Shhhhhh!

How can it be revealed: "It is imperative that an applicant's weight be in proportion to his/her height."

That's the first sentence in the Houston Police Department's Recruit Selection Criteria manual -- a document full of similarly scintillating information that city officials for some reason would prefer that the public not see.

The Press, as part of a Texas Open Records request last November for its story on former HPD officer Joseph Kent McGowen ("Killer Behind the Badge," January 12), asked the department to provide a copy of its hiring guidelines.

Rather than turning over such seemingly innocuous information, HPD instead routed the request to the city's legal department after a police captain raised concerns that release of the document might "skew" the recruitment process. While the meter was ticking for taxpayers, an assistant city attorney wrote the Texas attorney general's office asking that it back the city in its refusal to release the manual.

After considering the legal department's request, an assistant attorney general, again at taxpayers' expense, recently ordered the city to produce the manual. She dismissed the HPD captain's concerns that would-be officers might use the information to manipulate required drug tests or background checks, saying it's "common knowledge" that recruits will be asked to undergo such screenings. (At least one would hope.)

The information in the manual isn't exactly tantalizing stuff. One minor point of interest is a provision that an applicant's "view on the adequacy or the liberalization of existing marijuana legislation" does not disqualify him or her for employment as a city cop.

In case you're interested in a career in law enforcement (no matter how you feel about over-the-counter dope sales), please note that prospective officers must be at least 21 years old to apply at HPD. If you will turn 36 after graduating from the police academy but before being sworn in on the force, you're not eligible.

And by the way, "the upper limit on the percentage of body fat for men is 24 percent and for women 34 percent." You also must be "physically fit"and "free from defects" that could hinder your performance as a cop.

But be careful who you mention this stuff to. HPD officials wouldn't want it getting around.

-- Steve McVicker