Lorain Police Dept. Drops Height Requirement – Jan. 1973

Being particularly tall has never been a trait of the males in my family. 

Why? I guess it's partially attributable to our particular ethnic mix (German and Irish). Neither my father nor my brothers made it to six feet tall. I was actually the tallest at five foot ten and a half. Not exactly tall, but I wasn't nicknamed "Shorty" either. Just average.

Now I'm going in the other direction, and have to goop up my hair to counteract the inevitable shrinkage.

Nevertheless, I've never lost any sleep over my lack of height (especially since being too tall for my bed was never a problem). 

Which brings me to today's topic: the height of Lorain policemen. A short (or average, if you prefer) article in the January 19, 1973 Journal noted that the Lorain Civil Service Commission had "wiped away all height requirements for safety force candidates." Previously, the minimum height requirement was 5-feet 9-inches.

The article by Staff Writer Greg Stricharchuk amusingly notes that the TV detective Lt. Columbo (played by actor Peter Falk), at five-feet, 8-inches tall, would now be eligible to join the Lorain Police force.

Lorain Police Chief John Malinovsky doesn't sound too happy about it in the article. "I'll just have to put up with them after they're here," he's quoted as saying, regarding the possible addition of what he must have considered a parade of pipsqueaks. 

The Lorain Civil Service Commission President helpfully notes that he "doesn't expect the police department to take on any "midgets." 

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Peter Falk and his Columbo character were the subject of a blog post back here.