DEGREES OF SAFETY

I totally disagree with Alderman Anthony Beale (D-(9th Ward), chairman of the City Council's Police Committee, in the statement he made last week about wanting to "level the playing field" for minorities to increase diversity in the police ranks. Even though Beale is African-American, I find that statement very racist because it seems he is implying that minorities are not as capable as other people.


The subject has come up because the city is holding the first police recruit entrance exam in four years to ease a severe manpower shortage.


To “level the playing field,” Beale wants the city to drop the post high-school educational requirement of 60 semester or 90 quarter college credit hours for someone to become a policeman. I would agree with that except college credit is not required if someone has served in the military. And since Beale himself has said that a lot of minorities cannot afford college and serve in the military instead, where is the problem? So since serving in the military can trump the educational requirement, what field needs to be leveled?


On January 6th, when it was being discussed if the police exam should be dropped also, I wrote a blog called, “Tests Are Important.” I wrote, “Mark Donahue, President of the Fraternal Order of Police said the idea of cancelling the exam ‘sounds too stupid to be true. You need a testing process. You need to be very concerned about the very limited information you would get from just a screening and application process.’”

At that time, I also wrote about a Sun-Times story by Fran Spielman and Frank Main that quoted Brad Woods, who ran the Personnel Division under former Chicago Police Superintendents Phil Cline and Terry Hillard: "A background check and a psych [exam] alone will not eliminate some people who should not be there.” Calling an application-only process a "step backward" and the "wrong way to go," Woods said, "When you lower your quality, you will get poor police service and more complaints. ... Whenever you make it easier to be the police, you're doing the citizens and the Police Department a disservice."

Luckily Chicago did not become the first major city to go with an application-only process or else becoming a policeman in Chicago might only require someone be breathing!

Back in January, I spoke to some policemen, who asked not to be quoted by name, but were outraged at the thought that the exam might be scrapped. “I worked and studied hard to pass the exam,” one told me, “plus there are certain educational requirements I had to meet. Opening up the hiring process to anyone whose only qualification is that they are a resident of the city would ludicrous,” one concluded.

Currently, the city does not even have an exam for any applicants to take. According to Constance Buscemi, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Human Resources an RFP has been issued to four firms asking for “master consulting agreements.” Buscemi said that, “The request seeks a vendor who would purchase a pre-existing exam directly from an exam developer, provide exam materials and study guides, staff the exam and administer and grade the exam." Responses to the proposal are due by Oct. 8.


On the blog about the possible elimination of the police exam, my friend Shaunta, who is African American, posted the following comment,” I feel that all of these short cuts and political correctness will be the down fall of this country. I notice that if it’s not cronyism or nepotism, it’s racial issues that come into play when it comes to jobs now days. What happened to the days of qualifications, skills and capabilities of being able to work hard to succeed? Nowadays short cuts are being created to make things easier; having to work hard and strive to reach goals is out of the question for many. The police officers that took the exams and passed them didn't have help, so why should they eliminate the exams to help people as of late. We are crippling our selves as well as our future. This is why we have a lot of self entitled young adults walking around because why should they follow rules and work hard, when eventually the system will bend to them any way.”


Because policemen are usually the FIRST responders when there is an emergency, I want the most educated and trained people possible helping me in a crisis. The color of their skin makes no difference. Beale should want the same for the citizens of Chicago.