Do police departments favor dumber officers?

In Jordan v. City of New London, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that police departments can legally reject applicants who score too high on intelligence tests. Robert Jordan, a college graduate, was denied an interview after scoring a 33 on the Wonderlic Personnel Test (equivalent to an IQ of 125), which exceeded the city's maximum limit of 27. [1, 2, 3]

The Background

• The Cutoff: The City of New London, Connecticut, implemented an unconventional hiring policy by establishing both a minimum and maximum score for police applicants. 
• The Reasoning: The city argued that candidates who scored too high on cognitive ability exams (like the Wonderlic) were at a higher risk of becoming bored, experiencing job dissatisfaction, and leaving the department shortly after undergoing expensive police academy training. 
• The Lawsuit: Robert Jordan sued the city in federal court, arguing that dismissing candidates based on high intelligence violated his civil rights and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. [1, 5, 6]  

The Verdict

• Court Decision: The courts ultimately ruled in favor of the City of New London. 
• Legal Rationale: The courts and judges concluded that because the city applied the maximum score policy to all candidates equally and fairly, it did not constitute unconstitutional discrimination. The policy was deemed "rational" from a fiscal and economic standpoint. [1, 2, 4, 7]  

The Aftermath and Industry Impact

• Rejection Upheld: The courts established that highly intelligent individuals do not constitute a "protected class" under the law, meaning employers could lawfully reject candidates who are deemed overqualified. 
• Industry Standards: While the courts found New London's action lawful, many police departments across the country do not employ strict maximum intelligence cutoffs, as there are ongoing professional and psychological debates about whether intelligence directly correlates to job burnout or poor performance. [2, 9, 10, 11]  

[1] https://1cademy.com/node/example-of-cognitive-ability-testing-in-law-enforcement-selection/AOQycnTIyN4Rbus3dETI
[2] https://www.johnrisvold.com/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-for-cops/
[3] https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-08-fi-1265-story.html
[4] https://racism.org/articles/law-and-justice/criminal-justice-and-racism/136-criminal-justice-generally/2395-court-holds-a-person
[5] https://www.aele.org/apa/jordan-newlondon.html
[6] https://www.ipl.org/essay/Jordan-V-City-Of-New-London-Case-01CB67030FBD2A29
[7] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/too-smart-to-be-a-cop/
[8] https://www.quora.com/In-Jordan-v-New-London-the-New-London-Police-denied-Jordans-application-to-become-a-police-officer-citing-his-IQ-was-above-the-expected-score-and-rejected-him-worrying-Jordan-would-quit-since-training-is-costly-do
[9] https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/jordan-v-city-new-london-policing-hiring-and-iq-when-all-answers
[10] https://access.heinonline.com/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/polic26&section=27
[11] https://www.emerald.com/pijpsm/article/26/2/298/319923/Jordan-v-The-City-of-New-London-police-hiring-and

How PR is leveraged to bullshit the public

Organizations leverage public relations techniques to manage crises, often utilizing specialized language to control narratives, freeze out critical press scrutiny, and apply "swine cosmetics"—a PR term for putting a positive spin on an ugly situation. By dictating what information is released and when, organizations can obscure deeper secrets and avoid accountability. [1, 2, 3] 

The Crisis Management Lexicon 
Public relations institutes and strategic communication agencies have built a sophisticated lexicon designed to freeze out aggressive reporters and sanitize unfavorable truths.

• Swine Cosmetics: The practice of "putting lipstick on a pig." This involves reframing a disastrous situation or deeply flawed policy using carefully selected, sterilized buzzwords to make it appear palatable to the public. 
• Controlling the Narrative: Establishing a single, rigid version of events that dictates which facts are prioritized, steering the public's focus away from systemic failures. 
• Strategic Ambiguity: Using vague or complex language intentionally so that an organization avoids making a definitive statement that can later be used against them in a legal or public context. 

