Why Are So Many Cops Dumb?

[lewisnotmiller]

All my IQ scores throughout the years were within a few points of each other. I don't recall "book smart" questions. However, I do recall a lot of problem solving questions. Like, most of them seemed to be problem solving questions. Oh well, don't take it from me. I mean, I only took probably six or seven IQ tests in a controlled environment, as a child, and I probably don't remember them all that well.

IQ tests are more about pattern recognition, and the ability to discern and compare relationships between objects, etc.
There should be anything like 'factual or general knowledge' questions, as those speak more to exposure and retention of information than intelligence.

(IQ tests aren't great at measuring intelligence anyway, but still...)

 

[Alien826]

This joke is weak

Because .... ? Go on, I'm always ready to hone my skills at joke telling.

 

[Alien826]

Couple of considerations.
1) you don't know what is motivating the cops actions. (Perhaps the cop is aware of impending danger or other police actions which you would be impeding)

He didn't offer any explanation. I would have thought if there was some kind of danger he would have been more forthcoming, and also warned others in the area.

2) The cop don't know if your simply lying in order to continue loitering when loitering is perhaps not a good thing at the time given certain knowledge the cop may have, see above.

I was standing outside a nightclub. I'm not sure why the idea that I was lying would be his first thought. In any case, hwy would it matter if he just wanted me to move?

Or....3) the cop may simply be on a power trip

I don't think so. He was polite enough as cops go.

or you may have inadvertently annoyed the cop somehow.

I was just standing there.

Either way wrong place to be at the time for you, in which case you have to weigh your options for the most successful returns you are willing to accept.
Stand your ground, pay the potential adverse effects of doing so then spend your precious time fighting the charges in court or do what the cop says - within reason and ability - swallow your pride, annoyance etc., still ultimately complete your mission of meeting your friend and move on with your life.
Such are the prices we pay for living in an imperfect state.

That's what I did. I was around 24 at the time. He looked younger than that. It just seemed like a silly thing to instruct me to do, and I asked him to explain. It seemed that he didn't know, which was interesting in itself. As you say, there didn't seem much point in pursuing it.

 

[We Never Know]

The OP was discussing a situation where candidates with a high IQ score were excluded, as the recruiters believed they wouldn't remain in the police force long term.
They were literally excluding people with high IQs regardless of their 'wisdom'.

What I'm suggesting is to not include or exclude people purely on an IQ test (an imperfect measure at best anyway) and instead just make that one part of the assessment of a candidate.

Book smarts and wisdom are different. Your quote. But they're not exclusive of each other. My point.

IMO too much credit is being put on IQ tests than they deserves. There have been studies that imply singular IQ tests can be misleading in measuring a persons intelligence

Not too mention....

"After conducting the largest ever study of intelligence, researchers have found that far from indicating how clever you are, IQ testing is actually rather meaningless"

IQ tests are 'meaningless and too simplistic' claim researchers

Canadian scientists asked more than 100,000 participants to take part in the biggest ever study of intelligence - and found that traditional IQ tests simply do not work.

www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[Jimmy]

The OP was discussing a situation where candidates with a high IQ score were excluded, as the recruiters believed they wouldn't remain in the police force long term.
They were literally excluding people with high IQs regardless of their 'wisdom'.

What I'm suggesting is to not include or exclude people purely on an IQ test (an imperfect measure at best anyway) and instead just make that one part of the assessment of a candidate.

Book smarts and wisdom are different. Your quote. But they're not exclusive of each other. My point.

Ok

 

[Sargonski]

Your point?

Cops are double dog dumb ... can't you not understand nothing ?

 

[Aupmanyav]

Indian cops are not dumb when it concerns money.

 

[Revoltingest]

Detainee in back solicits sex with cop driving.
Cop's body cam goes dark.
Cop parks car in residential area.
Later, cop radios for help.
He's locked in back with the detainee.
Cop resigns.

 

[Revoltingest]

Cops mis-read a license#.
Think car is stolen....wrong car though.
2 occupants given conflicting orders.....
Get out of the car!
Get in the car!
Face forward!
The other forward!
2 people nearly killed because cops don't
care to verify info before nearly murdering
innocent people.
Then the cops lie to the father about the
nature of the mistake....blame the computer.
Body cams muted to synch their stories.
Suit will be filed.
Such violent stupidity.
For those interested...

 

[Revoltingest]

Woman calls cops complaining that neighbor
drives his ATV across her lawn.
Cops don't investigate where property line is.
Cops ignore neighbor's side of story.
Cops break into his house with neither warrant
nor exigent circumstances. They shoot & kill him.
They claim he charged at them with a bat, but
contrary to department policy, the shooter wore
no body cam.
Victim's mother has filed suit.
Taxpayers will be on the hook.

https://www.wvnstv.com/news/west-virginia-news/mercer-county/suspect-dies-after-officer-involved-shooting-in-princeton/

Mother Sues City Of Princeton After Son Dies In Officer-involved Shooting: Mercer County Tragedy Leads To Legal Action - Trends News Line

By Trend News Line 2024-05-09 02:22:46.

trendsnewsline.com

This video includes legal analysis.

