EDITORIAL Civil service test cumbersome, but necessary hiring process
When the number of applicants on Washington police’s civil service list dwindled to two, the department was required to hold a daylong test that put potential recruits through rigorous physical and mental exercises.
Of the 32 applications the police department received by the March 9 deadline, only 26 of them showed up for the test about three weeks later. Four of those applicants failed either the physical or written portions of the testing.
The remaining 22 applicants received weighted scores and will be notified soon where they fall on the list, giving them an idea whether they will be one of the three to be added to the city’s civil service list to be considered for a full-time position with the police department.
While this certainly is the fairest way to find new officers, even the police department considers it somewhat of a cumbersome way to hire people.
“The pros are that it’s a fair process. Not one person has an edge over another,” Washington police Capt. Steve Robertson said. “You have no control over how people fall on the list. There were some people that applied for this past test that have been in police work for years, but because they don’t test well, they dropped out.”
But in the past, the civil service exam has been a hurdle to recruit applicants from the black community. The problem hasn’t necessarily been a lack of interest. Instead, it has been a lack of awareness.
In an attempt to bolster the number of recruits, Washington police Chief Robert Wilson said the department advertised on social media, generating numerous applications through its Facebook posts.
One black candidate took the training test, although it was not immediately known where his score placed him on the civil service list. While having only one minority out of 26 candidates might seem like a low number, it’s an improvement over the past when no minorities took the tests.
Washington officials are trying to improve those figures as they reach out to the NAACP and leaders in the black community. There’s more work to be done, but the results from the most recent civil service test are a step in the right direction.