Should a candidate who uses hearing aids be disqualified from getting a job as a police officer? If the answer’s yes, then shouldn’t candidates who wear glasses be turned down, too?
Those are the questions that arise from a recent discrimination lawsuit filed in a federal district court in Pennsylvania.
Bill Furman is suing the Pennsylvania State Police to change its rule that anyone using hearing aids can’t be certified as a police officer. The suit follows Furman’s being denied entrance to a police training academy last year.
Furman, who says it’s been his dream to become a police officer, currently works as a parking enforcement officer and a constable.
Glasses are OK
His lawyers argue that if state rules allow applicants for law enforcement jobs to wear glasses to correct vision problems, applicants should be able to use hearing aids to correct hearing problems.
What do you think? Should Furman be allowed to compete for a job as a police officer? Tell us in the comments section below.
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