Affirmative action

[Niceguy07]

Recently we were discussing Affirmative action in the selection of police officer in my criminal justice class. What are your personal views on affirmative action? Are you opposed to it or do you feel that a little affirmative action here and there wouldn’t do the department any harm and would result in a more diverse and multicultural police department?
It was brought up becuase there were not that many minorities or women in the police departments compared to white males.

[1042 Trooper]

Recently we were discussing Affirmative action in the selection of police officer in my criminal justice class. What are your personal views on affirmative action? Are you opposed to it or do you feel that a little affirmative action here and there wouldn’t do the department any harm and would result in a more diverse and multicultural police department?
It was brought up becuase there were not that many minorities or women in the police departments compared to white males.

It is reverse discrimination and I hate it. In today's world, women and minorities have many other protections and have general support from society to pursue anything they are qualified to do.

Giving points to them, expressly due to race or sex, is dejavu all over again.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

[PhilipCal]

Affirmative Action

I go back to that time in my life when I heard Dr. King say in essensce. all we want is a level playing field. I had no problem with that then, I have no problem with it now. That is not what has happened. Affirmative Action has produced many individuals who were not qualified for either entry level positions, or the promotions they subsequently recieved based on race. I spent many hours doing work these people were incapable of, or cleaning up the messes many of them had made. Diversity, real diversity, is based on "qualified" people of different ethnic backgrounds who are qualified for the position.promotion they are seeking.

[SlowDownThere]

In this country, the practice of reverse discrimination (affirmative action) was challenged all the way to the Suprme Court, which authorized it use in the 1970's. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote for the majority, and said at the time, that surely, this practice can be justified for no more than 20 years or so.

Today, affirmative action in the USA consists largely of actively recuiting candidates, rather than the strict quotas that we saw in the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's.

[JDep]

It is reverse discrimination and I hate it. In today's world, women and minorities have many other protections and have general support from society to pursue anything they are qualified to do.

Giving points to them, expressly due to race or sex, is dejavu all over again.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

100% AGREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[detsarg]

Affirmative action is a politically correct term for a quota system and lowers the standards, for some, for hiring and promoting at many levels of government employment.

By using affirmative action in hiring and promoting a department is accepting the fact that the most qualified person for the job may not get the job because the most qualified person for the job is of the wrong race or gender. In other aspects of life that is called racism or sexism…apparently that is not the case if it is protected by the term affirmative action.

Those hired under the terms of affirmative action should know that they are often viewed as a substandard employee/supervisor and they may never have the respect their position warrants as that position may not have been obtained by having legitimate qualifications but rather by being born a certain way.

Affirmative action actually does a disservice to minorities and women as it allows others to use their race/gender in diminishing inadequate work performance.

i.e. “I guess Sergeant Johnson didn’t know that as a supervisor he was responsible for ensuring his officers had been issued the proper equipment. Too bad about Officer Smith, if he only had a vest. But hey, the sarg only got that position because he was an American Eskimo and got those extra points on the test that pushed his score into the passing range. How was could he be expected to really do the job as well as someone who was clearly more qualified?” “Good ‘ol affirmative action in action!”

[L-1]

As you know, one of the AA goals was to ensure ethnic and gender parity in the workforce when compared to population being served. Once parity is achieved, the rules of AA (at least in California) said that the group in question was deemed to have achieved equality in the workforce, that they would no longer qualify for AA benefits and that it would be the responsibility of the group in question to maintain their numbers. Here in California someone forgot those rules, causing the whole system to get turned upside down. As a result, affirmative action got so out of hand that it was finally outlawed by a statewide, majority vote of the public.

As an example:

1. One group made up 62% of the population but only held 57% of the state jobs. Although they were clearly under parity, they were deemed to have achieved equality and no longer entitled to AA relief.

2. OTOH, another group comprised 31% of the population but only held 16% of the state jobs (almost 50% under parity). They only got token AA relief.

3. Another group only comprised 6% of the population but held 18% of the state jobs. In spire of the fact that they were at 300% of parity and were no longer eligible for AA relief, the strongest AA assistance was continuously directed at them until the program was finally abolished. (I suspect this group was the straw that broke the camel's back.)

Aaah, politics.

[Washingtonian]

Affirmative action is a politically correct term for a quota system and lowers the standards, for some, for hiring and promoting at many levels of government employment.

By using affirmative action in hiring and promoting a department is accepting the fact that the most qualified person for the job may not get the job because the most qualified person for the job is of the wrong race or gender. In other aspects of life that is called racism or sexism…apparently that is not the case if it is protected by the term affirmative action.

Those hired under the terms of affirmative action should know that they are often viewed as a substandard employee/supervisor and they may never have the respect their position warrants as that position may not have been obtained by having legitimate qualifications but rather by being born a certain way.

Affirmative action actually does a disservice to minorities and women as it allows others to use their race/gender in diminishing inadequate work performance.

i.e. “I guess Sergeant Johnson didn’t know that as a supervisor he was responsible for ensuring his officers had been issued the proper equipment. Too bad about Officer Smith, if he only had a vest. But hey, the sarg only got that position because he was an American Eskimo and got those extra points on the test that pushed his score into the passing range. How was could he be expected to really do the job as well as someone who was clearly more qualified?” “Good ‘ol affirmative action in action!”

I agree.
If a private business owner wants to hire people based on race instead of qualifications, that's their business as far as i'm concerned. If they end up with underqualified employees, that's on them and they get what they deserve.
But with Police, and gubment jobs in general, we the taxpayers have a right to expect our money is going to hire the MOST QUALIFIED people for the job(s). If a PD ends up being all white, all black, all women, etc... so be it. Of course that's not really realistic, but if one ethnic group makes up 15% of the population, but hold only 8% of the jobs, oh well, as long as everyone was hired based on qualifications. This is even more important when it comes to jobs that require the decision making that ours does.

[Fraud Dog]

Its a rat race out there. In the past I was in competition with others for the initial job and for assignments that I wanted. I don't want anybody else getting an unfair advantage. Unfortunately this happens alot, whether Affirmative Action or some other favoratism deal.

I'm sure it was the same 60 years ago when there was an Irish mafia inside many FLE offices. Seems like many groups stick up for their own. You name it: Mormons, Jews, gays, women, Italians, blacks, Puerto Ricans, Masons.

If I could find a little favoratism to older married white males who are competent in the job I would be happy.

[equinox137]

Posted in ask-a-cop by mistake.

[1oldsarge]

I want the best person for the job in law enforcement - period. I don't care what race, color, etc. they are, and standards cannot be lowered to accommodate anyone. This profession is suffering enough.

[detsarg]

...standards cannot be lowered to accommodate anyone.

Agreed. Of course that is exactly what affirmative action does, lower standards. Although the proponents will argue otherwise, once you hire/promote based on race/gender, standards HAVE been lowered.

[sgttom]

It is reverse discrimination and I hate it. In today's world, women and minorities have many other protections and have general support from society to pursue anything they are qualified to do.

Giving points to them, expressly due to race or sex, is dejavu all over again.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

200% agreed

[rangesgt]

^^^ What they said

[Bully]

^^^ What they said

What he said they said.

I love the way LAPD took affirmative action to a whole new level. Women couldn't make it over the 6' wall, so they got rid of the wall. The physical agility test is in the basement of the personnel bldg. A parapalegic can pass it. It's one thing to lower the written testing standards and give extra points in an oral. But don't sacrifice officer safety by taking people that can't physically do the job.