Police Commander Promotional Exam

Topics of Discussion

The meeting was called to order, introductions were made, and the purpose of the meeting was shared.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the plans for the 2026 Police Lieutenant and Commander Exams as provided in the F.O.P. contract.

Exam Contacts

CSC confirmed that the following individuals will serve as representatives during the examination processes:

• Deputy Director Doug Sarff—Department of Public Safety
• Police Deputy Chief Mark Denner—City of Columbus Division of Police
• Police Commander Greg Parini—F.O.P. Liaison
• Joel Wiesen Ph.D.—F.O.P. Test Consultant
• Laura Hausman—Civil Service Commission Main Contact
• Cayla Burke and Chelsea Whims—Civil Service Commission Candidate Contact

   

  Ride-a-longs/Job Observations

  Ride-a-longs for CSC staff will be scheduled as needed for staff members to gain knowledge and familiarity with the job classes. These would consist of an approximately two-hour interview scheduled with a commander and/or an eight-hour ride-a-long with a lieutenant.  If needed, Deputy Chief Denner will assist in coordinating these.

  Important Dates

  The CSC presented the tentative dates/exam schedule for each rank (Handout 1 for each rank). The dates were reviewed and the Division and FOP representatives checked for conflicts, such as the Police Memorial week.  There were no suggested edits noted with these timelines. The CSC shared that both exams will have application filing periods of two weeks in length.

  Information Sessions

  Video-based information sessions will be produced for each exam and available on the CSC webpages for each of the exams. The videos will consist of narrated PowerPoint slides (the slides will include contact information). This format allows candidates to access and view the information at their convenience, as often as they like, and provides all candidates with the same information.

  Questions and Answers (Q&A) Documents

  A Q&A document will be posted on the CSC website for each exam. CSC will start with expected/standard questions and add Q&As as necessary. Should a candidate contact the CSC and pose a new question, it will be answered and documented. That answer will then be added to the Q&A document within approximately a week, which ensures candidates have access to all the questions and answers consistently. If a question is already answered in a posted document, the candidate will be directed to that document and the answer will not be added to the Q&A.

  Reading Lists

  CSC presented the Tentative Reading List for each rank (Handout 2 for each rank). The information regarding the reading lists is confidential until posted to the CSC’s website.

  Information discussed regarding the reading list:

  • The reading list cutoff date is July 1, 2025 for Police Commander and October 1, 2025 for Police Lieutenant. Source updates after these dates will not be included in materials for each exam respectively.
  • The FOP Contract dated December 9, 2023 – December 8, 2026 will be used for both exams.
  • The 2023, 2024, and January – June 2025 In-Service Legal will be used for these examination processes.
  • Outside sources may be added to the reading lists at the time of application filing for each rank.
  • Candidates will not be permitted to bring their own electronic sources during the exam. For phases tested on a computer, the CSC will provide electronic copies of internal sources; however, the CSC will not provide hard copies of sources during any phase of the exam.
  • Non-electronic dictionaries are permitted during open-book portions of the exam processes. This includes Phase I (written work sample) and the preparation period of Phase II (oral board) for Police Commander; and Phase II (written work sample) and the preparation period of Phase III (oral board) for Police Lieutenant.
  • For the Police Lieutenant exam phases, if test development SMEs and CSC staff determine that the source(s) is(are) needed for reference by candidates during the exam, the Criminal Complaint Manual, Field Training Officer Program Manual, and Field Report Manual will be provided in full or in part to candidates at the time of the exam phases.
  • The internal sources included on the reading list were confirmed by the Division and FOP as being relevant and important for these ranks.

  Exam Phases and Weights

  The Police Commander Promotional Exam will consist of two phases, a written work sample and an oral board exam. Each will be weighted 50%. The Police Lieutenant exam will consist of three phases: closed-book multiple-choice, written work sample, and an oral board. Each phase will be equally weighted. See Handout 3 for each rank.

  Exam Phase Details

  For the Police Commander exam, the following was noted:

  • The written work sample will be administered on computers. The CSC computer lab at 77 N. Front Street will be utilized.
  • The oral board will be administered at 1111 E Broad Street. All candidates will be tested on one day.
  • Both exam phases will be scored using behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS).
  • Candidates may participate in a video review of their oral board responses and paper inspection of their written work sample and oral board scores sheets. This review is by appointment only. Candidates may bring a mentor who is in the rank of commander or higher and was not involved in the oral board development process.
  • There will be no cut point; thus, all candidates who complete both phases pass the exam. Placement on the eligible list will be based upon scoring and the addition of seniority points.  

  For the Police Lieutenant exam, the following was noted:

  • Phase I is a closed-book multiple-choice exam which will consist of approximately 100 items and will be administered at 1111 East Broad Street.
  • Phase II is the written work sample which will be scored using a checklist style answer key. The written work sample will be administered on computers. The CSC computer lab at 77 N. Front Street will be utilized.
  • The oral board will be scored using behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) and administered at 1111 E Broad Street. All candidates will be tested on one day.
  • There will be appeals for the multiple-choice and written work sample exams. There will also be a clerical review process for the written work sample.
  • Candidates may participate in a video review of their oral board responses and a paper inspection of their oral board scores sheets. This review is by appointment only. Candidates may bring a mentor who is in the rank of lieutenant or higher and who was not involved in the oral board development process. 

  Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Needs

  Subject matter experts are relied upon in the test development and appeals review process. Handout 4 for each rank lists the rank, estimated number of SMEs needed, and estimated time commitment for each part of the exam process. SMEs may assist in the development of multiple-choice questions for the Police Lieutenant exam. The CSC requested that the Division and FOP provide information about individuals that they do not wish to serve as SMEs (e.g., their retirement is imminent, they are currently under investigation). The division may be needed to recruit and select additional SMEs if the number of potential SMEs will not cover the stated needs.

