The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-29
TO BECOME A POLICEMAN.
,ygsL TESTS ron ADMfssiON 10
TuE BLUE-COATBD fOHCE.
=. Necessity for n Candidate TO Fay Money
TO Any One-IIow Those Who Would
lie Patroitnen Are Sifttd.

| the candidates VIM HdN' pau ''N''NS
been simply bunkocd-that what appears
Go be an organized system of bribery may
| be merely a case Of imposition on one Sue
| and Ignorance Oh the other.
in any case. the regular tests OF htness
for admission 20 the police force are SUI
fcicntly strict to entitle the applicant
who passes through them 10 rest on ms
legal rights, aud TO let his merits, rather
| than his money or Influence speak Ior
| him.
| II the nature Of the legal process OF Sc
| lection were better understood, there
would probably be less chance TO fleece
| candidates on any Of the customary pre-
texts. and il would certainly be easy 10
| demonstrate to candidates the loiy "l
| allowing themselves 10 DE hteoI". ~
! unless the administration OF the IA" ar
| the rules be of criminal iooSth"a1' eHc
| selections Of the appointing power Hluot
! be made from the best men MO li
| themselves for examination, ana the ihdl
| fin left fOr personal or othtr pIelci ch00
| Is not at all large 49,,
| Any one may apply Tor admssion 10 'ii9
| police force of the city OF New YORK VINO
! Is less than tnirty-flye years on VINO b"S
| been citizen of the United states Ior
| 4 year, has resided IN the state LOT 4
| year, is able 60 read aad write tne i.hehsi
| language. has never been conElcteu ot
| felony. and is at least . feet II inches
| high. and weighs not less than Us pouhdS
without clothing
| i'm the knowledge that he possesses
| these essential QUALIFICATIONS he may ap-
| ply at the Police Headquarters or az VIC
| Office of the Municipal civil service ioaI
| for a preliminary form OF application III
| this H. viii have 10 answer ceilaih vura
| tons In regard TO his physical cohul'!'m
/ not unlike those put to the applicant A'4
! a life-insuraHce policy. , 3.
The paper and the individual slshinS ~
| VIII be sent TO the surgeons OF the IVlI'S
Department. The surgeons are itquii'u'
after a presumably careful eN9uAlu4to'5
| Of the applicant, 10 answer a scheIuie ~
inuuirips about his organs OF reaPAdtou,
his heart and ciIcuatory system. no
sight ana hearing, his cerebral iut'tioh9,
and his apparent immunity from ulou7
specified forms OF disease. Ihey are t3t'-
cd upOn TO pay special attention 10 tHe
relation between the stature ana INT en-
cuuference Of chest no less lnan ~
weight Of the applicant, anu are l1iii'i'I-
| ed that obesity must be regarded as Il
/ good cause for rejection , l..
Before the applicant can so further ne
must bc able To obtain from the surgeons
| a certificate setting forth that he l. souhd
| i'm limb ana body, OF robust constitution;
! has good eyesight and good heaThs anu
/ is physically qualified TO sustain the "a
Nore and exposures and perform the
| duties OF patFOlman. ,t
| Armed with tbs certificate, the eaAldl-
date presents himself ut the FohcS Dc-
partMent and makes FORMAL aP}h1a-
lion for appointment on the force re-
| living me commissioners for inf0rma-
| ton as 20 his character and HABITS 70
! five citizens who nave known MN lot q
series OF years lie also fills out another
! blank giving detailed information ahout
| his personal history a1d Qccupauon anu
| ia asked. among other thlltS' ""tul't
| h. has paid or promised 60 pay. o. given
| any money or otner coislIeItulUAr g., ~,
| any person directly or indirectly, luI
| any aid or influence toward procurinH
nag ~ "a it,t. i-. t lac oi,nod and sworn To be
! fore Il notary Whatever other means
| may be employed 10 test me genera
/ character. habits ana reputation on the
! applicant a report must De maze vA'
! mem. after conference with the signers
| of his testimonials, by the captain ol
| the precinct in which he resides. III tll9
| be satisfactory he Is sent 10 lhe Nv"
| Service Board for examination
! tn 10 this point the applicant mas Hah
| no rating or marking An dttcHli H17
| simply been made TO find ont wh"uHer H1
| fulfilled the requirements which prectdr
| admission 10 the ranks oil those altoMt'
| 10 compete for "a place on the euslbIe
| list from which appointments are Waut'
| The only contribution he has given so
far to the percentage of merit when NJ
| will finally get is In the statement me-
| has furnished Of his previous experience
This has q value Of out OF a total 81 io.
