POLICE DEPARTMENTS TIGHTEN REQUIREMENT

Excerpted from: ENN EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Saturday, July 5, 1997 Vol. 1 - 186

POLICE DEPARTMENTS TIGHTEN REQUIREMENT
FOR NEW APPLICANTS
By Steve Macko, ERRI Crime Analyst

The days of when all a cop needed was a gun and a gruff attitude are gone. Today, police departments are seeking a different breed of officer, one who can work on a computer as well as breaking down a door.

The Chicago Police Department, this year, implemented stricter requirements for becoming an officer. First, the minimum age was raised from 21- to 23- years. And second, two years of college are now required of applicants. These changes were made partly in reaction to the indictiment of seven Chicago tactical (plain-clothes) officers on federal corruption charges. Chicago's new tougher standards reflect a national trend toward making it tougher for police officer applicants.

The New York City Police Department has also recently raised its age and education requirements this year to get higher-quality applicants. Law Enforcement analysts believe that other major U.S. cities will follow.

Mick Charles, the director of the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, said, "A lot of people think anyone can do this job, but it just isn't that way anymore. It's a real thinking person's job right now. We need people who are educated and mature enough to deal with the most complicated social issues in our community. These day's, it isn't enough to just be a tough guy."

An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people apply each year for 1,500 police positions in the state of Illinois. In 1993, only 2,000 of the 24,000 people who took the written exam in Chicago were hired as officers. In Carol Stream, a small community located west of Chicago, 400 people applied for three open positions during its last hiring period. It is not unusual for Chicago and its suburban police applicants to wait up to three years -- after passing several layers of qualifying exams -- to be hired.

Many of the police wannabes apply at several different departments simultaneously to improve their chances of landing a law enforcement job. Starting Chicago Police officers make $33,522 a year, while starting salaries at suburban Chicago departments range from the mid-$20,000s up to the upper $30,000s.

To become an officer, job seekers must fill out an application and must take and pass a written examination that can include both general knowledge and law enforcement questions. <Editor's Note: These written tests should be made tougher to at least college level.> Those who pass the test are ranked in order of their scores (In Chicago, applicants are said to be simply called "well-qualified."). Applicants then must pass a physical test, an intensive psycological exam and drug screening.

John Kauffman, the president of the Illinois Fire and Police Commissioners Association, said, "Psycological testers are looking at many different things when they screen a potential officer. Obviously, you're not going to want individuals who are going to have a quick temper or someone who can't follow directions. You want someone who is going to be truthful and have a high degree of integrity ... someone who can interact with all kinds of different cultures." <Editor's Note: These screeners should also look for people who have difficulty handling "power.">

Many departments also require applicants to take a polygraph examination <Editor's Note: Mostly useless, as per the subject of a recent ENN report.> and submit to medical examinations.

Background checks are also conducted and can include everything from a simple computer search of criminal records to interviews with a potential officer's neighbors and friends. Chicago Police Superintendant Matt Rodriguez wants to include juvenile criminal records in background checks. That's because it was revealed last year that some members of the CPD are street gang members and/or associated with street gang members. ERRI has been researching this issue and will submit a report on this subject at a later date.

When all the steps are completed, officers will then spend several weeks at a training academy and must pass a state board certification test. Law enforcement analysts believe that within the next ten to 15 years a bachelor's degree will be required at all police departments. ERRI would wholeheartedly endorse that proposal.

The ENN EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT is a subscription publication of the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes in Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS/Disaster and Medical Issues.

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