 

[Revoltingest]

Cops receive info that there's a domestic violence
situation involving a man & a woman.
7 years later, they go to the home of the man's
brother & father in a different town. The man &
woman don't live there. Cops kick in door, & enter
with guns drawn when the innocent people inside
refuse to come outside.
This'll be a spendy lawsuit for the taxpayers.
@Shadow Wolf, you'll like that this involves
IN cops....who are almost as bad as CA cops.
For those interested....

 

[Shadow Wolf]

This'll be a spendy lawsuit for the taxpayers.
@Shadow Wolf, you'll like that this involves
IN cops....who are almost as bad as CA cops.
For those interested....

It will probably be difficult to find without a paid subscription to Kokomo Tribune, but many years ago pigs invaded someone's home in a no knock warrant. He was uncooperative, he had a gun drawn, I forget the specifics but the judge ruled in favor of the man.
The pigs were outraged, said they were scared amd feared for their lives and tried to subject the man to double jeopardy.
In Peru, one pig threatened to shoot the mayor at the time, Jim Walker, and some others all because he didn't get a day off that he didn't formally request off.

 

[Revoltingest]

Man & son buy sand at Walmart.
They pay.
They leave.
Walmart calls cops, claiming shoplifting.
Cops watch video of man & son leaving Walmart with sand.
They get warrant, & arrest both.
Man says he paid for it, & has receipt.
Cops don't care.
Off to jail.
Things change when man calls local news.
Then....& only then do cops investigate.
Sure enuf....video that Walmart had withheld
showed man paying for the sand.

I wonder how many innocent people were sent
to prison back when cops & stores merely had
to accuse one of a crime, no evidence needed?

 

[PureX]

IQ scores are mostly irrelevant when it comes to who will be good at what job, or who will like it more.

 

[Revoltingest]

IQ scores are mostly irrelevant when it comes to who will be good at what job, or who will like it more.

But for police departments to have the right to
discriminate against cops who score high on
intelligence (SCOTUS ruling), this is nonetheless
terrible policy & law.
Add to it the low standards for applicants, & the
extremely short training...which doesn't cover
constitutional rights, or handling medical issues.

It would make sense that when one is given a job
with a license to kill & take away others' freedoms,
there should be careful vetting, close supervision,
full accountability, & thorough training both
initially & on a continuing basis.
We need few fewer, far better cops.

 

[PureX]

But for police departments to have the right to
discriminate against cops who score high on
intelligence (SCOTUS ruling), this is nonetheless
terrible policy & law.
Add to it the low standards for applicants, & the
extremely short training...which doesn't cover
constitutional rights, or handling medical issues.

It would make sense that when one is given a job
with a license to kill & take away others' freedoms,
there should be careful vetting, close supervision,
full accountability, & thorough training both
initially & on a continuing basis.
We need few fewer, far better cops.

It's completely reasonable to discriminate based on IQ scores in favor a many other more appropriate criteria.

An IQ score would be way down the list of qualifying criteria.

 

[Revoltingest]

Cops pull over a man for a traffic violation.
Cops discover there's a warrant for a man with his name.
(Different middle names though.)
Man is black & in his 20s.
The warrant is for a blue eyed white man in his 40s.
Must be the same guy!
Man asks them to investigate further.
Nah.
They arrest the man.
He spends a week in jail until the system discovers the mistake.
Duh.

Police investigate themselves, & find no wrongdoing.
The man was "correctly arrested".
However, they'll institute new training methods to
educate cops to discern the difference between young
black & old white people.

 

[Sargonski]

It's completely reasonable to discriminate based on IQ scores in favor a many other more appropriate criteria.

An IQ score would be way down the list of qualifying criteria.

On the contrary .. IQ score is very high on the list for police .. .. if the score is too high they do not qualify .

 

[Shaul]

I recall the IQ issue from a while ago, but recently ran across this article....

Court OKs Barring Smart People From Becoming Cops (Really)

Reader Ryan McCormick sends this amazing story from ABC News. Robert Jordan wanted to be a cop and he applied for a job as such in New London,

reason.com

Excerpted....

Jordan sued for discrimination but to no avail. Here's what a federal court ruled:

Too smart for police work, "Jordan has worked as a prison guard since he took the test."



@Wu Wei might find it fascinating that even a lowly engineer
would be rejected as too smart to be a cop. An interesting
aspect of the average 104 IQ claim is that this means that
nearly half of cops are below average (100 IQ).
So we're giving a couple hundred thousand below average
intelligence people a gun & a license to kill to civilians.
And this after training that's less than what's required
to be a mechanic, real estate agent, or cosmetologist.
Ref....

U.S. law enforcement officers 2023 | Statista

How many police officers are there in the U.S.? In 2023, there were 720,652 full-time law enforcement officers employed in the United States, an increase from 708,001 the previous year.

www.statista.com

Are you willing to become a police officer to show everyone how it is supposed to be done?

 

[Revoltingest]

Are you willing to become a police officer to show everyone how it is supposed to be done?

Are you asking this for the purpose of defending dumb & corrupt cops?