In the US, you can be TOO smart to be a policeman!
In 1999, a Federal judge dismissed lawsuit between Robert Jordan (a bachelor in Literature) and the New London police force. Jordan said he was rejected from the police force because he had tested too HIGH in the police department's aptitude tests. Jordan saw this as a kind of discrimination and sued on the basis that being rejected for being too smart is the same as being rejected for being of a different race or religion.
Jordan says that when he asked the person in charge of hiring why this was the case, he responded that the job of a policeman in New London can be very mundane, routine and boring. Having people with High IQs would increase the number of people quitting, because they would be too bored with the job, he told Jordan.
After reviewing the case, the judge ruled that Robert Jordan hadn't been discriminated against, because he was treated the same way as everyone. ANYONE who scored too high on the tests was rejected, therefore he did not qualify for equal protection under Federal law.
