit often) to 6 MLB All star team selections, World Series Champion, Rookie of the Year and MVP awards.
While there was undoubtedly a change in conventional wisdom at the time to offer Mr. Robinson a chance to play MLB - I doubt there was a change in MLB standards - except - Mr. Robinson was exceeding those standards.
Quality (however defined) over plumbing and skin color is what we should all strive for on our various teams. YMMV.
With respect, had it just been about skills and work ethic, might many other players from the Negro Leagues have broken MLB's color barrier sooner than 1947. Were it not for the active support of whites, namely Branch Rickey and Pee Wee Reese (forever number one in the hearts of Dodgers fans), would Robinson ever have made it to the majors or endured the avalanche of catcalls, slurs, and threats?
Kudos to both Branch Rickey's decision and obviously Jackie Robinson's skill and character. I imagine he overcame all sorts of obstacles, both overt and subtle before and after, getting to the majors, and was as close to a hero as a sports figure can be. IMO, the difference is any questions about minority competence in the LEO role were shattered decades ago.
Jackie Robinson had to perform to at least the same standards as the rest of the league, for all of his special talent what would the outcome have been or how would he been perceived if had gotten a fourth strike, or been allowed one less ball for a walk, based soley on his ethnicity? To me such reduced standards are degrading to qualified applicants, especially those who are minorities.
The nature of jobs in harm's way is pass or fail, what is wrong with identifying and testing candidates in similar fashion with uniform standards and identified soley on on SS#, and letting meritocracy rule? If the resulting Dayton Police force then turns out to be 90% purple, gay midgets, God Bless, we will know they are qualified and earned the right to serve.
We are the greatest country in the world and the bastion of freedom, we should be well past this fearful divisive crap based on mere pigment.
Buffalobob
03-13-2011, 18:50
My understanding is that military recruiters have problems getting sufficient minority recruits because there are low percentages who have HS diplomas, high ASVAB scores, clean criminal records, no history of drug abuse, etc., and those who meet these requirements are also being recruited by universities, businesses, etc.
.
TR
I know that to be a fact and I thought about it on the other thread and started to say something to the effect that you had a good point.
I do not know the answers to the societies problems and in fact I don't even know all of the answers to how to clean up rivers which is my specialty.
On the point of my post, I don't really care 2 pennies left or right about the central thought of the thread. I simply view the general police system as having a problem with abusing retirement and that nobody is willing to take on the problem.
On the thought of Jackie Robinson, I will say I remember the day in May 1966 when three white boys stoned one of the two black girls in my high school while she was on school property and hurt her so badly she was unable to finish out the year and did not graduate. The three boys were suspended for three days and their diplomas were mailed to them. So I agree life is not fair and neither are the consequences.
The problem is so many of the white LEO retire on disability and so the gov't is hoping the AA ones will have a little more integrity and pride and not claim disability upon retirement. It will be a big help to their financial situation to get rid of the desk jockey white guys and get some guys who will actually go out on patrol and not game the system. It would also be a big help if they would not go around shooting peoples dogs and beating up their kids after basketball games. Off course they could come and shoot my neighbors dog for me except after I chased it home with a baseball bat they haven't let it run loose again. :D
Really? :eek::confused:
Only white people game the system:rolleyes:
Thanks, DB.
Two points and I'm off this thread.
1 - Jackie Robinson was given a chance based on his demonstrated performance which directly correlated to the job he was being hired to perform and his foreseeable abilities to perform that job. I would agree with a comparison to the civil service exam topic of this thread only if it, too, was similarly based - but it is not. IMO a similar correlation would be one where a police department hires an officer based solely on their demonstrated performance in a similar position as an officer for another department.
2 - There are numerous studies which show that many such entrance level exams are flawed in that they have little to actually do with the jobs being sought and that changing the method(s) of scoring do not necessarily correlate to a 'lowering of standards'...although the perception (and, sometimes, the case) may certainly be just that. Are there much better ways to honestly test candidates for such positions today? I am certain there are, and perhaps that is where the debate should now be focused rather than on yet another 'everything is going to a hell in a handbasket' yearning for some mythical 'good ol' days' argument.
