Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Too smart to be a cop?

Apparently there's a limit to how intelligent a person can be and still obtain a position as a police officer.

The New London, Connecticut Police Department rejected the application of Robert Jordan because he had the temerity to score 33 on an intelligence test. The force apparently only accepts candidates who score between 20 and 27,

"on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training."

That's the first time I've heard police work described as "boring". When one watches the TV show Cops, the officers are always quick to relate how interesting and fun the job is, as one never knows what's going to happen on the next call, and how one gets numerous chances per shift to use their skills and knowledge to solve all manner of unique problems.

Anyway, the problem is easily solved. Have the prospective officer sign a contract that guarantees that they will stay with the department for a proscribed period of time, or remit a prorated portion of the training costs. See, intelligence does have its advantages.

Methinks that the whole "bored" argument is merely a sham anyway, and that the heads of the departments merely wish to have officers that are able to be easily led, even if it's in the wrong direction. Don't want to have the shock troops thinking too much for themselves, you know.

4 comments:

Bike Bubba said...

Cool. One wouldn't want a detective to, say, be a Sherlock Holmes and actually be able to make logical inferences from data.

Maybe the real reason they want mediocre intelligence is because if they got someone of spectacular intelligence, the chief wouldn't have a chance at keeping his job.

Bike Bubba said...

Oh, and wait a second; we do know something about the intelligence of town government here. This is the same town as did the Kelo monstrousity.

Anonymous said...

^Yet its white people that watch Fox News, vote for foolish Republican candidates, and think that Saddam caused 9/11 and that think that Obama's a secret muslim and born in Kenya.

Anonymous said...

I was told that I was too smart to be a cop as well. I often found training to be rudimentary and "dumbed down". Nonetheless, I excelled in the academy and did what I had to do, even if I was bored.