Chicago Police Dept. May Scrap Entrance Exam
The Chicago Police Department (CDP) is considering scrapping its police
entrance exam. Dropping the exam would bolster minority hiring and avert legal
battles, according to one source, while others confirm that the exam could be
scrapped to open the process to as many people as possible.
However, the lack
of an exam would make Chicago the lone major city without one, and experts
contend that the exam is integral to eliminating unqualified applicants, says
NBC Chicago.
-- The CPD has tried in recent years to boost minority hiring by offering the
police exam online and turning to minority clergy to help in the recruitment
effort.
-- But those efforts have met with frustration; despite seeing an increase in
the number of minority applicants in 2006, the last year the exam was offered,
the online component was never launched.
-- And as of last year, one in four patrol officers were African-American, but
just one in 12 Lieutenants were of color.
According to Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue, the plan
sounds ridiculous because it takes away one of the steps that attempts to
legitimize the (hiring) process.
The CPD is currently operating at 2,000 officers-a-day short of its
authorized strength, says NBC Chicago.
Source: Steve Bryant, "Police May Scrap Entrance Exam," NBC Chicago,
January6, 2010. For text: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/chicago-police-scrap-entrance-exam-80790827.html
For more on Crime: http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/?Article_Category=14
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to give someone a job who isn't qualified for the job, ESPECIALLY if that decision is being based on the color of their skin.
Some years back I was listening to some clown go on about how unfair it was that women had to pass the same physical tests as men to be fire fighters. As I recall, the job required being able carry a minimum of 125 pounds down a ladder. There was talk about lowering it to 100 pounds so they could hire more women.
I guess that's fine for those dying in a burning building, who weigh as much as they did when they were 12, but it seems to me it'd be something of a problem for the average full grown adult.
Practical considerations aside, I'd think it'd be fantastically insulting to tell someone that standards should be lowered because "people like you are too stupid to qualify otherwise". What would that do to a person's self esteem? Whatever a person chooses to do in life, they should be able to take pride in the belief they were hired because their employer felt they were the best of the best.
A lot is expected of police officers. It's a job that demands excellence. I've met more than a few people over the years, of every shade of color under the sun, who were excellent in every way in performing their jobs . They never expected less, never made appologies, never complained, nor asked for concessions.
I can't imagine any reason a person of average intelligence, who was willing to work hard, couldn't learn what is required to be a police officer. I don't understand what's wrong with being able to say, "Hey, we'd love to have you. Come back when you're qualified.".
We will only ruin another generation of young people by lowering the bar for them . It would be great to see people of all races represented proportionate to the population. however I personally beleive we are hurting the people we want to help when we just make things easier . If we want to help why not offer tutoring services to those who are willing to try and help themselves. We expect a lot out of our Police officers, Hireing police oficers who arent willing to at least study for an exam is rediculous