Introduction of new police hiring ordinance is pushed to end of June.
By: Joseph Harvie
An ordinance that would change the way police recruits are hired in the township won’t be introduced until the end of the month.
The Township Council decided to table the ordinance until June 28, because Township Attorney Don Sears made some changes to the wording in a proposed draft. The council also requested that the presidents of the two police unions sign an agreement stating they approve of the hiring changes. The ordinance was to be introduced Tuesday.
The council is making changes in the way police officers are recruited and hired because the two unions have raised concerns. About 55 officers members of the Police Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police attended the April 12 council meeting and asked that the township hire 10 new officers and also requested that officers with police academy training or previous police experience be given priority when new officers are being considered.
The proposed ordinance would change the way police tests are graded, giving less weight to the written and more to the oral portion of the exam. The written portion currently accounts for 100 percent of a recruit’s score. The ordinance would lower that to 70 percent and make the oral portion worth 30 percent.
In addition, the ordinance would change the composition of the panel that gives the oral exam. Currently, it includes the township manager, the township police chief, operations captain and two other officers with the rank of captain or higher. Under the proposed changes, the panel would be chosen by the township manager 10 days prior to the exam and would include the manager or his designee and four sworn officers.
The ordinance also would allow the township to count military service as college credits, a change police have said would open the door to a higher number of qualified recruits. Currently, recruits are required to have 60 college credits before they can join the force; under the proposed changes, recruits would need either 60 college credits or four years of active military service.
Councilwoman Carol Barrett raised concerns Tuesday that the changes were being made without the official approval of the unions. While the ordinance was drafted after meetings between union officials and Township Manager Matt Watkins, Ms. Barrett said the unions should agree to the changes in writing.
She said the council adopted an ordinance in November governing college credits. She said that, at the time, she was told the unions agreed with the changes only to have officers pack the township meeting room several months later.
The rest of the council agreed and unanimously voted to table the ordinance.