Feds say Beach's math exam for police recruits is discriminatory

February 9, 2006

VIRGINIA BEACH — The U.S. Justice Department has found that the math portion of the Virginia Beach Police Department’s entrance exam discriminates against black and Hispanic applicants.

In a letter to the city released Wednesday, the Justice Department said its findings were based on results of a math test administered to all entry-level police officers.

The Justice Department said it will sue the city if Virginia Beach does not take appropriate measures to end discrimination and provide “sufficient remedial relief” to previous job applicants.

On Wednesday, city officials said they do not discriminate and the math portion of the exam assesses job-related skills.

Police Chief A.M. “Jake” Jacocks Jr. said the city will cooperate with the Justice Department and will not act until it discusses the findings with federal officials. No date has been set.

The hiring practices of the city’s police and fire departments were called into question in 2004 after a study showed a disparity between the racial composition of its population and its police and fire departments.
....

The city requires all recruits to score at least 70 percent on all parts of the written exam – the National Police Officer Selection Test.

Between 2002 and mid-2005, about 59 percent of black applicants and 66 percent of Hispanic applicants passed the math test, compared with 85 percent of white applicants, according to the Justice Department letter.

First administered to Virginia Beach candidates in 1998, the test is designed to assess basic skills of a police officer. It is offered to prospective officers in 20 other states, according to the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police.

“This is not a test we developed,” Jacocks said. “We are not looking for rocket scientists. This is a basic math aptitude test.”

One sample question framed a problem in the context of police work: “On Tuesday, Officer Jones worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. At 10:55 p.m. he was called to the scene of an accident where he remained until 1:30 a.m. How long past his regular shift did Officer Jones work?”
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If this complaint is being registered solely on the comparison of population statistics to police force demographics, and the above test question is indicative of the average math test question, then I seriously think this complaint has NO merit.

Relabel it as "affirmative action" if necessary, and try for that argument. (Another debatable issue...)
I REALLY don't see how Math can be "racist"...

WTF!?! What, were they having trouble translating numbers??

That is silly.

This belongs in the humor section.

Ha ha ha, wow...

This is silly.

We actually had a debate in class about the SAT's recently. One girl said the SAT is slanted towards "the white" experience...

WTF? Black and hispanic people that are in the same economic bracket that their white peers are in do just as well as their white peers.

The blacks and Hispanics that I know can count perfectly well. In fact, most of them are really very smart.

@$$#*!# try we don't want you to work here...

The test needs to be bilingual so as not to discriminate against their lingual sensitivities. Some people never bothered to learn English so they're being denied their right to be a cop.

If they never "bothered" to learn English, why should others be "bothered" to make the test suit those who didn't want to be "bothered". Can you answer that question?

I used the word "bothered" to subtley indicate sarcasm. That's my point. How can you be "sensitive" and be undiscriminatory about a freakin math test? Make it easier? Then it allows stupider people to pass. You should always seek to employ people who are at least as smart as the employees already there. That court is psycho.

Right. Let's hire more stupid people to jobs that require intelligence so we don't discriminate and are more seeeeennnnnsssssiiiiiittttiiiivvvee.