Are police not given mental health tests before being hired?

[Indus]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...k-threat-dallas-woman-child-article-1.2705351

A Kansas cop was fired for making bizarre online threats against a complete stranger’s young daughter after the attack on Dallas police.

Officer Rodney Lee Wilson was dismissed from the Overland Park force Friday after he commented on a public photo of LaNaydra Williams’ daughter, India — a 5-year-old who lives about 500 miles away in Dallas.

“We’ll see how much her life matters soon,” he wrote on a 2014 photo showing little India posing in a pair of boots. “Better be careful leaving your info open where she can be found Hold her close tonight it’ll be the last time.”

This is just a part of the article but it screams.. where is the professionalism? Good thing it's not all cops and he was fired for it. However how did this person ever get to be a cop with a looney bin mind in the first place?

Are they not given mental health tests?

 

[The Merg]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...k-threat-dallas-woman-child-article-1.2705351



This is just a part of the article but it screams.. where is the professionalism? Good thing it's not all cops and he was fired for it. However how did this person ever get to be a cop with a looney bin mind in the first place?

Are they not given mental health tests?

All major police departments and I would think even small departments give a psych test to candidates before hiring them. They're usually one of those tests where they ask you the same thing 10 different ways and they see how consistent/inconsistent you are with your answers. There is usually not another psych test after that.

As we know, people's mental states can change over time, so while they were mentally stable at the time of hire, that could have changed by now. Thankfully, they will no longer be in that position now.

 

[1sikbITCH]

We paid a company to perform psych evals on potential hires once.

Only one person passed the test and we hired her. Day one, by ten AM she has already cussed out the managing partner and is on the phone with the NAACP telling them to come on down because the white devil (office manager is a redhead) was trying to fire her.

Even the cops couldn't keep straight faces while convincing her to leave.

 

[shortylickens]

Are you kidding?
Some cities dont even require them to have any formal police training.

 

[The Merg]

Are you kidding?
Some cities dont even require them to have any formal police training.

Where do you get that from?

Some small towns might hire people and then send them off to a regional academy when there is class. I believe every state has some sort of agency that monitors law enforcement certifications.

 

[Eli]

I've been saying for years that police should be held to the same standards that our military is.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Are you kidding?
Some cities dont even require them to have any formal police training.

you have no clue

 

[Darwin333]

Where do you get that from?

Some small towns might hire people and then send them off to a regional academy when there is class. I believe every state has some sort of agency that monitors law enforcement certifications.

My father was made a deputy and given, and still has and carries, a badge for purely political reasons. He received absolutely zero training, just showed up for pictures and fingerprinting and then bam got a badge. Granted he does zero actual police work but he is technically a cop and could if he so decided.

 

[Grooveriding]

The barrier of entry to law enforcement is far too low for the amount of responsibility invested in those who do the job. It should require a university degree, rigorous psychology testing and passing a physical. The latter two revisited periodically to verify things are still in order.

They also should all be subjected to independent oversight with the job of investigating criminal police given to an independent organization comprised of individuals who have not worked within the police organization they are investigating.

These days many officers are low IQ thugs. It's not a hard job to get when it should be. They could also stand to seriously weaken the police unions, which protect criminal officers rather than cast them out.

 

[Subyman]

I'm not sure about local police, but IL state police have many tests and certainly have a mental test as well because I knew someone that failed it. He ended up becoming a correctional officer instead...

 

[The Merg]

My father was made a deputy and given, and still has and carries, a badge for purely political reasons. He received absolutely zero training, just showed up for pictures and fingerprinting and then bam got a badge. Granted he does zero actual police work but he is technically a cop and could if he so decided.

Sheriff's offices are another animal all-together... Most Sheriff's are elected and they can appoint any one they want to positions within their department. I don't really agree with that.

Police departments are different though. The chief is usually appointed by the governing body of the town/city/etc and the officers are all hired through the normal hiring process.

 

[The Merg]

The barrier of entry to law enforcement is far too low for the amount of responsibility invested in those who do the job. It should require a university degree, rigorous psychology testing and passing a physical. The latter two revisited periodically to verify things are still in order.

They also should all be subjected to independent oversight with the job of investigating criminal police given to an independent organization comprised of individuals who have not worked within the police organization they are investigating.

These days many officers are low IQ thugs. It's not a hard job to get when it should be. They could also stand to seriously weaken the police unions, which protect criminal officers rather than cast them out.

