Virginia Beach Police Lower Standards

In a settlement with the Department of Justice, the Virginia Beach Police has agreed to hire 15 applicants that had previously failed the math test.

This is how the breakdown according to race will happen according to the Pilot online:

"Of that number, the city has pledged to hire 15 applicants - three Hispanics and 12 blacks - as a way of addressing diversity in the police department. Those "priority hires" will have to meet the department's remaining requirements."

They have also lowered the score required to be a police officer, and the test is available to be retaken by those that have previously failed.

Rather than lowering the standards on the math exam, I would have favored a study course similar to one the post office offers prior to testing. The issue of math testing as a form of discrimination I find abhorrent.

We should offer every opportunity for people to study for a test, but should we lower standards? Math, in itself, is non discriminatory. It is a skill that can be developed with practice and study. Lowering standards can only lead to a general lack of competence in those that we should expect to enforce the law fairly. If minority performance does not meet the standards, we should be looking at what happened in our schools.