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Patrolmen test change OK’d

EAST LIVERPOOL — With approval this week by the Civil Service Commission of a change to the recent police patrolman test results, Chief John Lane said he expects to begin the interview process next week with the hope of hiring one officer immediately and two to three others in the future.

Of the 11 candidates who took the patrolman’s test Nov. 5, five received passing scores based upon both cognitive and personality aspects of the exam, with four others passing just the cognitive portion and two receiving grades under the required 70 percent passing grade on both portions.

The commission discussed this week concerns raised about the personality portion of the test which commission members as well as city administrators have said contains “subjective” questions.

Service-Safety Director Brian Allen had said in questioning this portion of the test that an example of a possible question that might be posed was, if the person were walking down the street and saw a dime, would he or she pick it up and place it in his/her pocket. If the answer given was affirmative, it might indicate the candidate was likely to steal.

Fire Chief Bill Jones was in attendance at this week’s commission meeting and was asked his opinion of the issue, and he said, “I put a lot of weight on the actual oral interviews (of firefighter candidates), and agility tests and how well they follow directions.”

Commission member Sherrie Curtis seemed to agree, saying, “You talk to a person one-on-one, in the eye, watching them sweat, and that tells a whole lot more than what they put down on a piece of paper.”

Secretary Jane Miller said the personality category was never included on tests before 2014, and it was noted that patrolmen candidates undergo an interview and a voice stress test as part of the process prior to hiring.

Due to the concerns about its feasibility, the commission decided to eliminate the personality scores for all candidates, meaning the four who failed due to that portion are now viable candidates for hire.

The commission also approved recent action taken by city council to reinstate the position of lieutenant in the fire department, also discussing contracting with a company to administer a test for the position.

Curtis advised Jones there are a couple of testing companies willing to customize their tests to meet the department’s needs, noting that test questions posed to potential firefighters in Cleveland, for example, would not be pertinent to questions posed to potential East Liverpool firefighters, which has been an issue on past tests.

Currently, Jones said, he has only one firefighter eligible to take the lieutenant’s test, saying he believes a fireman has to have four years on the job for eligibility, with another currently completing his EMT courses after which he could be eligible. He hopes to get three lieutenants in place, one for each crew, all of whom will be promoted from within.

Commission members agreed to go with the Clancy company for the test, with Miller and Jones to arrange for study materials for the firefighters.

Also agreed by the commission after considerable discussion during a recent special work session was to have department heads in Local 677 compile a list of potential questions for promotional tests for their respective open positions. It was previously agreed to no longer test for entry level positions, such as laborer, but promotions will require testing.

The commission approved the resignation for retirement purposes of Janice Clark as chief clerk in the water department, effective Feb. 28, with Curtis adding it was accepted with regrets, saying, “She has served the city for a very long time. I’m sure they’ll miss her.”

The next regular meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in the commission office.

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