NCJ Number
80432
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 45 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1976) Pages: 2-8
Date Published
1976
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes an innovative approach to police promotions by the Fairfax County, Va., police and personnel departments -- an employee-structured promotional examination process.
Abstract
The Fairfax County Police experienced a court suit in 1972 which struck down their promotional list and although a new list was established, dissatisfaction among officers regarding promotions remained. Because the county had successfully involved employees in staff decisionmaking, the police and personnel departments decided to develop a customized promotional system with a professional consultant's assistance. A total of 333 police officers were eligible for promotion to corporal, sergeant, and lieutenant. Representatives from each rank of candidates were first asked to meet with the consultant and project coordinators. Decisions concerning components in the promotional process were made at these sessions and then incorporated into announcements mailed to every candidate. The written examination was discussed in detail, with all officers voicing a strong desire to have only job-related questions and eliminate failing scores. Decisions were reached on minimum scores that allowed a candidate to pass, the supervisor's evaluations, and weight given to seniority. Candidates for sergeant and lieutenant voted for an oral board, while candidates for corporal voted to eliminate this stage. A partial bibliography that contained source material for at least 50 percent of the examination questions was developed, and sets of these books were purchased for candidates' use. Special performance evaluation forms were also devised. All candidates were evaluated on the same day, with exceptions for leave time and sickness and were given the opportunity to appeal. The written exam was based on the results of a self-administered job analysis checklist and interviews conducted by the consulting firm as well as references from the bibliography. All candidates for one promotion took the 3.5 hour exam at the same time, and most considered it a fair exam. The oral board was composed of law enforcement professionals from outside the Fairfax Police. The organization promoted 57 officers, the largest group promoted in its history, and the prevailing attitude was that the process had been fair. The bibliography and a table showing the representative groups' votes on promotion decisions are included.