Chicago has a long history of difficulty with its public safety testing programs. For example, there was a Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed litigation to continue in relation to a fire department assessment that was administered in 1995. Now, there are reports that Chicago may do away with its police testing program to save money, avoid the potential for litigation, and boost minority hiring.

It is difficult to understand how this is a good business decision. Not using a test certainly does not ensure against litigation because any process used to evaluate a job candidate is legally considered to be a “test” and subject to the same legal considerations as a formal psychometric assessment program. Additionally, other cities have managed to develop public safety recruitment and selection programs that have yielded a diverse police force. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a well-designed assessment program is the fairest and most effective means of selecting job candidates.  Removing the objective data from the decision making process and simply depending upon the subjective review of job applications is likely to result in more difficulties and expense in the long run than would developing a validated testing program when the costs of a poorly selected police force are considered. Additionally, not using a formal testing program would make Chicago unique amongst major city police departments.

Reid Klion