  Results Release Procedures

  Handout 5 for each rank describes the results release procedure. The results release procedures were reviewed. The tentative results period is the time for the results to be reviewed by candidates and the FOP exam consultant, and for seniority points to be reviewed by the union. Any questions or discrepancies should be reported to the CSC as soon as possible so that any issues can be resolved before the eligible list is finalized.

  CSC confirmed that results will be sent to the Department of Public Safety – Deputy Director Doug Sarff; the Union – FOP liaison Greg Parini; and to Police Deputy Chief Mark Denner. The results release procedure will stand as noted in the handout.

  Test Accommodations:

  Military and ADA test accommodation requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. These requests are considered when the accommodation can be administered on the same day as other candidates. Accommodation requests should be submitted as soon as possible. While accommodations for post exam procedures, such as appeals and clerical reviews can be considered for alternate dates, they are only for reviewing the test material, not for submitting appeals or petitions. The CSC noted that accommodation requests are now online form submissions via the CSC Public Forms webpage.

  Concerns from Union/Department/Division

  Dress code for the Oral Board was discussed with several options being put forth; however, it was determined that no changes will be made at this time. Candidate dress is not part of the scoring criteria; therefore, candidates will not be turned away based on their attire.

  It was also clarified that seniority points will only be added to passing scores. This is consistent with past exams.

  Attachments:

  • Agenda (as shown in CUPA)
  • Handout 1: Important Dates (as shown in CUPA for each rank)
  • Handout 2: Reading Lists (as shown in CUPA for each rank)
  • Handout 3: Exam Phases & Weights (as shown in CUPA for each rank)
  • Handout 4: SME Needs (as shown in CUPA for each rank)
  • Handout 5: Test Results Release Procedure (as shown in CUPA for each rank)

Police Lieutenant and Police Commander CUPA Meeting Agenda

Monday, May 19, 2025

1. Welcome and Introductions – security agreements
2. Exam Contacts
3. Ride-a-longs/Observations
4. Important Dates (see Handout 1)
5. Information Sessions
6. Question & Answer Documents
7. Reading Lists (see Handout 2)
8. Exam Phases and Weights (see Handout 3)
9. Exam Phase Details
10. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Needs (see Handout 4)
11. Results Release Procedures (see Handout 5)
12. Accommodations
13. Any Concerns from Union/Department/Division

1. Important Dates
2. Reading Lists
3. Exam Phases and Weights
4. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Needs
5. Results Release Procedures

Handout 1

2026 Police Lieutenant Exam

Important Dates

NOTE: The scheduled dates are subject to revision in the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the Civil Service Commission. Any deviations from this schedule will be documented and applicable notifications, if any, will be made

Handout 1

2026 Police Commander Exam

Important Dates

NOTE: The scheduled dates are subject to revision in the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the Civil Service Commission. Any deviations from this schedule will be documented and applicable notifications, if any, will be made.

Handout 2

2026 Columbus Police Lieutenant

Promotional Exam Reading List

Tentative

The revisions cutoff date for all internal division sources is October 1, 2025.

Internal Division of Police Sources:

2023, 2024, and January – June of 2025 Legal Updates*

Arrest, Search, and Seizure Manual

Directives Manual

Emergency Operations Manual

FOP Contract (December 9, 2023 - December 8, 2026)

Patrol SOP Manual

Supervisor’s Manual

Outside Sources:

Supplemental sources including but not limited to texts, articles, and documents may be announced as needed for the Written Work Sample and Oral Board Exam at the time of the application filing period.

*Where Legal Updates contradict each other, the most recent update will be considered as superseding the older update.

Any of the listed source materials as well as a dictionary may be referenced by candidates during the Written Work Sample exam phase, petitions, and appeals, and the preparation period of the Oral Board phase. Unless otherwise specified in the exam notice, candidates must bring their own printed copies of these materials (non-electronic). Due to exam security, candidates are not permitted to use personal electronic copies of reading list material.

If test development SMEs and CSC staff determine that the source(s) is(are) needed for reference by candidates during the exam, the Criminal Complaint Manual, Field Training Officer Program Manual, and Field Report Manual will be provided in full or in part to candidates at the time of the exam phases.

Any content from the sources on the reading list may be tested in any phase of this examination.

Handout 2

2026 Columbus Police Commander

Promotional Exam Reading List

Tentative

The revisions cutoff date for all internal division sources is July 1, 2025.

Internal Division of Police Sources:

2023, 2024, and January – June of 2025 Legal Updates*

Arrest, Search, & Seizure Manual

Directives Manual

Emergency Operations Manual

FOP Contract (December 9, 2023 - December 8, 2026)

Patrol SOP Manual

Supervisor’s Manual

Outside Sources:

Supplemental sources including but not limited to texts, articles, and documents may be announced as needed for the Written Work Sample and Oral Board Exam at the time of the application filing period.

*Where the Legal Updates contradict each other, the most recent update will be considered as superseding the older update.

Any of the listed source materials as well as a dictionary may be referenced by candidates during the Written Work Sample exam phase and the preparation period of the Oral Board phase. Unless otherwise specified in the exam notice, candidates must bring their own printed copies of these materials (non-electronic). Due to exam security, candidates are not permitted to use personal electronic copies of reading list material.

Any content from the sources on the reading list may be tested in any phase of this examination.

Handout 3

2026 Police Lieutenant

Exam Phases and Weights

Police Lieutenant

                                                                                                  Total: 100%

Handout 3

2026 Police Commander

Exam Phases and Weights

Police Commander

                                                                                                                                  Total:  100%