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Another sign that intelligence and an education are becoming a liability in our society.
A US man has been rejected in his bid to become a police officer for scoring too high on an intelligence test.
Robert Jordan, a 49-year-old college graduate, took an exam to join the New London police, in Connecticut, 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.
Mr Jordan launched a federal lawsuit against the city, but lost.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court’s decision that the city did not discriminate against Mr Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test.
He said: “This kind of puts an official face on discrimination in America against people of a certain class. 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 and has worked as a prison guard since he took the test.
The average score nationally for police officers is 21 to 22, the equivalent of an IQ of 104, or just a little above average. (Source-ananova.com)
In a job that at times requires the ability to make reasoned and informed decisions on matters of life and death, do we really want only those of average intelligence?
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Sunday, November 8th, 2009, 1:42 pm | 
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9 November 2009 at 8:12 am
No, I've heard the arguments for this mental double-standard before. Dumber people will do everything they're told and smart intelligent people might make the mistake of deliberating before following an order, trying to think it through instead of just reacting. Better to just act according to training without ever wondering if you ought to.
My cousin heard the same stuff about the Armed Forces when he joined up 20 years ago. They didn't want people smart enough to challenge the ideas of higher-ups. Questions can lead to dissension and division and might get in the way of the group working together as a team.
8 November 2009 at 6:08 pm
This makes me cringe. The police force requires people who can think quickly, on their feet. Smart people can generally do this. Good move New London.
8 November 2009 at 5:57 pm
They have a point in that its long been known by psychologists that people of high IQ tent to find repetitive and boring jobs far more difficult to endure than those of average IQ.
But it also seems rather shortsighted in that it eliminates at the outset people who could be fast-tracked for positions of greater leadership and responsibility.
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9 November 2009 at 5:08 am