(a) No positions above the rank of police officer in the Division of Police shall be filled by original appointment, except for the position of Chief of Police, which may be filled by either promotion or original appointment, following an examination as defined in this chapter.
(b) No position above the rank of police officer in the Division of Police shall be filled by any person, unless that person has first passed a promotional examination. Promotion shall be by successive ranks so far as practicable, and no police officer in the Division of Police shall be promoted to the rank of Sergeant unless that person has first passed a promotional examination and has served at least 60 months as a police officer. No person with the rank of Sergeant or above shall be promoted to the next higher rank unless that person has first passed a promotional examination and has served at least 12 months in the then next lower rank. No person who takes an examination shall be appointed to the position of Chief of Police unless that person has at least 12 months experience in an equivalent rank or next lower rank in another police department or law enforcement agency.
(c) No examination or promotional examination shall be held unless there are at least two persons eligible and willing to compete. Whenever the Commission determines that there are fewer than two persons eligible and willing to compete, such Commission shall allow persons in the Division of Police holding positions in the second lower rank than the position to be filled who are eligible and willing, to compete for the position to be filled. Whenever a vacancy occurs in the position above the rank of police officer in the Division of Police and there is no eligibility list for such rank, the Commission shall, within 180 days of such vacancy, hold a promotional examination. After such examination(s) has been held and an eligibility list has been established, the Commission, or its designee, shall forthwith certify to the appointing authority the names of the three (five for position of Chief of Police) persons receiving the highest rating, including any applicable seniority or other preference points. When less than three (five for position of Chief of Police) names are certified to an appointing authority, appointment from that list shall not be mandatory. When the minimum number of names required herein are certified, the appointing authority shall appoint one of the three (five for position of Chief of Police) persons so certified within 30 days from the date of such certification. An eligibility list expires one year after its creation or upon the administration of a new examination. The Commission may approve an additional one-year extension. ( Ord. C32-18. Passed 5-21-18.)
(d) No credit for seniority or any other reasons shall be added to an applicant's examination grade unless the applicant achieves at least the minimum passing grade on the examination without counting such extra credit. Seniority of service for a promotion in the Division of Police, beginning with the date of employment as a full-time police officer with the City, shall equal for each of the first four years of service, 1% of the total grade attainable in the promotion examination, and, for each of the fifth through fourteenth years of service, 0.6% of the total grade attainable. Notwithstanding any provision herein, a candidate for promotion in the Division of Police may petition the Commission for additional seniority credit, up to the maximum set forth herein, for other full-time positions the candidate held if such positions provided training or other skills that were related to and/or beneficial to the candidate's current or prospective position within the Division of Police. When ruling on such a determination, the Commission shall have the ability to award full or partial credit up to the maximum set forth herein. The decision of the Commission shall be final and not subject to appeal.
(Ord. C12-90. Passed 2-5-90; Ord. C50-01. Passed 8-20-01; Ord. C08-13. Passed 2-19-13.)