• xijinpingist [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    1 day ago

    I looked into this a while back. Turns out, patrolling around is really boring and smart people are bad at it because they require an active environment. So the most effective cops are 100 IQ or so. Any higher and they quit and any lower they can’t do their jobs. During Vietnam the US ran out of men and had to lower the intelligence standards to recruit hillbillies. They frequently shot thieir own men or made noise in the bush and got their whole squads killed.
    If you can get up to detective then that’s where they need smart people and is where the interesting work is. Any further and you’re captain or police chief and it’s the same as any other job: you stop doing what you’re good at and are just a manager now. You’ll spend your time trying to wheedle money to repair a leaky police station roof out of the city council.