Ohio police applicants graded "on a curve"--How do you feel about it?

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   TamCorposted 12 years ago

   Dayton, Ohio is taking applications for new police officers, and so far, over 3000 people have applied.
   
   The city, along with organizations such as the Dayton Urban League, have been aggressively recruiting minority candidates since May as dozens of the city's most decorated and experienced officers are set to retire in 2011.
   
   The minority recruitment is also an effort to meet terms of a lawsuit settlement the DOJ filed against the city more than two years ago, claiming discriminatory hiring practices by the city for police and fire recruits.
   
   Besides spending more than $25,000 on recruitment, the city tossed out its previous civil service exam, spent nearly $550,000 settling terms of the lawsuit with the DOJ and has said exams could be graded on a curve.
   
   The DOJ continues to monitor the hiring process and, though officials said there is no target minority number, could halt the process if the city does not get a diverse pool of candidates to pass the exam.
   
   Candidates could be graded on a curve?  Wouldn't we want the best possible candidates to be police officers, not just the ones who fit into a minority group, be it race, sex, or religious choice.
   
   And I know that if I personally were TAKING the test, I'd want to be judged on my job qualifications, not the fact that I am a female.
   
   I'm really curious as to how others feel about this. 
   
   Here is the link to the full article:
   
   http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/day … dlh-090910

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      Evan G Rogersposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      i vote to privatize the law enforcement.

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         TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Do you care to expand on that opinion?
         
         Come on, I know you can do it...

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            Jeff Berndtposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Oh, now you've done it!

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         I am DB Cooperposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Would that really help with the issue at hand? I'm having trouble envisioning a society with private law enforcement enforcing public laws. I mean, look how well private prisons have worked...

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   Jeff Berndtposted 12 years ago

   In other news (old news) the NewHaven, Connecticut police department made the headlines about a decade ago for not hiring someone who scored too highly on his intelligence test.
   
   Speaking from memory only, I seem to recall their Chief of Police saying something like this:
   "Police work tends to be really boring. Guys who are too smart get dissatisfied and quit. I don't want to waste time and money training a guy who's going to get bored and quit in a year."
   
   This surprised me, because I thought investigating crime called for a certain level of intelligence. And I've known a few cops in my day; they aren't stupid people.

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      TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      And this man got to be Police Chief? Unbelievable.  How many unsolved crimes does he have on the books, I wonder...
      
      
      WryLilt--When it comes to the police who protect our cities, I would think everyone would want the top of the class being the ones who are hired...

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         WryLiltposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes but I'm sure even you know that not all people are created equal.
         
         Some smart ones go really well without trying.
         
         Some average ones try really hard but still can't achieve what they try for.

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            TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            
            
            I understand what you are saying, but I still believe that the ones who DO achieve are the ones who should get the jobs, don't you?
            
            I mean, I confess to not being very knowledgeable about computer technology, although I try and learn the best I can.
            
            I'm sure someone would rather have a computer expert who knows his stuff tutoring them, over someone like me, who's has tried hard to understand, but still doesn't...
            
            I'm not saying to punish those who don't "make the grade", so to speak, I'm just suggesting it's not a good move to hire them when someone else does better on testing.

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   WryLiltposted 12 years ago

   Schools mark on the bell curve.
   
   It would look bad if everyone got similar marks. It's a system that means the best gets the best mark and so on down. That means if you have ten genius' at the top of the class, if all the rest of the kids are just 'very smart', they'll have to get lower marks.

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   Tom Cornettposted 12 years ago

   The as usual...halfassed DOJ is wasting (some)applicants hope,time, energy and money. It is supposedly unjust to discriminate....but only against minorities.
   
   Sooo...if they insist on continuing this practice..they need to come up with the exact numbers instead of enforcing their vague ideas of meeting judicial guide lines.
   
