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Is it true that police departments aim to hire those individuals with lower test and IQ scores, and that those of higher intelligence are discriminated against? Well, Robert Jordan claims that he was denied the opportunity to interview for the New London police force because his test scores were too high. In his lawsuit, judge Peter C. Dorsey ruled that the police department was authorized to bar high IQ scores, and he defended the actions, asserting that in doing so it was not discrimination toward Mr. Jordan, because the same standards were applied to everyone. Further, anyone who scored too high on their tests could be rejected.
Later on, in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, the decision was upheld, it was re-affirmed that since the same standards were applied to everyone, rejecting someone on the basis of high test scores did not constitute discrimination. Mr. Jordan lost his appeal. He took the exam, scoring 33 which is equivalent to a IQ of 125. New London police allegedly only interview candidates who score between 20 and 27.
Although, some police departments require a prerequisite of graduation from a post-secondary education (college), most students who are interested in policing obtain their 2 year criminology degree. However, whether this stipulation is followed firmly and accurately throughout the training process is unknown. The theory, worthy of some debate, for hiring individuals to fill policing occupations, who have a lower IQ, is that those with lower scores are less likely to leave the occupation after going through costly training.  Perhaps those individuals of lesser intelligence, are more likely to be obedient, to accept and act on orders from authority figures, without critically thinking and considering the ramifications of their actions.
meanMore frequently police officers are being investigated for using illegal prescriptions in order to obtain anabolic steroids, those using the steroids commonly refer to the act as ‘juicing’. The usage has been linked to several police brutality cases. As well, anabolic steroids are listed as a Schedule III substance, along with opium and morphine, and they can also be psychologically addictive. Common side effects include violent and aggressive behavior. The mix of steroids, low intelligence, and a shiny badge, doesn’t seem to be the makings for a peaceful and safe community.
Cases of alleged police brutality have risen sharply as of late. One report from the New York Civil Liberties Union, recently revealed that in New York alone, 60 percent of the incidents where police used a taser stun gun, the incident failed to meet the recommended criteria for the use of such a weapon. The report analyzes 851 taser incidents, from eight police departments across the state, as well as 10 departments’ policies and guidelines for using the weapons, which have been the cause of dozens of deaths.
It’s no wonder that we are seeing such an increase in aggressive and abusive police actions, alongside the increase in militarized policing methods. One could only hope that the men wearing the badges and uniforms, who enforce our laws, have developed social and decision making skills. Thus, enabling them to interact more effectively with community members, so that they can effectively assist them in deescalating stressful situations, instead of jumping to use chemical weapons, taser stun guns, or other means.