II the regular occupation or lIt dIpH-
| cant were scdentary, he would GET
lower percentage than if he had Work'd
out OF doors. while II he had some pre-
| those Of policeman lie would get the
| highest percentage of all.
| suppose the applicants experience was
rated at - per cent, US communion i.. 10
! the total percentage Of his qualifications
would be- 50 multiplied hy and divided
| bv &c., or is per cent. But whether be
| viii ever reach a total percentage must
| depend on his success IN passing a very
| searching examination into his strength,
| activity, and physical capacity con
Quoted by Augustus "A. Brown, u. d., OF
BoWdon. once an assistant OF Prof. Sal-
| gent ut Harvard and former pnSsir'l
| director Of the Boston Athletic club
This is entirely independent OF thc pre-
! liminary medical eXaWirati0u. and has
| a weight Of out of 81 i'm the sum Of
! qualifications. The applicant must score
/ 40 per cent. on the tests applied - him
by. DR. Brown or retire from The compc-
Triton. And he may not score o) per cent
merely because OF his physical develop
ment for If the tests applied 10 measure
| his strength, agility, and lung capacity
do not yield 60 per cent, he Is stu dis
| qualified
Or. Browns examination is decidedly
minute, and il usually takes him three
! months TO get through the annual batch
or those who have passed the ordeal OF
the doctors, some per cent usually ran
In his hands.
For such measurements a. girth OF
waist and chest, depth Of chest ana OF
| abdomen. Df. Brown has a fixed scale
| Of normal correspondence with height
| and weight and the applicant rates hlsn
| or low IN proportion as n approaches oi
departs from the normal The strength
| tests are applied 10 the back, legs. upper
| arm forearm, the abdominal muscles,
| adduciors. and peCtorals IheFe - "a
separate dumbDel1 test and one OF aglii-
| ~ IN jumping scaling ladders. &c.
! In physictl Development sixteen differ
| ent points are taken into accpInt; IN Tie
| strength tests, eleven; and in addition 10
these. due weight Is given 70 ne apple
cants general physical condition After
| Or Brown has pronounced him fit, the
| candidate has TO face the ordeal of W.. [
| are known as the obligatory subjects 3"
| Taken as a whole these have a value Of
| 6 out of the total of 10, the REMAINING I
being as we have seen, credited 10 pNper-
fence ana physical qualifications. Taken
by themselves and graduated 10 the scale
Of 10, the obligatory subjects rate as fol-
lows;
Reading. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
iidndWIlll% ...-....... ...................... !
Writing from memory. i............. l
Rules ana regulations relating 10 duties
or position. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. (
City Information (or knowledge OF build
iisSt''.'' ..'..'.......+......-.... ,
Total Of weights. .......................l 10
The reading test consists of few sim
| pie sentences in print and in Script. the
handwriting is graded from the dictation
/ papers, which form the third item of the
| mental examination. That is they are
not precisely written from memory. &"
| but the forty or fifty words they contain
are taken down from the deliberate read
ing, once repeated. Of one Of the examln-
! crs.
The grading of all three is done on the
fricipie that in these respects a policeman
| need not possess the qualifications OF a
| clerk II he reads and writes legibly and
spells so as 30 be understood, he rates