Berwyn commission: new testing partnership, June 8 interviews for roughly 26 police candidates

Berwyn’s Fire and Police Commission reported it has partnered with Public Safety Testing to screen and expand its pool of candidates and plans to interview about 26 police applicants on June 8, commissioners said.

Police and Fire Commissioner Anna Espinosa, who identified herself as the commission chair, said the commission had exhausted its current eligibility list and "we picked about 26 um that met the our criteria and we're going to interview them June 8th." She described the report as a six-page annual summary noting eight regular and eight special meetings, a recent board reorganization, and recent personnel changes including the February resignation of Daniel Treadwell and the appointment of James Nichols.

The partnership replaces the commission's prior vendor and, commissioners said, is expected to broaden the applicant pool by making Berwyn a local testing site for a vendor that has been primarily West Coast‑based. A presenter said the arrangement had already produced vendor discounts and small perks for the commission because Berwyn joined early as a Midwest pilot.

Commissioners outlined candidate and promotional figures for recent hiring cycles: one sergeant's exam in 2025 led to promotions for two officers; the fire department received 25 applicants, 14 took the written exam and 11 were placed on the eligible list. Commissioners said the police department may be short about three officers, which is part of the reason for the upcoming testing and interview schedule.

Michael Payne, identified as a Police and Fire Commissioner, praised local recruiting efforts, saying, "Well, I I think that the efforts by the fire department recruiting at our local high schools is paying off." Commissioners said preference points are available for Berwyn residents and Berwyn school graduates and discussed outreach and marketing to make Berwyn a more attractive place to work.

Commissioners discussed logistical details of the interview process: the board expects full‑day testing and interviews with roughly 20–30 minute candidate interviews followed by about 10 minutes of discussion per candidate. They said the new vendor system provides more candidate documentation before in‑person interviews and could allow the commission to move to a rolling eligibility list rather than holding mass interview days.

On budget, commissioners said most hiring costs flow to background checks, psychological evaluations and physical exams; Wood Lake Occupational was named as the provider for physicals. The report also noted commissioner training expenses but said most other costs are tied directly to hiring steps.

No formal policy changes or new ordinances were adopted at the meeting. The commission closed the session after an open forum with no public speakers, approving the regular and executive session minutes and adjourning by voice vote.

The commission will host the vendor testing and interviews on June 8; commissioners suggested they could present the new system and procedures in a future Committee of the Whole meeting to explain how candidate screening and the rolling list would work.