The barrier is not as low as you think it might be. Where I live they normally have about 4,000 people apply each year for the police department. Of that, less than 100 get hired to go to the police academy. About 10-20% don't make it through the academy due to additional testing and evaluation.

As for requiring a university degree, that doesn't really mean a lot. I know plenty of college graduates that are not as smart as people that only have a HS diploma and real word experience.

As for the unions, they are not necessarily as strong as you think either. There are plenty of "right to work states" where the unions basically have no power at all. The idea that every place has a union like NYPD is a fallacy.

 

[Subyman]

My father was made a deputy and given, and still has and carries, a badge for purely political reasons. He received absolutely zero training, just showed up for pictures and fingerprinting and then bam got a badge. Granted he does zero actual police work but he is technically a cop and could if he so decided.

The sheriffs department is much different than normal law enforcement. A deputy's duties can be anything from court room security to serving civil papers or even just desk work. Law enforcement is only a small part of the sheriffs departments responsibility. They are different than police officers.

For example, we have a family friend who is a lawyer. He was deputized so he could serve evictions. He has never arrested or pulled over anyone and never will.

 

[1sikbITCH]

The barrier of entry to law enforcement is far too low for the amount of responsibility invested in those who do the job. It should require a university degree, rigorous psychology testing and passing a physical. The latter two revisited periodically to verify things are still in order.

Haha anyone smart enough to graduate college is smart enough to NOT be a cop. That's the problem. Gene pool of candidates is slim to begin with.

 

[master_shake_]

eggs are graded with more scrutiny.

 

[Subyman]

Haha anyone smart enough to graduate college is smart enough to NOT be a cop. That's the problem. Gene pool of candidates is slim to begin with.

Incorrect. I have many friends from school who went to college, got a BS, and joined law enforcement. Depending on the area, LEO pay can be good especially if you have a family and need benefits. The caricature of the moronic, hill billy cop is false. While some are power tripping idiots, many are well educated and well trained.

 

[Art&Science]

The sheriffs department is much different than normal law enforcement. A deputy's duties can be anything from court room security to serving civil papers or even just desk work. Law enforcement is only a small part of the sheriffs departments responsibility. They are different than police officers.

For example, we have a family friend who is a lawyer. He was deputized so he could serve evictions. He has never arrested or pulled over anyone and never will.

Depends where you are in the US.

In Florida, for example, the Sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer in the county and answers to the Governor of the state. In addition, Deputies are law enforcement officers and do everything from run traffic, investigate crimes, make arrests - they also do things like court room security and serving papers - but their primary job IS law enforcement and they trump EVERYONE in the county, they are the boss.

Now, a state like Massachusetts or Virginia - completely different. Sherrif's office is literally paper pushers. They have essentially no real authority, they don't do any real policing. Local police departments do all the "real" work.

It just depends on where you are in the US and what that state's constitution says about law enforcement and the role of the Sherrif.

I can tell you when I lived in Orlando, some years ago, there was a requirement that all cadets entering the police academy have a 4 year college degree and pass a psychological evaluation and a physical evaluation. It however, was eventually deemed that these requirements were racist and sexist because some people could not graduate college and some people weren't strong enough, or were too fat and out of shape, to pass physical. As far as I know psych eval is still there.

Please, please, please don't compare law enforcement requirements to military ones. They are not the same - generally speaking police requirements for education and experience are far higher (or they used to be that is).

 

[Art&Science]

Haha anyone smart enough to graduate college is smart enough to NOT be a cop. That's the problem. Gene pool of candidates is slim to begin with.

It doesn't help that the pay is LOW.

Lots of people go to college with the plan of serving in the military. Lots of people also go to college with the plan of entering law enforcement; they are not that dissimilar of goals but are different in results for sure.

With law enforcement, the pay is pretty crap - at least initially. For instance, when I graduated in Y2k I could go to the state police academy and work for the state police. The starting pay was $21,000 per year. There was no assistance for housing, no assistance for meals, etc. On top of that I would have to go ANYWHERE in the entire state that the state chose for a 2 year assignment - only after that could I petition to go somewhere else, and there was no guarantee.

With the military though, the starting pay was more and your room/board/meals were covered by the military - and so was healthcare! Not to mention, the military would pay off student loans for school. The state would NOT do this working for the state police.

So the answer is, yes, many people do in fact go to college with the plan to go into law enforcement. Some people plan to do it for 2-4 years (kind of like people do with the military) and then go into something else in public service, or into law practice, etc. It just doesn't happen as much as it does with the military because the perks aren't there.

