Police Dept. Drops Swim Test to Recruit Minorities

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

In this day and age when we are supposed to be "improving" and "evolving" into more "enlightened" people with more "leisure" time, why is it that we must EVER lower standards?

It was a rehetorical question.

 

[atek3]

I'm a skinny white sinker. Rather than lower the bar, maybe they should recommend swim lessons at the YMCA?


atek3

 

[stevelyn]

I wonder if they lower the standards for firearm qualification or other requirements.

Funny you should ask. Years ago when I was in the Army MP Corps, a few of us in a platoon I was assigned to had subscriptions to "Police Career Digest" getting ideas and preparing for life after the Army. For those unfamiliar with the publication, it lists police departments nationwide that are having current recruitments. In addition to department, community info, and points of contact, it lists some of the basic qualifications for applying to the departments.

One thing that vividly sticks out in my mind was a recruitment notice for the Michigan State Police and their minimum passing requirements for the written exam.

It stated that white, male candidates were required to pass the entrance exam with a 94% or higher to be considered for the MSP. Women and minorities were required to pass with a 70% or higher score.

Now I've never considered ever moving to MI, but I read the requirements with interest. Then I wondered where the outrage from minorities over this requirement was. I don't know about anyone else, but to me the MSP were in effect stating that women and minorities weren't intelligent enough to pass the exam with scores much above 70%. I found it offensive and discriminatory to everyone applying to that agency. One group of applicants being held to a high standard, another being held to a ridiculously lowered standard.
What ever happened to setting one standard and expecting anyone interested in applying for the position to meet it? Am I being too idealistic here? Shouldn't minority groups be outraged at the message being sent by lowered performance standards?

 

[Art Eatman]

Having been around the world of swimming since I was a little kid, one thing I learned: There are extremely few people who, if they really wish to, cannot learn the basics within a half-hour or less. Another half-hour or so, and we're back to the instructions for a far more complex action: Pistol shooting, with its "Practice, practice, practice."

Art

 

[YammyMonkey]

Every Naval Aviator/NFO candidate must be able to swim a mile in a flightsuit and boots in something like 80 minutes. if it's possible to teach black guys who are scared of the water and can't swim at all to pull that off, then it's entirely possible to teach a wannabe cop to doggie paddle a few laps in a pool.

 

[BenW]

I had to attend Navy aviation water survival training for work. In my class, there were three marines that had never swum a stroke in their life. After three days, they were not only swimming, but had no problem making an underwater egress from a tin can with a hole in it, upside down in 15 feet of water, in full flight gear and blindfolded. Motivation can work wonders.

 

[Ron_Miami]

My high school required a swimming test before admission. If you didn't pass, you took lessons until you did.

I guess in those days 7th graders were held to a higher standard than police today.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Ezekial:

Save for Leatherneck, most replies strike me as knee-jerk reactions written by a bunch of polarizers. (I could be wrong.) In this case, swimming is a gatekeeper for every applicant if you cannot swim. It's farcical that folks would be concerned about its eradication as a diatribe seeing that, by account, teaching officers how to swim is now part of their training.

I don't think swimming is "now" part of their training. I think the implication is that because they have lowered the bar, swimming will now have to become part of their training. And I see that as a problem. I'm certain they won't extend the duration of police academy, so that means they will have to eliminate or truncate some other, presumably important, aspect of training to create time for teaching a skill that in that jurisdiction is a necessary job skill. That's wrong.

Perhaps they might look at conditional hires, subject to the proviso that the applicants are scheduled for a future academy date and must ON THEIR OWN learn to swim and pass the est before being allowed to begin the cycle. It doesn't make sense to give them until the end -- what if they can't/won't learn, and can't pass the test at the end of the cylcle? Under that circumstance, they should not be allowed to graduate and become an officer, so the training has been watsed that could have been used to train a qualified candidate.

 

[Ryder]

The explanation was that Blacks often have heavier and denser bones

I've read that before. It's not common knowledge. A quick search only shows a few osteoporosis sites which mention a connection between bone density and race. It doesn't look too significant.

I can swim. It would be harder with extra weight but it can be done. I remember the fear I had of learning to swim in deep water. If they'd wanted to teach me with excercise weights on my ankles I'd have passed it up without question.

