Is the IU police force Chicken Test considered hazing?
Police are human too; they need a break from the serious pressures of their job and need a laugh sometimes.
The Indiana University Police Academy cadets are engaging in foul play, but not the kind you’re thinking of. A randomly chosen cadet is tasked with refraining from laughter while a rubber chicken screams in their face.
If they chuckle, their punishment is to drop and do push-ups. Who knew police force training could be funny?
The Chicken Test is designed to test a "cadet’s demeanor, focus and sense of humor" according to the Indiana University Police Academy. Some video respondents view the test as a form of hazing, but I disagree. Police officers are human too, and like anyone they need a break from the serious pressures of work-life.
The Chicken Test – Designed to test a cadet’s demeanor, focus and sense of humor! Not bad…
Posted by Indiana University Police Academy on Monday, August 7, 2017
The Chicken Test is remarkably similar to a game I play at summer camp called "Smile Baby if You Love Me." Everyone stands in a circle except for one player who goes up to a person of their choosing to tell them, "smile baby, if you love me." This is where the game gets fun. The chosen person then has to respond —sans laughter— and say, "I love you baby, but I just can’t smile." If you smile, then you lose and you go in the middle of the circle. When my co-counselors and I play this game with our campers, it’s not hazing. We’re just having fun.
No matter what type of organization you’re in, whether it’s the police force, camp or Greek Life, there’s going to be a group activity led by someone older for those "ranked" below them. Unless harm is involved, it doesn’t have to automatically be considered hazing.
Thank you IU Police Force, for showing the world that even the most difficult and important jobs shouldn’t always be taken too seriously. It’s okay to have fun, even if it involved a screaming, rubber chicken.