 

[Grooveriding]

I'm all for paying them a higher salary and would gladly fork over additional taxes to have a better educated, trained and competent police force where I live. I keep see recurring instances of cops who are no better than the crooks they are supposed to be dealing with, only they are sanctioned and protected in their criminality. We just had an officer convicted of attempted murder where I live and he's trying to have the mandatory minimum sentence declared a human rights violation to avoid the jail time

If it were not a police officer you'd just laugh at the notion, but who knows with how they seem to get preferential treatment when they break the law. It's an uncertainty how it will go when it comes to criminal cops getting appropriate punishments.

I'm of the opinion that when police break the law, they should get even harsher punishments for the same crime were it committed by a regular citizen. A lot of the crap the bad ones get up to would be discouraged if they weren't always seeing their fellow cops getting away with all sorts of crap.

 

[The Merg]

Depends where you are in the US.



In Florida, for example, the Sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer in the county and answers to the Governor of the state. In addition, Deputies are law enforcement officers and do everything from run traffic, investigate crimes, make arrests - they also do things like court room security and serving papers - but their primary job IS law enforcement and they trump EVERYONE in the county, they are the boss.



Now, a state like Massachusetts or Virginia - completely different. Sherrif's office is literally paper pushers. They have essentially no real authority, they don't do any real policing. Local police departments do all the "real" work.



It just depends on where you are in the US and what that state's constitution says about law enforcement and the role of the Sherrif.



I can tell you when I lived in Orlando, some years ago, there was a requirement that all cadets entering the police academy have a 4 year college degree and pass a psychological evaluation and a physical evaluation. It however, was eventually deemed that these requirements were racist and sexist because some people could not graduate college and some people weren't strong enough, or were too fat and out of shape, to pass physical. As far as I know psych eval is still there.



Please, please, please don't compare law . enforcement requirements to military onesie. They are not the same - generally speaking police requirements for education and keexperience are far higher (or they used to be that is).

Not exactly correct about Virginia. All jurisdictions have a Sheriff's office, which is the primary law enforcement agency for that jurisdiction. However, towns, cities, and counties can vote to have a police department. If they do so, the police department takes over law enforcement duties while the Sheriff's department continues to do all civil service.

 

[shortylickens]

Where do you get that from?

Some small towns might hire people and then send them off to a regional academy when there is class. I believe every state has some sort of agency that monitors law enforcement certifications.

They MIGHT, if they have the money and inclination. Some poor towns just employ guys who are physically fit and dont have a plethora of misdemeanors.

 

[JEDIYoda]

They MIGHT, if they have the money and inclination. Some poor towns just employ guys who are physically fit and dont have a plethora of misdemeanors.

More guessing and conjecture with no facts....so what`s new????

 

[The Merg]

They MIGHT, if they have the money and inclination. Some poor towns just employ guys who are physically fit and dont have a plethora of misdemeanors.

And you have this info from where? At some point all law enforcement officers have to go through some sort of an Academy.

Now I wouldn't be surprised if some small poor towns did hire guys with some misdemeanors on their record. Having a criminal record in itself does not disqualify you from being a police officer. How much would you care if he had a conviction for weed from 10 years ago?

 

[sportage]

I have a black sheep in-law who was once a cop.
He was very screwed up. Carried this knife with a hook on the end. He loved to brag how one swipe could gut a person like a fish.
He was eventually fired after caught randomly pointing his gun at teens scooping the loop down town on a Saturday night. He was off duty to boot.

 

[shortylickens]

More guessing and conjecture with no facts....so what`s new????

First off, poop on you.

Second, I talked to guys in small towns in Virginia who were police. A couple times at a shitty little truck stop and once at a shitty little diner, on my way to the mountains (I was going camping).

Thats where I got my information. First hand. Not a bullshit statistics page from nutjob similar to yourself.

third and most important, the reason I stopped giving EVIDENCE to you whiny little cunts in P&N is you always change the topic or jump all over the source and completely forget what we were talking about to begin with. I am tired of it and I dont care anymore. If you dont like what I have to say and think I'm stupid, you'd do better to put me on ignore.

I tried for years using better logical arguments against you whiny P&N cunts and it never went anywhere. If you think its OK to say blacks are a result of their environment then why cant I say the same thing here at your precious fucking P&N?

In fact, since you do love shit arguments so much, I think I shall take my own advice.