Based on the paper at http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/files/56.Lott_.Police.pdf , "standards" here refers to various tests, including tests for cognitive skills, that police departments used during employee selection. The tests ended up with a negative bias towards minority groups. This is important because of the 1989 Supreme Court decision in City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co. which imposed a strict scrutiny test to ensure that job qualifications fit the goal 'so closely that there is little or no possibility that the motive for the classification was illegitimate racial prejudice or stereotype.'
Eg, and quoting from the paper:
> After spending “$5.1 million to have consultants develop unbiased exams, only to have minorities fare poorly again,” Chicago moved to a heavily weighted seniority system for promoting police officers and a lottery system for hiring firefighters (Spielman, 1996, p. 16)
Thus, the supposition in the paper is that those cognitive tests correctly measured skills needed for law enforcement, and with that in supposition in place, it tries to estimate the impact of the changes, concluding that they were negative.
I don't find the paper persuasive. I don't think the hypothesis is tested well enough, I don't see a model for how the police force composition could change so drastically after only 5 years, and I don't like the short baseline of the analysis.
Eg, and quoting from the paper:
> After spending “$5.1 million to have consultants develop unbiased exams, only to have minorities fare poorly again,” Chicago moved to a heavily weighted seniority system for promoting police officers and a lottery system for hiring firefighters (Spielman, 1996, p. 16)
Thus, the supposition in the paper is that those cognitive tests correctly measured skills needed for law enforcement, and with that in supposition in place, it tries to estimate the impact of the changes, concluding that they were negative.
I don't find the paper persuasive. I don't think the hypothesis is tested well enough, I don't see a model for how the police force composition could change so drastically after only 5 years, and I don't like the short baseline of the analysis.