Police Acadamy

Orionaut

Orionaut

Orionaut

Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2012
Posts
7,809
Watched the beginning of a program on freeview last night on US Police training.

You want to know why US Police seem to over react sometimes??

Well!

Police Academy is NOT like "Police Academy"

It seems actually to be more like "Full Metal Jacket"

Funnily enough it actually makes me rather more sympathetic towards them. I am not at all surprised that they seem on occasion to behave like ED209, filling an uncooperative suspect with lead because they haven't "Complied" within the 5 second, or so, time limit.

They are trained that way from day one in the academy!

I am frankly amazed it doesn't happen more often! :eek:
 
The reason why US police seem to overreact sometimes is because it's a thoroughly dangerous job where there is a chance you might get killed if you don't quickly make the right judgement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34950261

Last night a police officer died defending the public. Whilst it in no way defends the actions of some police offers you can see how challenging and risky the job is and how quickly things can turn bad.

I wonder how many of us would happily do that job?
 
The above plus a lot are battle weary veterans. Apparently their police also have to sit an IQ test and if they score too high they fail, so mid to low IQ. Top that off with ambitious politicians pushing for lower crime rates, gang culture, some pretty heinous crimes and their ideas about freedom and liberty and you get US cops.
 
[TW]Fox;28874733 said:
The reason why US police seem to overreact sometimes is because it's a thoroughly dangerous job where there is a chance you might get killed if you don't quickly make the right judgement.
Click to expand...
Most cases though, are where people are shot while running away from the police.
 
stopper said:
Most cases though, are where people are shot while running away from the police.
Click to expand...

'Most' cases of police involved shootings involve people being shot whilst running away? Really?

I think you mean 'Most' cases that dominate the world media involve that - which is fairly obvious because 'cop shoots guy with gun who was about to fire at him' doesn't make it above the local news.
 
The biggest issue with American Police is that they are expected to police a society so obsessed with firearms that they never know if the person they're speaking with is in possession of something that could kill them in an instant. They have to be on full alert all the time, and if they get it wrong, they die.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed training school. It was mildly militaristic at the time but still quite formal. The militaristic aspects were binned a few years later.

Believe it or not I wasn't taught to harass motorists, plant evidence, take backhanders or pick on ethnic minorities. Stick that one in your pipe Daily Mail.
 
jsmoke said:
The above plus a lot are battle weary veterans. Apparently their police also have to sit an IQ test and if they score too high they fail, so mid to low IQ. Top that off with ambitious politicians pushing for lower crime rates, gang culture, some pretty heinous crimes and their ideas about freedom and liberty and you get US cops.
Click to expand...

Any proof of this claim?
 
[TW]Fox;28874733 said:
The reason why US police seem to overreact sometimes is because it's a thoroughly dangerous job where there is a chance you might get killed if you don't quickly make the right judgement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34950261

Last night a police officer died defending the public. Whilst it in no way defends the actions of some police offers you can see how challenging and risky the job is and how quickly things can turn bad.

I wonder how many of us would happily do that job?
Click to expand...

According to the free thought project being an american cop isn't as dangerous as you may think, with the majority of deaths occurring due to accidents rather than criminal actions.
 
Skeeter said:
Any proof of this claim?
Click to expand...

yup, some police departments in the US want people with average 'intelligence' (IQ) only

http://abcnews.go.com/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story?id=95836

A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court’s decision that the city did not discriminate against Robert Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test.

“This kind of puts an official face on discrimination in America against people of a certain class,” Jordan said today from his Waterford home. “I maintain you have no more control over your basic intelligence than your eye color or your gender or anything else.”

He said he does not plan to take any further legal action.

Jordan, a 49-year-old college graduate, took the exam in 1996 and scored 33 points, the equivalent of an IQ of 125. But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training.

Most Cops Just Above Normal The average score nationally for police officers is 21 to 22, the equivalent of an IQ of 104, or just a little above average.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Skeeter said:
Any proof of this claim?
Click to expand...

Not sure about other forces but I know the New Orleans PD have an upper cut off on the IQ test results. I believe the rationale is that they select people who will retain job satisfaction and not become bored.

I know a few cops in New Orleans and I wouldn't do their job for 5x what they make. They find themselves in life threatening situations multiple times every shift. They and their colleagues get shot at and either injured or killed with frightening regularity.

It's easy to criticise from the comfort of a relatively docile country. They are people with spouses and children who want to go home to their family. Inevitably the job will attract some unsuitable candidates who slip through the net, but in my experience the vast majority are decent people who do the job for all the right reasons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom