Expert: William Payne - 4/29/2007

Question
I heard that people with high (around 130 and up)I.Q. will generally get bored with police work and should therefore think twice before applying for a law enforcement job. I'm a francophone from Quebec and becoming a police officer (and later, a criminal investigator)have always been on my dream list of things to accomplish. I have done several I.Q. tests and have always scored between 132 and 142 and school has been generally easy for me. I have great skills at communicating with people and possess a innate capacity to easily exercise my authority with diplomacy. I persist in thinking that I could fit in a police uniform. My parents think I should become an engineer like my brother or a doctor like my mother... I also have to mention that the Robert Jordan case (1999)and the reasons given by the New London Police to reject his application worries me. In the light of these facts, can I expect to be happy in a police career?

Answer
Eric,

A low, average or high I.Q. score does not necessarily translate into making you a poor, average, above average or great police officer.

Law enforcement agencies obviously want intelligent individuals to pick and choose from in a pool of applicants.

In police work you need good decision making skills, communication skills, problem solving skills and the ability to be able to do all of these things in a split second.

I really don't think an above average score on an I.Q. test can accurately measure how you will perform in a real police setting.

If you are motivated and think you can really be successful and contribute to the team atmosphere of police work, I say go for it.

Good luck and best wishes!