Civil service commission closes two appeals, posts Dec. results and sets March 8 open‑hire test; commissioners discuss recruiting shortfall

The Berkeley County Deputy Sheriff Civil Service Commission on Jan. 15 closed two appeal items related to its October open‑hire testing, acknowledged results from a December written exam, set a March 8, 2025 date for the next open‑hire physical agility and written examinations, and reviewed 2024 testing and hiring statistics.

John, Civil Service Secretary, told commissioners that applicant Mackenzie Duclos emailed on Dec. 19, 2024 to withdraw his appeal and that applicant Riley Miller did not respond to a certified letter by the Dec. 23, 2024 5 p.m. deadline and therefore waived his right to a public hearing. Based on those facts, commissioners moved to close the related agenda items and to remove the two names from eligibility lists.

Commission action and votes: Commissioners moved and seconded motions to close agenda items and to remove applicants. Commissioners voiced “aye” and the motions carried.

December written exam: John reported that four applicants took the Dec. 14, 2024 written examination and two passed (50 percent). President Steve Dobson signed an initial list of eligible candidates on Dec. 26, 2024 and an entry‑level notice was posted Dec. 27, 2024 by the West Virginia Division of Personnel; the notice will remain on the clerk’s digital board for public viewing until Jan. 24, 2025 at 5 p.m. John said the sheriff of a neighboring county (referred to as Murphy County in the packet) requested applications be forwarded to that county’s sheriff; John emailed the applications to Chief Burnett to forward to CID for the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.

Scheduling: The commission selected Saturday, March 8, 2025 for the next open‑hire physical agility and written examinations. The application cutoff for the March 8 date is Feb. 26, 2025; the alternate March 1 date would have required a Feb. 19 cutoff. Martinsburg High School’s track is available for testing either date. Commissioner Dale Buck moved to set March 8; Commissioner Jim Moffett seconded and the motion carried.

2024 summary statistics and recruitment discussion: John presented a summary of 2024 entry‑level open‑hire testing and hiring: 54 applications were returned; 27 applicants attended the physical agility test and 20 passed; eight previously certified officers were not required to take the agility test; seven failed the agility test; 23 took the written test and 13 passed while 10 failed; four applicants were requested to be removed from eligibility lists; and five applicants were hired. John summarized: “Overall, you had 54 applications returned, and your return of hire was 5 out of that 54,” which he calculated as about a 9 percent hire rate.

Commissioners discussed possible reasons fewer applicants attended testing than applied and weighed strategies to improve outcomes. Commissioner Jim Moffett said, “What we care about is how many were put in.” Several commissioners and staff suggested enhanced outreach, including social media, targeted recruiting at colleges, local radio and guard bases, and a possible pay bump and sign‑on bonuses discussed by Sheriff’s Office representatives. John said the commission’s 2025 strategic goals would include increased recruiting and outreach; he also offered to run a Facebook page for commission recruitment messaging if commissioners approve it at a future meeting.

What happens next: Staff will remove the two applicants from eligibility lists as directed, post the March 8 testing date with the Feb. 26 cutoff, and continue work on recruitment strategies as part of the commission’s 2025 objectives.