DOJ Says Pa. State Police Discriminated Against Women Who Flunked Physical Fitness Tests

CNS News ^ | 07/30/2014 | Susan Jones

[Rusty0604]

The Obama administration is suing the Pennsylvania State Police for requiring both men and women applying for entry-level trooper jobs to pass the same physical fitness tests.

Because more men than women pass the tests, their use is discriminatory and violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Justice Department says.

From 2003-2008, approximately 94 percent of male applicants passed the test, while only 71 percent of female applicants passed.

DOJ concluded that the 2003 and the 2009 tests were "not job-related" and "not consistent with business necessity..." But the Pennsylvania State Police website makes it clear that the job of a State Trooper can be physically demanding.

"Essential job functions" of Pennsylvania State Troopers include:

-- Arresting people, "forcibly if necessary";

-- Subduing resisting suspects;

-- Pursuing fleeing suspects and performing rescue operations "which may involve quickly entering and exiting law enforcement vehicles; lifting, carrying and dragging heavy objects; climbing over and pulling up oneself over obstacles; jumping down from elevated surfaces; climbing through openings; jumping over obstacles, ditches and streams; crawling in confined areas; balancing on uneven or narrow surfaces and using body force to gain entrance through barriers."

Several years ago, the Justice Department took legal action against the Corpus Christi, Texas police department on similar grounds.

That case, finally settled in May 2013, required Corpus Christi police to replace the physical fitness tests it had been using for applicants; and distribute $700,000 in back pay to eligible female applicants who took and failed the challenged physical abilities test between 2005 and 2011.

[MrB]

“Standards” inherently discriminate.

Leftists just don’t seem to get that.

[Bogey78O]

Will the DOJ chip in for the funeral costs for dead cops due to PC?

[Rusty0604]

Exactly.

[Rusty0604]

That is discrimination because there are a lot of guys under 6’.

[afsnco]

Why should they limit social engineering to only the military?

[Durus]

That’s my point. It was waived for women and not for men making it a clear case of discrimination against men. If a 5’5” woman can do the job then a 5’5” man can do the job.

[bgill]

What, criminals don’t respect female cops enough to slow down for them?

[Ransomed]

I seem to remember a study that showed that the larger % of women on police forces, the more instances of force had to be used, either by the female cops themselves or male cops in defense of their female partners. I guess a lot of folks didn’t obey them, so force had to be used more often. The police departments with the most black men used the least amount of force, the theory was that they were more intimidating and were obeyed faster.

Freegards

[Rusty0604]

Yes, I was just agreeing with you.

[1010RD]

Are the requirements necessary. Is the standard equally held? Then it’s fine.

[ansel12]

My memory of the mid to late 1960s was that height requirements for cops, was the first to go.

It used to be that a cop would walk into a bar with his billy club and arrest a man alone, or with his partner.

[itsahoot]

This should be under the heading; “You can’t make this stuff up.”

[itsahoot]

That's probably a little more realistic than the TJ Hooker type scenes where Heather Locklear takes down some 250 pound, muscular thug.

Ever watch the movie "salt?"

[itsahoot]

My sister was a cop and was pretty good at using her PR24 nightstick. That and the blackjack.

I remember my father opening an illegal night club in Oklahoma back around 1950. He had a couple black jacks to slow down the floor fights, but he soon discarded them and replaced them with a table leg, the black jacks were just not that effective against drunks in a rage.

[itsahoot]

In my state there used to be a requirement for state police that they must be a minimum of 6' tall. This was waived for women and is in fact a clear case of discrimination.

If you can't make the height, just claim to be transgendered, then you get preferential treatment.

[jimt]

The racist communist running the “Just Us” department scores another fabricated discrimination case.

To call him a POS is a vast understatement.

[PapaBear3625]

Apparently the physical requirements are not particularly stressing as what, 94% of men who apply pass the test? Ok, it is likely that only people reasonably fit even apply, but that is still an extremely high pass rate. Apparently 71% of women who apply pass too. That is also a great pass rate. It tells me that passing the test is not impossible for women, and in fact nearly 3 out of 4 women who try it do pass.

Due to the respective bell curves for physical ability, if you made the physical test hard enough that only 50% of men passed it, then essentially NO women would pass.

[GeronL]

Just like the military, different standards for different folks.

Wait until they start letting minorities graduate with 50’s instead of 70’s...

some places probably already do

[Durus]

Isn’t it a weird world we live in?