Affirmative Action Can Kill
The LAPD is seeking to bring more women and blacks into SWAT, although SWAT already is 12.6% black -- in a force that's 12% black (not that I think that should matter). If I'm in some situation where SWAT has to come, I don't care what sex or race the person is, as long as they have the strength and skills to get me out.
What's dumb is that now they're instituting a new, broader selection process for SWAT, which is expected to go into effect next year, writes Robert C.J. Parry in the LA Times:
The report goes on to say that "there is no task in SWAT that a woman could not perform" and that the selection criteria has "underemphasized negotiating skills, patience, empathy and flexibility while overemphasizing physical prowess and tactical acumen."
Empathy? Are they rescuing hostages or preparing to open a nursery school? Sure, look for a range of skills, but don't lower the bar because most women probably can't reach it. Parry concurs:
...SWAT officers who have actually entered houses to rescue hostages from killers (as they did Feb. 7 in Winnetka, resulting in the death of Simmonsand the wounding of Officer James Veenstra) say there is no such thing as overemphasizing tactical acumen or physical prowess for such assignments.Yes, they say, there are probably women on the force who could and should be admitted to SWAT, but they should be required to meet the same standards as other applicants and should be chosen for skill, not for diversity. The reality, SWAT members say, is that the standards for tactical success apply to everyone equally. Upper-body strength is vital to holding a 12-pound rifle stone-steady to hit a deranged killer while avoiding his hostage in a whirlwind of chaos.
In general, the final board report offers little or no persuasive evidence as to why SWAT should change. "SWAT performs in a disciplined and exemplary manner consistent with its fine reputation," the report acknowledges. "It has been and remains a source of great pride within the LAPD."
...Instead of picking cops on the basis of their ability to handle weapons and stress, the new standards specifically exclude video-based shooting simulator evaluations and "Hogan's Alley," a daunting series of pop-up targets representing armed crooks and hostages. A simulated raid with flash-bang devices that previously disqualified many candidates who accidentally shot the "hostage" is also gone.
The new test's only physical challenges are a modest physical fitness qualification and a modified obstacle course. "My preteen daughter could pass that," one officer said. Applicants' scores will now largely come from an oral interview conducted by non-SWAT and non-LAPD supervisors. In essence, the test is largely subjective.
...(I)t is the change in the selection process and the opening up of SWAT to applicants from outside Metro that have motivated SWAT officers' wives to launch an unusual e-mail campaign directed at Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, stating in part: "We are concerned with the safety of our husbands ... if they are expected to go into these highly dangerous situations with someone who got in under a compromised standard."
...SWAT is too important to this city to be weakened in the name of political correctness. Unless the Police Commission or other officials act, the LAPD will make social experimentation a higher priority than tactical excellence.
UPDATE: Here's more on this from Jack Dunphy.
GAH. GAH GAH GAH. I can certainly see how either sex could work fine in negotiation. But in busting into a house? Carrying out hostages? Physically grappling with opponents? I can say, with great confidence, that you're not going to find many women with sufficient upper body strength to accomplish all that.
Look, I like being a woman. We live longer. We're more graceful. We can wear our hair long or short in professional life and can wear dresses or pants. Barring high-tech intervention, we know with 100% certainty which kids are biologically ours. We're, on average, better at pattern-matching and have more sophisticated verbal skills. That having been said, there's a reason that male gymnasts compete on the rings and the pommel horse while female gymnasts compete on the balance beam. Men have demonstrably more upper body strength. I may have enjoyed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but that chick was magically powered. I may like sci-fi and concrete solutions to problems rather than chick flicks and "constructive listening," but that doesn't do a damn thing to change the way I'm physically built.
Yes, check SWAT's racial composition. And yes, let women try out who want to and qualify for the unit if they can pass the physical tests (and ensure that they won't get harassed past the typically level of rookie harassment). But if I'm the target of an ongoing threat requiring intervention, I want powerful, trained, sneaky civilian soldier equivalents to come to my rescue, get me out, and neutralize my threat. If the cops want to hire eight-foot-tall Martians for that - all five sexes - then please, be my guest! I bet being carried by six arms is a cool experience. But don't make me a sacrifice on the altar of a foolish equality, or my relatives will sue and my ghost will haunt. WHOOOOOOO.
marion at March 23, 2008 2:04 AM
A lot of women are really, really sensible about this kind of thing. A few years ago I emailed a women's firefighting association to ask how many volunteer firefighters were women, and the answer was "Who knows, but not many..."
