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Senate bill 374 would let police chiefs set civil-service testing dates to speed hiring, committee passes bill
Summary
The City, County & Local Affairs Committee heard testimony from Russellville police and the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police and passed SB374, which would change civil-service procedures so chiefs can set testing schedules to shorten hiring delays.
The City, County & Local Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 374 after hearing testimony from law enforcement representatives who said the state’s civil-service testing schedule hampers hiring.
Sen. Brianne Davis (District 25) called Chief David Ewing of the Russellville Police Department and Gary Sykes of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police to explain the bill. Chief Ewing and Sykes told the committee that existing civil-service rules require agencies to coordinate testing dates with a commission that meets monthly and that the current schedule — historically limited to fixed testing windows such as April and October — can create multi-week delays when few applicants appear. Chief Ewing said those delays “put us behind the 8 ball” when trying to get recruits into the state academy and on the street.
Chief Ewing described the bill’s core change as transferring scheduling authority for tests to chiefs, while preserving civil-service oversight of methods. “The police chief is responsible for staffing of his department. He should be able to, you know, set the date, time, and frequency of the test to meet his departmental needs,” Ewing said. Gary Sykes told the committee he polled chiefs across the state and that civil-service departments that remain are supportive of the change.
Sen. Davis said the bill is intended to update antiquated civil-service law and reduce hiring barriers amid statewide law-enforcement staffing shortages. The committee closed public comment, Davis closed debate for her bill, and the committee moved, seconded and passed SB374 by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.
The transcript does not include the bill’s final statutory language on the record, nor does it record any conditions, amendments, or effective date; committee members emphasized the bill’s practical aim of shortening the hiring timeline so recruits can be scheduled for the state academy without delay.