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Richard is correct to say that civil service tests have very little to do with your ability to actually do the job. I have taken a couple of them (for jobs that pay way higher than any entry level cop position) and I have to say that they were a joke. I have to think that if the government cares so little about having good tests at that level, they don't put much work into cop tests (written at least) either. So if the goal is to truly come up with a better testing system, I am all for it.
But my experience has lead me to believe that even crappy tests are better than no tests at all. Where I work, there are two groups of people earning roughly the same rate of pay. But one group has to pass a civil service test to get a job and the other group is just evaluated on "experience." Guess which group performs better overall?
Proving that tests are crappy is a far cry from proving that they are useless.
greenberetTFS
03-16-2011, 18:50
The lowering of any established standards for a police applicant, IMO is a huge mistake. This isn't affirmative action in any way shape or form.
I think Miami PD dropped their Standards in the 70's to accommodate the Cuban and Black communities which resulted in many of them getting caught up in drug trafficking and other crimes. (As I recall part of this was lowering the need for passing criminal history standards.)
As I recall, they recently dropped the swimming requirement for Blacks, because many couldn't swim good enough to pass the swim test.
In most cases standards and requirements are there for VERY good reasons. In the Miami-Dade County area I can see a real need for LEO's to be able to pass a swim test.
I have to agree with TW completely............He has the knowledge and experience to support his post.............:):):)
Big Teddy :munchin
mojaveman
03-16-2011, 20:12
I'll wager that lowering standards to hire more peace officers will equate to more lawsuits down the road. ;)
Events like this. Make me believe that if an Alien Race is watching us. They are perplexed at just how stupid we are.
The Reaper
03-17-2011, 17:28
Events like this. Make me believe that if an Alien Race is watching us. They are perplexed at just how stupid we are.
In that case, they should apply for one of the LEO jobs, especially if they are illegal aliens.
TR
In that case, they should apply for one of the LEO jobs, especially if they are illegal aliens.
TR
That was so bad it was funny....:D
Gentlemen and esteemed QP's
I see two major pieces to this debate. First, the overwhelming repugnance that lowering standards for LEOs generates. Second, the need of a city or cities to hire more LEO's.
I understand the first. Not at the level that you esteemed soldiers and Men of Honor do, but in my field, it would upset me to learn that my company had lowered their standards because they could not find people who had earned a degree and had relevant work experience. Although law enforcement and software development are nowhere similar, I believe that the following is true in either case; the perception of their capabilities from day one would be skewed. It would take them a great deal of work to prove that they had the relevant knowledge or drive to keep up, so to speak.
However, in a city that needed LEOs badly, I believe that the occupants would rather the criminals and citizens alike see increased police presence. The thugs don't know the difference between an officer who met the correct standards vs the ones that didn't. All they see is 'the man'. Is there not something to be said for the training and daily regimen of an officer? Can someone who may not be able to do college level algebra be trained to be a great police officer?
I offer my assertions respectfully.
Gentlemen and esteemed QP's
I see two major pieces to this debate. First, the overwhelming repugnance that lowering standards for LEOs generates. Second, the need of a city or cities to hire more LEO's.
I understand the first. Not at the level that you esteemed soldiers and Men of Honor do, but in my field, it would upset me to learn that my company had lowered their standards because they could not find people who had earned a degree and had relevant work experience. Although law enforcement and software development are nowhere similar, I believe that the following is true in either case; the perception of their capabilities from day one would be skewed. It would take them a great deal of work to prove that they had the relevant knowledge or drive to keep up, so to speak.