Crid at March 23, 2008 2:13 AM
The head of SEAL Team Six, back when GI Jane was in the movies, said that if women want to try to be a SEAL, then come on and try it. But this is like boxing, weightlifting and a bunch of other professional sports, where performance is the only thing that counts - with the addition that, oh, yeah, fail and somebody dies.
Rifle shooting is actually something women do very well. It's actual fighting and killing people that is causing problems, and if some feminine person, male or not, can't deal with the shoot'em simulator, what the hell are they doing on a police force other than arranging flowers on the chief of detective's desk?
See these guys to learn about professional shooters: Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, and The Lethal Force Institute. The course descriptions should chill you thoroughly. Fighting a criminal for your life and that of your principal is a real, desperate thing.
I am reminded above of Harry Callahan: "It's a damned high price to pay for bein' stylish."
Let them paint the bomb squad's robot pink and call it a day.
Radwaste at March 23, 2008 4:31 AM
I think I'm more worried by the fact that they need to enhance SWAT at all.
Or are they just looking for a new convenient scapegoat to use the next time they bust in to the wrong house and shoot a 90 year old to death?
brian at March 23, 2008 6:46 AM
Too bad Police Squad and Hill Street Blues are off the air. I would love to hear what James Sikking's Lt. Howard Hunt's reaction would be....
jerry at March 23, 2008 9:15 AM
I read or heard recently that the LAPD has a special door repair division for when they break down the wrong door.
Amy Alkon at March 23, 2008 10:20 AM
It takes a large measure of stupidity, and I'm talking heaping platefuls of it, to write "[the selection criteria have] underemphasized negotiating skills, patience, empathy and flexibility while overemphasizing physical prowess and tactical acumen."
Um. SWAT direct action happens when negotiation, patience, and empathy have failed. Jeeesh.
Jeff at March 23, 2008 11:40 AM
When former LAPD head Gates spoke at SWAT officer Randal's funeral, he got a standing ovation from the police officers there. Most of the civilian leadership and some of the uniformed leadership refused to stand.
THAT is how the civvies at LAPD are seen.
austin at March 23, 2008 12:43 PM
In spite of all the critisism, I believe the idea is actually pretty good - but with one tiny caveout. We actually should form two SWAT teams. The first one, will be progressive, multi-cultural, politically correct, sexually-blind. I would not mind if the persons in this elite unite were to take mandatory classes in cultural, religious, sexual and ethnic diversity.
The second team should be formed based on the outdated ideas of the oppressive past - exclusive reliance on individual performance, fire power, physical fittness, ability to kill quickly and efficiently, tactical acumen and the like.
Step #2 would be to assign the progressive teams to be serving exclusively the liberal part of our population, including all the safeguarding services for all the liberal congress-persons, governors, and the like. The reactionary team will be assigned to the conservative part of the population.
What d'ya think?
Hyphenated American at March 23, 2008 2:52 PM
There is absolutely no hope that this will not occur. The government of the City of Los Angeles is so politically correct that any sense has long since departed. Tony Villa and his gang of thieves at City Hall, together with the helplessly politicized Chief Bratton will sell out the city's safety to please their voters. Thank God I live in Orange County.
Ken Hahn at March 23, 2008 9:19 PM
Life in OC is all about free thinking, bold expression and dynamic leadership through government.
Crid at March 23, 2008 9:40 PM
You know what I love about OC, taking off out of John Wayne, its like the exact oposite effect of that first long drop on a roller coaster
lujlp at March 23, 2008 10:23 PM
A lot of women are really, really sensible about this kind of thing.
Yes, because if we ever get into a situation in which we're not armed and we're physically threatened, we're likely going to need someone to bust in and save us, and we want the biggest, strongest, nastiest people possible to do that. We may try to avoid such situations, but no one expects hostage inquisitions. If (comic-book) Rogue, who can bench-press multiple tons, were available in real life, I'd take her. I'd also be fine with Buffy Summers. Neither of those seem to be real-world options, though.
Goodness, I'm glad to live in Texas right now, where women are empowered by learning how to shoot, not by being shoehorned onto a SWAT team.
marion at March 23, 2008 10:45 PM
Ever notice that proposals like that NEVER come from people who actually have to DO the shooting, the door smashing, and take the risks?
Its always some desk jocky whose either not done that work at all or not done it in so many years their experience is scarcely relavent anymore.
