I'm sure that just like the military the standards were lowered to allow certain people into the ranks. Heck... begining in 1931 there used to be a minimum height requirement of 5"10 just to be eligible to join the NY state troopers.
1931
September 15. State Police Teletypewriter System inaugurated between the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. First Airplane (two-seat, open cockpit biplane) purchased for state police use, Troop D.
Height requirement for trooper candidates raised from 5’8” to 5’10”. 25 appointments were made from more than 4500 applicants.
I'm sure that just like the military the standards were lowered to allow certain people into the ranks. Heck... begining in 1931 there used to be a minimum height requirement of 5"10 just to be eligible to join the NY state troopers.
http://www.nysth.com/uploads/3/4/3/5/34355128/chronological_history_of_the_new_york_state_police-mw.pdf
Bottom of page 5:
1931 September 15. State Police Teletypewriter System inaugurated between the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. First Airplane (two-seat, open cockpit biplane) purchased for state police use, Troop D.
Height requirement for trooper candidates raised from 5’8” to 5’10”. 25 appointments were made from more than 4500 applicants.