MOST large urban centers have a large batteries of tests for people wanting to be police officers. One of them is a psychological test. This weeds out the “little tin god syndrome,” as you put it.
But not every town has that testing. So if you run into one, which you seem to have done, then I can understand what you say.
I got stopped by a motorcycle cop in our local shopping area. I asked what I did wrong. What I had done was cut off a couple walking across the street in the crosswalk.
Well, I hadn't been paying attention. I told him that he was right in ticketing me. I apologized and said that I knew he wouldn't have stopped me for no reason and that I deserved the ticket.
He hadn't said anything but at the end he said: "You've been so nice. I can't tear up the ticket as I've already written it. But, when you have to appear in court I'll be there and tell the judge that I made a mistake."
The ticket came up two and a half months later. I showed up and listened to all the other folks' explanations and still "my cop" hadn't shown up. Then, he came at the exact time MY ticket was up. He explained that he had made a mistake with "Mrs. B." So my ticket was dismissed.
He charged out of the courtroom. I charged out right after him. He was halfway down the hall and I called out: "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, OFFICER X!" He waved back at me.
So, my impression of cops is positive. My father had wanted to be a cop but was 1/2 inch too short. NOW there are no height limitations.
However, I always think that if I'm in real physical trouble/danger do I want a 5' woman cop or 6'4" man cop coming to my rescue?
I know; I know. Don't say it" "Wellll....it depends." I want the Big Guy, thankew very much.
It's SUPPOSED TO.
In practice?
Dr. Clarissa Cole on After Hours AM April 17, 2019
(Start at 1:18:31)
Dr. Cole: He had an epiphany; he was going to become a cop!
Eric Olsen: Ha ha ha what??? Uh, so, wait a minute, he was told by a former employer, if you ever, you better never get a job where you have influence over others, an authority position, or I’ll do whatever it takes to stop you. So wouldn’t becoming a cop kinda give him the ultimate authority over people?
Dr. Cole: Well, you know, lucky for all these other people, he kept moving from county to county so they weren’t really, uh, yeah, it is the ultimate authority he was just moving around so people wouldn’t know what he was doing, and I think getting out of the teaching profession they didn’t know what he was going to do.
He eventually applied to the Broward County Police Unit; he was rejected, though, because he failed the psychological test.
Eric Olsen: Oh that’s it he’s out of the career. No career for him He’s obviously unstable…
Dr. Cole: One, you know what? One would think so, and I actually used to perform these psych tests, and oh, do I have stories! You would think that it would even, it’s supposed to, let me tell you how it’s supposed to work, it’s supposed to prevent you from getting a job as a police officer or a prison guard.
Eric Olsen: Sure.
Dr. Cole: Does that always occur?
Eric Olsen: I would hope that it does.
Dr. Cole: No, no, no, I would say 50% of the time.
Eric Olsen: What?
Dr. Cole: It’s supposed to be a be a requirement, a REQUIREMENT, if you don’t pass, if you are not psychologically fit, you are not supposed to become a police officer or a prison guard. Does that actually preclude you from becoming a police officer even as long ago as what, 2005? No, I was doing them in 2005. Half of the people I rejected still became a cop.
Eric Olsen: How does that happen? How do they get around this?
Dr. Cole: Oh God there so many ways
Eric Olsen: Is it a buddy, a dad?
Dr. Cole: My son, he’s the son of my buddy, his dad is a cop, he has to be a cop, he’s going to work in this county and we’re really understaffed, we need people, we know he failed, but it’s OK. The amount of excuses I heard to employ people.
And that’s the thing, just so the general public is aware, it’s difficult to fail, it’s difficult to fail one of these psychological…
Eric Olsen: What would cause one…
Dr. Cole: It’s not like the bar is so darned high that no one could pass, it’s nothing LIKE that, this test is just to find out is this person basically psychologically stable, are they non-sadistic, do they not have criminal or punishing tendencies or narcissistic tendencies themselves. Basically you’re trying to weed out anybody that has a like God complex; I’m judge, jury, and executioner. You want to get those people out of there. You’re trying to get people out of there that are just psychiatrically so unstable that they can’t control their emotions so, maybe some sort of bipolar thing going on or somebody that absolutely clearly has a personality disorder, like narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder. They are not
Eric Olsen: Checks and balances. Checks and balances to protect the general public from somebody that would not do well in that position.
Dr. Cole: And I was very, yeah, I was extremely, forgiving on these psychological tests even when somebody would sort of hit sort of some of those marks on the tests we would give, I would ask in interviews I would ask a ton of questions just to be very, very sure that this person was indeed failing the psychological exam, and I did not fail that many people, but the people I failed, please believe me that it was for extremely good reasons, extremely good reasons, and half of them became cops anyway.
Eric Olsen: So when they‘d leave would they go to a different state and do it?
Dr. Cole: Hah no, they would get hired by different a county, like a couple minutes over usually. Somebody knew them and “Now let’s pick them up.” “No, no, no, he has really strong sadistic tendencies and fantasies of rape and murder, you really shouldn’t hire him” and they would. And that’s exactly, I hope it’s different that was like I said, this was in 2005, it scared the heck out of me and I said I would never have a career doing that I don’t want to know that those people are becoming officers.
Eric Olsen: Tell me it’s in the minority, though, that this happens.
Dr. Cole: It’s in the minority that people fail, the majority of people passed. But those that do fail, like I said it’s for very good reason, but half of them. Half of them got picked up. So no, it’s not a minority a full 50% got hired.
Eric Olsen: That is truly a scary number out there that 50% of...
Dr. Cole: It’s a small sample, a small sample that was in a place that was economically depressed and needed officers…
(End at 1:23:29)