City To De-emphasize Police Test By Switching To Pass-fail System

Imagine taking the written test to join the city's Police Department and getting a near-perfect score. For the last 38 years, that would have put you at the top of the list for enrollment in the next class at the Police Academy.

No longer. From now on, the city's police exam will be pass-fail. If you score a 95, your chances will be no better than someone who got a just-passing 70.

The city, following the lead of other police departments, will place less emphasis on the multiple-choice entrance examination. More importance instead will be given to being drug-free, passing background checks and successfully completing 20 weeks of training and six months of probation on the street.

At issue is what makes a good police officer. The new line of thinking among city officials is that there is little difference between candidates who pass the initial Civil Service test. Better yardsticks are said to be the character of the candidates and their performance during training.

Police Capt. David Morrell, who is leading a recruiting campaign, said he agreed that the best test scorers do not necessarily make the best officers.

"We're brought up in a society that teaches that high scores mean good performance," Morrell said. "Maybe that's true for the bar exam, but I don't think that's a barometer to success in the department. I would look more for highly motivated people who are sensitive, who really care about people."

The revamped process was approved by Police Commissioner Willie L. Williams, Orville W. Jones, the city's personnel director, and other city officials. These new standards will have impact: The city expects to hire

2,380 officers by July 1992.

The new process introduces a very important variable - a computer.

The computer - and not the test scores - will rank the candidates randomly and this ranking will determine the order in which they are tested and hired. Officials insist that everyone who passes the test will get a chance to join the force - provided they also pass a rigid series of background checks and meet certain standards.

History shows most pass the written test - about 85 percent of those who took the most recent examination in 1987 scored 70 or better. Applicants are given study booklets in advance that follow the formats of the test.