[dotnet00]

I hadn't actually thought about applying that reasoning to the police and while there is a higher bar to becoming a police officer, I do have to agree with the overall idea.

There probably isn't any job which is an exception to this, politicians are similarly mainly people who want the associated influence and even engineers become engineers so they have control over engineering. It's just that the incentives are more perverse with politicians, police and moderators than with engineers.

[bombcar]

Once the pool for some jobs gets large enough, the self selection of those who apply for it can become a problem.

From what I understand from rumors in the area, is those who couldn't become police (for whatever reason) would then go apply at the prison, and those who couldn't get a job there (and it appears they take anyone with a pulse) would go work for TSA.

Perhaps the "public servant" idea should be taken to a larger extreme, and some positions picked by lottery instead.