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Give new sergeant exam, magistrate orders
YOUNGSTOWN
A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court magistrate has ordered the city’s Civil Service Commission to administer a new promotional exam for any future promotions of patrol officers to the rank of detective sergeant.
Magistrate Thomas M. Gacse ruled Friday in favor of the Youngstown Police Association, which is the union representing city police officers, in the YPA’s lawsuit against the city and its Civil Service Commission.
The magistrate ruled that the new exam must be given because the promotional eligibility list for detective sergeant expired May 11, 2015.
With detective sergeant vacancies having occurred on Feb. 26 and 29, Police Chief Robin Lees issued a memorandum saying the city was asking the Civil Service Commission to certify the next two officers from the old eligibility list.
The YPA said about 60 of its 113 members are eligible to take the exam for promotion to detective sergeant.
“The approximately 60 police officers will be irreparably harmed if the city were to promote from the expired eligibility list,” YPA argued in court papers.
“These 60 officers will be denied, for the rest of their career, the opportunity for promotion to the two vacant positions,” the YPA said.
Lees and City Law Director Martin Hume could not be reached to comment.
The city unsuccessfully claimed a memorandum between it and the Youngstown Police Ranking Officer Organization, which represents supervisors with the rank of sergeant and above, extended the old list until May 11, 2016.
However, the magistrate ruled that the memorandum was not binding on the promotional lists of patrol officers belonging to the YPA.
The parties have 14 days to file objections to the magistrate’s decision, which will be considered by Judge Shirley J. Christian.