"Overqualified" Applicant--Does it exist in LE?

[bozo]

Is there such a thing as an "overqualified" applicant in the law enforcement world provided the candidate is of good standing in regards to his/her background (ie no drug usage, clean background, good work history, etc)?

For example, if you were on a local PD hiring board and someone walked in that had a PhD in Astrophysics and could speak Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish fluently and had his/her CPA license with extensive experience, what would you think?

Also, has anyone on here ever interviewed someone that was a so called "overqualified" applicant?

[ICEAGENT]

There was a case several years ago in Connecticut where a PD rejected a guy because he scored too high on the test. Their rationale was that he was too intelligent for the job and he would get bored quickly and quit, causing the town to have to spend more money to train a replacement. He ended up suing, not sure how it turned out for him.

[Cuchulainn]

There was a case several years ago in Connecticut where a PD rejected a guy because he scored too high on the test. Their rationale was that he was too intelligent for the job and he would get bored quickly and quit, causing the town to have to spend more money to train a replacement. He ended up suing, not sure how it turned out for him.

Judge ruled in favor of the police department.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/09/ny...iq-scores.html

[People's Champ]

There was a guy in my academy class that was a millionaire real estate mogul. He sponsored himself through the academy. He was one of those thrill seeker types that liked a challenge, and was in the academy just for fun. He actually ended up our class president.

He applied for several departments for a part time slot. He told us that none of them would take him seriously after they checked his finances during the BI. He endeded up landing a gig, but left after a few weeks. He then purchased a few car dealerships to fill the void. I don't think he is an officer anywhere now.

If you count that as "overqualified"

[bozo]

Just curious, do all PDs/LE agencies administer IQ tests? If so, I'm assuming the IQ test is not the written exam, right?

The IQ test must be given during the psychological exam, right?

[StudChris]

Considering a few of our latest new hires, it seems that a 22 year old with good credit, some education, and work experience beyond, "Would you like fries with that?" or "The dance is $20 a song" is over qualified.

[tmartinez91084]

Considering a few of our latest new hires, it seems that a 22 year old with good credit, some education, and work experience beyond, "Would you like fries with that?" or "The dance is $20 a song" is over qualified.

ha! thats crazy!

[Visual1Up]

ha! thats crazy!

Yeah, $20 is way too much.

I read about a guy many years ago who was a PhD in genetics (or chem.) I believe, and couldn't get hired at local agencies because he was told he was over qualified. He eventually got someone to give him a chance and they said he was a great officer.