However, in a city that needed LEOs badly, I believe that the occupants would rather the criminals and citizens alike see increased police presence. The thugs don't know the difference between an officer who met the correct standards vs the ones that didn't. All they see is 'the man'. Is there not something to be said for the training and daily regimen of an officer? Can someone who may not be able to do college level algebra be trained to be a great police officer?
I offer my assertions respectfully.
That seems similar to high school administrators graduating illiterates.
The Reaper
03-17-2011, 21:00
Gentlemen and esteemed QP's
I see two major pieces to this debate. First, the overwhelming repugnance that lowering standards for LEOs generates. Second, the need of a city or cities to hire more LEO's.
I understand the first. Not at the level that you esteemed soldiers and Men of Honor do, but in my field, it would upset me to learn that my company had lowered their standards because they could not find people who had earned a degree and had relevant work experience. Although law enforcement and software development are nowhere similar, I believe that the following is true in either case; the perception of their capabilities from day one would be skewed. It would take them a great deal of work to prove that they had the relevant knowledge or drive to keep up, so to speak.
However, in a city that needed LEOs badly, I believe that the occupants would rather the criminals and citizens alike see increased police presence. The thugs don't know the difference between an officer who met the correct standards vs the ones that didn't. All they see is 'the man'. Is there not something to be said for the training and daily regimen of an officer? Can someone who may not be able to do college level algebra be trained to be a great police officer?
I offer my assertions respectfully.
First of all, I do not think it was said that there was a shortage of LEOs. The statement was that there was shortage of certain minority officers. There are good reasons for that.
I seriously doubt that the standard was college level algebra. More likely it was simple calculations, like you would expect the officer who stopped you to be able to do. Like 76 in a 55 is 21 mph over the limit. If you doubt that this level of stupidity is common, watch the cashiers in a fast food restaurant if they have to do manual calculations for the cash tranactions.
If your company is going to select less than qualified applicants, give them a badge, a vehicle, and a gun, with carte blanche to roam the streets enforcing the laws while authorized by the government to employ persuasion up to and including lethal force, let me know.
I want the best qualified people engaged in the LE, Fire, and Rescue business (just like mine). Would you want the cop trying to save your life or your children's lives to have gotten a social promotion because they couldn't actually meet the job standards? I also don't want to watch professional basketball played by teams comprised of 50% fat old white guys so that I feel better about myself and that more accurately reflects the racial make-up of the audience.
Save the affirmative action and diversity hiring for people in less serious professions. Hire the most qualified.
TR
You generally see more qualified applicants, and a larger turnout for civil service exams when the economy is down. The opposite is generally true when the economy is strong. In a downturn, people want job security, and benefits that a government job provides. No departments should be having too much trouble finding good, qualified applicants right now.
The problem I see is that you see more and more people passing the buck to enforce a standard. For instance, "we will lower the written test standard, but if they don't make the cut at the oral board interview, they'll be done. If they make it through the oral board with a sub-standard interview, they'll be cut in the academy if they can't hack it. If they scate by in the academy, the field training process will weed them out."
I also don't want to watch professional basketball played by teams comprised of 50% fat old white guys so that I feel better about myself and that more accurately reflects the racial make-up of the audience.
TR
Nails it.
How could that possibly be difficult for anyone to understand?
Once again:
http://www.diversitylane.com/images/samples/Diversity%20Lane_I%20dont%20like%20you_purple.jpg
greenberetTFS
03-18-2011, 05:17
Nails it.
How could that possibly be difficult for anyone to understand?
Once again:
http://www.diversitylane.com/images/samples/Diversity%20Lane_I%20dont%20like%20you_purple.jpg
What's really sad about that cartoon is it actually hit's home.............:rolleyes::eek::p
Big Teddy :munchin
Save the affirmative action and diversity hiring for people in less serious professions. Hire the most qualified.
TR
Agree. Unfortunately the mentality that hires/fires/sustains LEOs doesn't. IMHO those folks (bean-counters?) find virtue only in the bottom line, and that less qualified/experienced officers are cheaper to replace/sustain.