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Affirmative Action: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

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Dylan Foltz
Professor Polson
English 1B
3 November 2015
Affirmative Action

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is composed of over eighteen thousand employees. The hiring process is a long and arduous process, consumed with numerous steps. The most pivotal aspect of the hiring process is the background investigation on applicants. Background investigations are a crucial step to deciding if an applicant will be qualified for employment. Unfortunately, even qualified applicants are overlooked, and under qualified applicants are offered employment to meet discriminating hiring quotas. These hiring quotas are a result of a policy known as Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action is an extremely controversial policy that has deeply affected millions of Americans. Balancing equal opportunities and the discrimination of minorities, employers, and government agencies use the policy Affirmative Action. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Affirmative Action is defined as “An active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women” (Merriam-Webster). One of the main criticisms of Affirmative Action is that it takes employment opportunities out of the hands of qualified applicants, and puts them into the hands of under-qualified minorities. Many government agencies use this policy, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the fourth largest policing agency in the United States. The hiring process for

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