Page 62 - FOP March 2017 Newsletter

Promotional exam update
The recent Department of Justice (DOJ) inves- tigation addressed areas of concern officers have in regards to promotional exams, citing many officers are frustrated with the process and lack confidence in it.
We can only hope that by shining a light on the concerns in the promotional exam process, some solutions can be developed and implemented. Let’s look at some expressed concerns, and their potential fixes.
Lack of regularly scheduled exams
ship.
Concerns remain about whether the promotion structure,
as a whole, ensures CPD is promoting the most competent, effective and dedicated officers to supervisory positions. CPD should engage in regular and careful reviews of its pro- cedures to ensure they are fair and sufficiently frequent to result in the promotion of effective, ethical and otherwise highly qualified officers. Further, CPD should take concrete
steps to enhance the transparency of the promotions sys- tem. Some recent efforts, including the expansion of the OIG’s role, are laudable, and should be expanded and
sustained.
Some candidates have expressed concerns about
DR. JEFF BERNSTEIN
Most police departments schedule promotion-
al exams every two to three years, as opposed to Chicago Police Department’s six to 11 years. NYPD promotional exams are every two years, as are the Miami-Dade Police Department’s. That’s it – simple, clean, transparent and direct. There is no reason why CPD can’t do exactly the same thing. Now the City has recog- nized this problem, and the report stated the following:
Pursuant to the City’s new hiring plan, eligibility lists must be retired after six years, “unless there is a lack of available funds for testing,” in which case, the list will be retired “as soon as practicable.” City consultants highlighted this prob- lem in 2014, and recommended that the department admin- ister promotional tests at least every four years. CPD should continue to evaluate whether scores on previously admin- istered tests accurately reflect current knowledge and skills, and whether more frequent testing through validated testing instruments would result in promotion of the most qualified officers.
A fair and valid exam process
It’s safe to say the majority of candidates want a fair and valid promotional exam process. However, the report cites the following:
Despite the long history of litigation and myriad litiga- tion-initiated reforms, including the addition of the merit promotions system, there remains a broad sense among of- ficers that CPD does not promote people fairly. Prior reform efforts have not convinced officers that CPD’s promotions system is fair and that the City values strong, quality leader-
weights given to parts I and II of detective, sergeant and lieutenant exams. Currently, part I is pass/fail, with a zero-percent final weight. Part II, then, is worth 100 percent. These scoring percentages have been used for
quite some time. No doubt they will be re-evaluated.
Supervisorial span of control
There was extensive focus in the DOJ investigation on im- proving supervision. One area that positively impacts pro- motions is the span of control. Some sergeants supervise 10, 15 or 20 officers. The report recommendation was very spe- cific on this: Implement appropriate span of control ratios in all districts. This change clearly will translate to having more supervisors.
Finally, the DOJ concluded with this:
To ensure constitutional and effective policing, CPD must promote competent, capable leaders, and ensure confidence amongst officers that deserving, well-qualified candidates will be selected for promotions. CPD must review its pro- motions systems to ensure all qualified candidates have a chance to be promoted, and improve transparency to better inform officers of how promotional decisions are made.
Part II of the last sergeant exam was given in January 2014. If the four-year recommendation is implemented, the next sergeant exam would be given in 2018. Let’s hope this year’s City plan seriously considers concerns of Chicago Police Of- ficers, and that positive changes are implemented.
Here are answers to some of the questions regarding the entry exam:
• What does the new exam consist of? The exam consists of
a series of multiple-choice questions designed to test im- portant cognitive abilities necessary for effective job per- formance as a criminal justice officer.
• What essential areas were identified? In developing the exam, a group of law enforcement experts from criminal justice agencies throughout the U.S. identified many tasks essential to a Police Officer’s job performance. From these tasks, the following 10 essential areas for entry-level testing were determined:
• DeductiveReasoning • FlexibilityofClosure • InductiveReasoning • InformationOrdering • ProblemSensitivity
• SelectiveAttention
• SpatialOrientation
• VerbalComprehension • VerbalExpression
• Visualization
• How many questions are included in this new entry exam? According to the test maker, these 10 areas have been grouped into 80 questions.
• How much time is typically allotted? The total time that has been previously allowed for taking the exam is two- and-a-half hours.
• How can I best prepare for this new exam, and learn about other parts of the hiring process? Ask any Chicago Police Officer; he or she will tell you to take a class! If you want to ensure your score goes up, sign up for a Bernstein Test Prep seminar at www.BernsteinTestPrep.com. It’s one full day of intensive review and practice testing; when you’re done with the seminar, there’s one additional day of online practicetesting.d
Test Prep
Chicago Police entry exam
Email Dr. Bernstein at drbernstein@bernsteintestprep.com, visit our website at www.BernsteinTestPrep.com or call 800-272-5353.
62 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MARCH 2017