Shelby County's law-enforcement committee on Wednesday recommended approval of a sole-source contract with Morris & McDaniel Inc. to produce promotional examinations for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, despite concerns from several commissioners about potential bias and fairness in proprietary exams.

Alicia Lindsey, chief administrative officer for the sheriff's office, told the committee the vendor was approved as sole-source by purchasing because the company provides a proprietary testing product used to create legally defensible promotional exams. The contract is for testing services not to exceed $129,967 and includes renewal options.

Commissioner Erica Sugarman and others pressed staff for demographic data on past examinees and asked whether an independent review could vet questions for bias. Sugarman recounted a personal account involving a family member's experience with state-level testing and urged a third-party review. Purchasing staff and the sheriff's office said review of proprietary materials would risk compromising the integrity of the exam process; purchasing staff described the distinction between "single source" and "sole source" procurement and the limits on review of proprietary content.

Commissioner defense and recruitment arguments were raised in favor of quickly securing a testing vendor so promotion pipelines remain available and to support retention. After discussion, the committee voted 6-1 in favor of recommending the contract to the full commission; Sugarman cast the lone no vote. Committee members requested follow-up materials, including demographic pass/fail breakdowns and documentation of sole-source justification for the record.

The item will be presented to the full commission with a favorable recommendation. Commissioners asked staff to provide additional documentation on vendor selection and demographic outcomes before final action.