By Michelle Mondo
San Antonio Express-News
Thirteen patrol officers will be disciplined but none will lose their jobs following an investigation into allegations of improper conduct during a promotion exam earlier this year, Police Chief William McManus said Wednesday.
The announcement closed months of speculation over cheating rumors that swirled around a detective exam taken in March by nearly 400 officers.
“I think everyone jumped on the word ‘cheating,’” McManus said. “That’s what garnered all the (media) attention. Cheating and violating testing protocols are two different things. One is more serious than the other. This was not about cheating and the outcome did not show cheating.”
After it completed the investigation, the SAPD Internal Affairs unit forwarded 16 cases involving violation of testing protocols, such as talking in line, to the Chief’s Action Advisory Board, he said.
The board, comprised of civilians and officers, found three of the cases unfounded and forwarded its recommendations for the remaining 13 to McManus.
Ten officers were sent “contemplative indefinite suspension” notices, which if handed down as a final disciplinary action is tantamount to being fired, McManus said.
However, after speaking with all of the officers during individual hearings, McManus settled on lesser “corrective action,” he said.
“I spoke with each officer and we all had good conversations,” McManus said. “Each understood how (violating procedure) could be perceived. It’s about the integrity of the testing process and the integrity of the entire department coming into question.”
No officer received more than a 20-day suspension and some agreed to be bumped down two spots in ranking on the detective promotion list.
The exam results are used to rank officers competing for promotion, and the rankings can hold for more than a year or until all open positions are filled. Guidelines on testing protocols are outlined by state and local government code. The city’s Human Resources department is in charge of proctoring all promotional exams.
The department has put changes in place following the investigation, Rosario Neaves, communications manager with Human Resources, said in an e-mail.
At least two Scantron machines will be on hand at every test and the department will create a written policy on handling cheating allegations, including having a training commander or designee present at each test and allowing the commander or staff to review on-site allegations, Neaves said.
More proctors will be added as the number of test candidates increases, she added.
New test rules include to talking in the exam room from the time tests are handed out until they are graded.
On the day of the detective’s exam, only one scanning machine was available to grade the multiple-choice tests. The machine broke down and officers stood in line while waiting for the replacement until they could get their grades.
Some were seen talking; rumors erupted and a cheating scandal was born, said police union president Mike Helle.
He compared the subsequent media coverage and even talk among the officers as “a witch hunt.” In the end, Helle said, the suspensions showed that protocol needs to be taken seriously.
“The department can finally heal and put this behind us and move forward with our business,” Helle said.
Copyright 2010 San Antonio Express-News