 

[JOE MACK]

The crybabies! They should have been taught how to swim the way I was taught. We took a boat to the middle of a large lake when I was really, really young. I was then pitched overboard. Probably the most difficult part of the process was getting out of the plastic trash bag to start the swim to shore!

 

[firearms_instructor]

Here's how I view it:

Ezekiel,

As far as I'm concerned, swimming is an important life skill that should be taught and learned at a very young age, especially if you live in a coastal area. If I had kids I would either teach them to swim myself, or enroll them in swimming lessons ASAP. It's not up to the taxpayers to pay for this.

You may call me a knee-jerk polarizer, but I fail to see how it is the taxpayers' duty to pay for minorities to take swimming lessons in order to become cops, or suffer because the local PD lowered its standards to accomodate minorities. In fact, I think it's ridiculous and wrong.

Oh, and here's some more knee-jerk polarizing: any law or policy that favors any so-called "minority" is racist, divisive, and wrong, and a violation of "equal protection under the law".

 

[Orthonym]

I, Too, am a Skinny White Sinker

Further, I know where the terms "floater" and "sinker" came from. You see, I attended Ga. Tech, where Drownproofing was invented, and of course we all had to pass THAT course. The technique was invented by Fred Lanoue(sp?) who had been swimming coach there, years before. I don't know what y'all think of the terms "ectomorph", "mesomorph", and "endomorph", but the first two classes are dense enough that they have not much bouyancy, the third floats just fine, what with all of that fat. Not coincidentally, swimming is the sport in which girls can most easily do as well as, and sometimes better than boys. Yes, women do have more fat on them than men. Helps to produce that shape we love to look at. (snork)

Well, Mr. Lanoue said that floaters and sinkers are found everywhere, but there seem to be more sinkers, proportionately, in those of recent African ancestry. He determined this by EXPERIMENT. Nonetheless, all can learn his proven techniques, and save their lives if they fall overboard and have to wait a while for rescue. Myself, I can't float in fresh water, except by using the"deadman" style taught in drownproofing.

Another thing: Weren't Roman soldiers expected to swim across rivers while wearing their armor and carrying their weapons? If yer a big strong guy, being bouyant is not as important (for a short time, which is all we should ask of policemen) as churning your way across. (Think aqueous helicopter).

 

[Kim]

If taxpayers are going to pay to teach people to swim then they should pay for a firearm for each citizen and safety training. I took swimming lessons for 6 years while in brownies and girl scouts and I can still swim like a fish and know how to flost for hours if need be and I am middle age. No taxpayer dollars just two good parents that wanted me to survive if I fell into the pond etc.(monetarily poor parents at that). I cringe when I see someone that only knows the Amercian Crawl because I know they will not be able to swim far without giving out. I've had two good friends drown. A parent should teach their children to swim as much as gun safety. It is common sense. However back to this article---------I seem to remember about 2-3 years ago a minority sued the police department in this part of Florida for racial discrimination becauae he was fired or not hired because he could not swim. He claimed that Blacks could not swim because of the psychological damage done due to the slave ship experience of his forefathers and it had been passsed on from generation to generation.

 

[Orthonym]

Uh,Kim, please read my post above, carefully?

From internal evidence in your post, I infer that you are a female, and therefore you have an easier time than we XY people do, when it comes to swimming.

 

[Orthonym]

BUMP! This is important, folks!

And I feel very strongly about it! It doesn't matter if you are a cop or a private citizen, if you are a male or a female, it's about NOT DROWNING! I know I'm gettin' off-topic here, but this is important! EVERYBODY needs to know how to survive, and act effectively, if suddenly dumped into water more than head-deep! You can learn how to float and stay alive for a while, even if you are a sinker. You can learn how to swim for a reasonable distance, even while wearing your armor and weapons. And, yes, if policemen wish to earn our respect and confidence, I think that minimal swimming skills would help there.

 

[c_yeager]

So do they still have to RUN for their qualification? I mean you can TEACH people to run in training too right?

What about sit ups and push ups?

What about speaking english? THey can learn that in training too huh.

Why do we even HAVE qualifications for law enforcement. I meen jeeze it's like these ELITISTS are trying to be selective and get good candidates or something.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Standards are so..........discriminating