Aurora – Police and fire chiefs want more minorities in their departments but feel a decades-old Civil Service system is hampering their efforts.
Both chiefs on Wednesday asked a City Council subcommittee on public safety to consider ways in which the city’s Civil Service Commission could be revamped to get more flexibility in hiring and promotions.
“That’s what the discussion is about: How do we fix this process (that) is a very old process that is not responsive to the department’s needs?” said Fire Chief Casey Jones.
Candidates are hired based on who scores the highest based on a variety of indices. Race, age and gender aren’t factors. The same is true with promotions, said Jones. The Fire Department hires fewer people every year than does the Police Department. But the Police Department is under a consent decree to add officers every year, and this year it is anticipated that it will need 70 new officers.
And the city has been criticized for not having a diverse enough staff. Last year, more than 86 percent of Aurora’s 623 officers were white, and 90 percent were men. Police Chief Dan Oates said the testing process is too rigid and “unreasonable.”
“We need to have the capacity to test and hire quickly because it’s an extraordinarily tough market,” he said.
He would like the ability to test and hire throughout the year, rather than twice a year under the Civil Service Commission rules. Oates also would like the ability to promote the top three on the list, not just the highest-scoring candidates.
“I have no discretion of who to promote,” he said. “My 30 lieutenants have no incentive to be on the agenda with the chief and city management. Now they get promoted if they pass a test.”
The commission is under the city charter, and most changes must first be approved by City Council and then through a vote by the people. To get any changes on the ballot, the council would have to approve the changes by June. The committee plans to meet twice next month to discuss it.
Agent Don James, president of the Aurora Police Association, anticipates a battle.
“Civil Service is something that is very dear to our rank and file,” he said. “It provides us a great degree of security. It’s another body of due process that we have available. Any changes and modifications are disturbing and alarming. My sense is we won’t be in agreement with those changes.”
Staff writer Jeremy P. Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