Robert H. Butler at March 24, 2008 12:22 AM
I have seen women that could handle swat situations. If the brave ones want to sign up, then go for it, but lowering standards will hinder the effectiveness of a unit. Diluting the testosterone levels on the force would certainly help to make more accurate command decisions aside from the usual smash and grab tactics. Mixing the sexes would effect me in a critical situation because I would instinctively want to protect a female, were as if it was a dude, I would go into a situation with the mentality of lets f*ck these guys up. Though when it is time to lock and load I want fierce, hard core brutes to handle the scenario.
kbling at March 24, 2008 9:12 AM
My understanding was that the exacting requirements to join elite units like SWAT teams, firefighting units, and elite military units was to capture the top percentile of the population, not *necessarily* to tie to the requirements of the job. I say not necessarily. I don't say this is the case with every elite unit. I've also read that in times of tough recruitment, these standards have been opened up to catch more recruits.
I say - let the standards set for entry be focused on the physical, emotional and intellectual requirements of the job. Then recruit those who can pass them. Period. Stop. End of story.
If standards are designed to catch the high end of the bell curve on physical prowess but leave out people of any colour or sex who still may be qualified, then you're doing the public a disservice.
Rational Skeptic at March 24, 2008 9:17 AM
It takes a large measure of stupidity, and I'm talking heaping platefuls of it, to write "[the selection criteria have] underemphasized negotiating skills, patience, empathy and flexibility while overemphasizing physical prowess and tactical acumen."
Um. SWAT direct action happens when negotiation, patience, and empathy have failed. Jeeesh.
I was going to say the same thing, but you said it better.
George Orwell said, "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to deal violence to those who would do us harm."
Members of SWAT teams are those rough men standing ready in the night (even if some of them are women). To blunt the "rough" part is to take away the part that allows us to sleep soundly.
Conan the Grammarian at March 24, 2008 9:27 AM
Starr, a character in Ennis / Dillon's Preacher, instructed an antiterrorist strike team to kill any women terrorists first because said women would be the toughest, most capable members of the group, having had to withstand the men's hazing.
DaveG at March 24, 2008 11:17 AM
I read of a study that found the level of assaults on Police Officers rises as the percentage of Women officers rises.
That makes sense when you think about it. What officer is most likely to get jumped by a perp? The 6'-2" guy or the 5'-2" female? With 5'-2" females as partners, even the 6'-2" guys look more inviting for a beat down by a perp.
Don't look for that study to be written about in the NY Times.
sean at March 24, 2008 12:00 PM
interesting study that you read of, sean. any chance you could find the actual study so that the rest of us can read of it? i just did some quick searches and couldn't find anything about it. not even in the washington times!
dan r at March 24, 2008 1:55 PM
"I'd also be fine with Buffy Summers."
Hmm. Sara Pezzini, thanks very much (Witchblade). Sarah Conner. River Tam. Elektra. All film roles, but there are women tougher than I am. I've met a couple. Just don't lower any standards!
Radwaste at March 24, 2008 2:48 PM
A lot of these "political correctness is causing the end of Western Civilization" stories tend to be overblown. Reading the Dunphy and the LA Times articles, notice that the changed standards were about admission to SWAT school, not the SWAT team.
First, there's no information on whether or not there have been any changes in the SWAT course itself; so the watered-down standards conclusion is premature-- all we can conclude from the is that more people will have a chance at qualifying for the SWAT team, not that the SWAT team will be taking people it wouldn't have taken before.
Second, Bratton has a reputation of being a pretty smart guy, responsible at least in part for the NYPD reforms during the 1990s, which were not exactly an exercise in political correctness. Maybe the benefit of the doubt is not out of line here.
Just wait for more information before jumping to conclusions, is all I'm saying.
Speedy
Speedy at March 24, 2008 10:13 PM
Dan,
Put down your double mochha latte, take a break from reading the Daily Kos and look a little harder. Took me about 30 seconds to come up with this one. I'm sure there are more. Let me know if you need any more help.
http://pqx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/4/411
sean at March 25, 2008 9:20 AM
hmmm. i always thought the whole point of men and women having equal rights was that they were allowed to apply and hold the same jobs, not that the employers had to hold them to different criteria in order to hire the right numbers of each. my girlfriend, for example, has absolutely no trouble hauling around a couple hundred pounds of whatever or breaking doors, anything requiring brute strength. she does, however, have a soft side and i don't know if she could actually pull the trigger on someone. but i have plenty of female coworkers who could. (funny, they all work in healthcare....)
the point is, anyway, if they pass the tests, let them have the job. if not, then sorry. and if they haven't taken that pop-up fake hostage test? i hope i never end up the hostage, i think i'd be safer as the perp.
kt at March 27, 2008 4:36 PM
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