   Such as: 100 jobs are available.
   You must hire:
   
   30 African Americans 1/2 must be female.
   30 Latin Americans   1/2 must be female
   10 Middle Eastern Americans 1/2 must be female
   10 Asian Americans  1/2 must be female
   10 Native Americans  1/2 must be female
   10 Caucasian Americans 1/2 must be female
   
   Then....at least...people would have an idea about their chances of being hired.  As the jobs are filled...it should be published on line.

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      TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Good idea, Tom--think they'd do it?

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         Tom Cornettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Probably not...the Department of Justice...I doubt has the capability of making competent legal decisions...most of them probably got their jobs through political favor.

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      Jeff Berndtposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      "It is supposedly unjust to discriminate....but only against minorities."
      
      Smart people are a minority. Haven't you noticed?

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         TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         When it comes to things like this, I have to agree with you, Jeff!

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         Tom Cornettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I have noticed that. 

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   sandra rinckposted 12 years ago

   So if they are all under average, and they were graded on a curve, then... bad idea, bad!

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   habeeposted 12 years ago

   I think the practice is unfair. I'll give you another example. Several years ago, I taught a high school senior named Lynn. She was black and was super smart. She wanted to get into journalism. She went to college for a while and then decided to apply for the college's journalism school. One weekend, she drove home and came up to the high school to see me. Man, was she mad! She found out that she'd get extra points on the entrance exam just because she was black! No other minorities got this help - just African Americans. She said it was a slap in the face to her - like she needed extra points to do as well on the exam as whites, Hispanics, Asians, etc. "I don't WANT their help, nor do I NEED it!"
   
   And I'm sure she didn't. As I said, she was very intelligent and was a great writer.
   
   I've been the victim of reverse discrimination. I taught at a preschool for underprivileged students. The director, an African American female, got fired. They asked me to fill in as director until a new one could be found. I did a great job for two months, until they hired another AA female. At the time, I had two years of college in education, had worked as a para pro with an elementary teacher, and had preschool children of my own. The woman they hired had never attended college, had no kids of her own, and had never had a job working with children. They begged me to stay on as an instructor, but I didn't. The new director lasted only a few weeks. Then they wanted to hire me to fill the job, but I had already started back to college to finish my teaching degree.
   
   I know minorities have suffered a lot of discrimination, but I think there should be some way to screen applicants for jobs in a way that the employer can't tell if you're black, white, young, old, fat, thin, attractive, ugly, Christian, Muslim, atheist, etc. Why couldn't a job interview be done via computer?
   
   Sorry I got carried away! lol

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      EmpressFelicityposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree with you, Habee.  When you think about it, reverse discrimination of any sort is extremely patronising to the minority being "helped".  Effectively it's saying "you're not talented/bright enough to get this job solely on your own merits, so here is a boost up the ladder.  Oh, and when you get the job, everyone will say behind your back, 'She only got that job because she's black', regardless of how well you acquit yourself once you're actually in post."
      
      Reverse discrimination is the invention of guilt-obsessed middle class left wing luvvies who don't understand the concept of "unintended consequences".

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         TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         
         
         I couldn't agree with you more, Empress...

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      TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Habee--Your story is exactly what I was talking about at one point.  I would feel the same way as Lynn, if I'd been in that situation--it'd be like a slap in the face.
      
      It's ironic, what you said about job interviews being done via computer--Tom got his new job that way.  We saw the job online, applied online, he got interviewed over the phone, then the next thing he knew, he was hired. 
      
      He didn't meet anyone until he went in his first day for an orientation-type meeting.
      
      I'm so sorry about what happened to you, that's so unfair, too...

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         habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         My situation turned out for the best! It prompted me to finish my English ed/teaching degree.

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            TamCorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            
            
            Well, I'm really glad to hear that!
            
            Isn't it odd, though--it seems most people are against this kind of action, but it's keeps being done?
            
            I am really surprised that someone didn't come on here defending it, but I'm glad to see so many that didn't!

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