PATERSON, N.J. — More than 100 New Jersey officers will be required to retake a sergeant’s exam administered in 2019 — and if they fail, they’ll be demoted, PIX11 reported.
The ruling by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission comes after the state found the final 10 questions of the exam to be prejudicial towards minorities, according to the report. The commission nullified the results of that exam and ordered at least 30 Paterson Police officers and 70 Newark Police officers.
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One sergeant who took the 2019 exam told PIX11 that the questions called for “cut-and-dry” answers regarding Attorney General guidelines.
The Paterson Police Superior Officers Association has filed an appeal, alleging the decision was arbitrary and that it should be reviewed by the Appellate Division, according to the report.
The Division ruled in August that the Commission’s removal of the final questions lacked evidence to prove they were discriminatory and was unfair to officers who answered all the questions. The Commission cited an unusually high skip rate by Black and Hispanic officers on the questions as the reason for their removal.
Community leaders also objected to the retest, saying that having officers serving in higher ranks demoted would cause organizational chaos.
“We are standing in solidarity to let everyone know that these promotions must stand,” said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.
The Civil Service Commission has not commented on the situation as of Dec. 9.
