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Officers urge reforms after civil service finds multiple test errors
Summary
San Angelo officers and HR officials told the civil service commission that the recent promotional exam failures revealed gaps in test‑writing and review. The commission asked HR and the civil service director to tighten oversight and report back.
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Officers who took recent promotional exams urged the San Angelo Civil Service Commission on procedural changes after multiple exam items were found invalid or sourced from unposted materials.
Sergeants, lieutenants and rank-and-file officers described how study-time decisions and long career experience affected responses. Several officers said a book that had been used on a prior lieutenant test appeared on this exam without being posted as source material, and some candidates said that produced an unfair advantage for those who had access to prior exams.
"Accountability is fundamental," said Sergeant Antoine Callum, who filed a lengthy appeal describing a cluster of 20 unposted questions on the lieutenant exam and asking that the commission correct the process rather than simply move on.
Veronica Sanchez, the city HR director, told commissioners, "the integrity of these tests are very important to us," and said the administration would review the test-writer procedures and oversight measures. Officers recommended a pre-release review, subject-matter-expert checks, and tighter validation that each exam question originates in the posted study list.
Several speakers warned of collateral effects if tests are reissued, including delays to promotion chains and candidates' one-year eligibility windows. One officer noted that invalidating or reissuing tests could temporarily delay openings and argued the commission must weigh fairness to both those who passed and those who missed on disputed items.
Commissioners did not promise a single remedy for every appeal but approved a set of immediate corrections (removing flawed questions, awarding credit where keys were wrong) and directed HR and the civil service director to report back with a proposed set of safeguards to prevent recurrence.
The commission also asked staff to confirm legal notice requirements under the Local Government Code and ensure future posting and review practices comply with civil service rules.