Boilerplate Press Release Elements [4]
When a crisis hits, organizations frequently deploy pre-drafted "holding statements". While they project an image of transparency, these statements are often constructed to buy time and release as few hard facts as possible. Common boilerplate elements include:

• Acknowledge the seriousness of the situation: Standard public relations frameworks dictate that an organization must lead with care and validate public concern, stabilizing the narrative before facts are thoroughly verified. 
• Reaffirm core organizational values: PR strategies heavily lean on reinforcing commitments to broader concepts like health, safety, and transparency. This psychologically reassures the audience by associating the brand with positive, uncontroversial ideals, rather than the immediate incident at hand. 
• The rationale for releasing limited information: Organizations protect ongoing investigations, legal liabilities, or core secrets by citing the need to "prevent the spread of misinformation" or stating that "it would be inappropriate to speculate while the investigation is ongoing." This effectively justifies a media freeze and allows the organization to control the timeline of future disclosures. [11, 12]  

[1] https://www.5wpr.com/new/what-is-crisis-pr-a-comprehensive-guide-to-managing-communication-during-critical-times/
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/top-content/marketing/crisis-communication-in-marketing/public-relations-strategies-in-crisis-management/
[3] https://ivypanda.com/essays/public-relations-and-their-functions/
[4] https://channelvmedia.com/blog/what-is-a-boilerplate-in-a-press-release/
[5] https://www.trizcom.com/blog/crisis-holding-statements
[6] https://elliotcommunications.com/key-steps-for-effective-pr-crisis-management/
[7] https://goelastic.com/crisis-communication-for-nonprofits/
[8] https://www.trizcom.com/blog/crisis-communication-examples
[9] https://www.trizcom.com/blog/crisis-communication-examples
[10] https://www.topofmind-pr.com/why-transparency-with-your-pr-agency-prevents-reputational-risk/
[11] https://www.prsa.org/article/trust-and-transparency-in-times-of-crisis
[12] https://www.5wpr.com/new/the-role-of-transparency-in-crisis-pr/

The History of Ford's Assembly Plant in Des Moines, Iowa

 

The Central Campus building of Des Moines Public Schools, located at 1800 Grand Avenue, is a historic six-story brick-and-masonry structure that was originally built by the Ford Motor Company in 1917–1918 as a Model T assembly plant. It was designed to serve as a massive factory, with dimensions equivalent to six football fields, and later retooled to produce aircraft engines during WWII. [1, 2, 3]

Key Historical Milestones

• 1917-1918: Constructed by Ford Motor Company.
• 1920-1932: Served as an assembly plant for Model T, Model A, and later models.
• 1932-1943: Operated as a Ford sales service branch and warehouse.
• WWII Era: Retooled for Solar aircraft engine manufacturing.
• 1953-1986: Transformed into Des Moines Technical High School (known as "Tech High").
• 1986-Present: Became Central Campus, a regional magnet career-technical academy serving high school students throughout central Iowa. [1, 3, 4, 5]

Educational Evolution - In 1982, the district began the transition from Technical High School to Central Campus to offer specialized high-quality courses that were not available at local high schools. Today, it functions as a "Regional Academy" for Des Moines Public Schools, housing state-of-the-art curricula ranging from automotive technology—which still uses part of the original assembly plant layout—to marine biology, animal science, and culinary arts. The facility was undergoing major, multi-phase renovations as of 2013. [1, 6, 7]

[1] https://www.dmschools.org/2013/05/central-campus-shows-off-great-facilities-world-class-programs/

[2] https://www.businessrecord.com/the-elbert-files-model-ts-made-here/

[3] https://www.facebook.com/groups/321984247570392/posts/549033518198796/

[4] https://centralcampus.dmschools.org/about/central-campus-history/

[5] https://www.dmschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/centennialhistorydale.pdf

[6] https://centralcampus.dmschools.org/about/central-campus-history/

[7] https://www.dmschools.org/2015/02/central-campus-returns-to-roots-in-restoring-1935-ford/

[8] https://ca.dmschools.org/about-us/wallace-homestead-building/