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Elgin hires consultant for police lieutenant promotional testing; chief details safeguards against bias
Summary
Council approved industrial-organizational consultants to administer the police lieutenant promotional process and Chief Lally described the written exam, assessment center and assessor training to limit bias.
The Elgin City Council on May 14 approved a contract with Industrial Organizational Solutions to administer the promotional testing process for police lieutenant positions.
The promotional process includes multiple components: seniority points, department points, a written exam based on city policy and law, and an assessment center made up of three to four exercises tailored to the department. The combined score produces a three-year eligibility list for promotion.
Why it matters: Promotional testing establishes the department’s eligibility list for lieutenant and must be defensible, valid and free of unlawful bias. Council asked about measures to address explicit and implicit bias.
How the process works, according to Chief Lally Chief Lally walked the council through the procedure: the written test is drawn from department policies, ordinances and reading material provided to candidates; the testing company validates questions to withstand legal challenge. “That test is 100 questions,” the chief said.
Assessment centers typically include three or four exercises that may test tactical decision-making, community engagement and personnel management. Assessors are usually retired or senior officers and are trained by the testing company; they review a grading matrix so scorers apply the same standards. “You want a diverse group of people,” Lally said of assessors, and assessors are screened for conflicts of interest so they do not grade candidates they know.
Council questions and fairness Councilmember Paul asked how implicit and explicit bias are addressed. Lally said assessors undergo training and that the department provides fair-and-impartial-policing training to candidates; assessors grade against specific, scored matrices that limit subjective variation. Lally also noted that chief points, interviews, work history and training feed into the final score.
Vote and next steps Council approved the consultant contract on a roll-call vote of 9–0. Staff will proceed to schedule the written test and assessment center and post the results to the city’s transparency site after completion.
Ending: The council’s approval keeps the department on a three-year testing cycle and staff said they will provide candidates feedback after the process.
