Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen announced Saturday that he has decided not to promote any of the department’s 69 officers at this time.
Earlier in the month, after much wrangling and discussion, the Civil Service Commission voted 3-2 to approve a new department policy, which gives current officers first priority for promotions as long as they make at least a 70 on the standardized tests for rank advancement and have not been in disciplinary trouble.
McQueen said approximately 31 people took the tests under former Chief Joseph St. John’s tenure, and seven scored at least a 70.
Under the former policy, McQueen said, officers received a cumulative score based upon the test, essays, an oral interview and other factors. Officers could still be promoted — even if they had been in trouble — as long as their cumulative score was high enough.
But there was no way to pass or fail the test under the old policy, McQueen said Saturday night, and with a new policy in place, he feels it makes the previous scores invalid.
“Is it fair for the ones who go out and work hard and do their work and stay out of trouble — is it fair for those individuals to miss a promotion when someone else may have gotten into trouble (but still is promoted)?” McQueen asked. “That’s what’s going to lower morale.”
He said there is nothing stated in the previous or current policy requiring him to give promotions.
“There’s nothing that would compel not just me, but any chief, to promote,” McQueen said.
In addition, he said the 2010-2011 budget did not include funding for promotions, but he is looking at next year’s budget and will factor in a line-item for them.
“No one is bigger than the organization, and the organization can’t be larger than the community or the people, because that’s who we work for, and the citizens of Columbus deserve the best law enforcement we can provide,” McQueen said.
During the policy change discussions, many officers said they are overdue for promotions, and they protested the new system of lateral promotions, which allows officers from outside departments to join the force at their current rank, rather than the previous policy, which demoted them to patrol officers and required them to work their way through the ranks.
The new policy was passed Feb. 9 and is subject to a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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