News

Police change certain hiring policies

Following applicant with physical disability, board looks at ways to make sure individuals can perform tasks

The Madison Board of Police and Fire Commissioners passed a motion Friday to authorize police department staff during the hiring process to see if applicants with physical disabilities can perform essential job-related tasks when circumstances indicate.

On behalf of Chief of Police Noble Wray, Capt. Sue Williams of the Madison Police Department proposed adding an additional step to the hiring process for a particular individual candidate.

During a physical agility assessment conducted as a portion of the 2009 hiring process, the particular candidate had a visible, physical disability, Williams said.

She added the applicant’s physical disability raised concerns about whether he or she could meet the job requirements necessary for police officers to comply with.

“We are asking that this additional step be added so that we are better able to asses this candidate’s ability to perform specific tasks regarding firearm and tactics and implore if he or she would need reasonable accommodations and to what extent in order to continue in the process,” Williams said.

She added the candidate successfully passed the previous steps of the hiring process thus far, including the background check before he or she was questioned on the eligibility list.

However, Attorney Scott Herrick of the Madison Police and Fire Commission added a visible, physical handicap can be one of the very few conditions preventing a person from complying with a specific occupation.

It then becomes the burden of employer to tell the applicant he or she is unable to fulfill the job requirements, Herrick said.

Williams said the adjustment to the examination process was proposed in light of a specific circumstance and compliance will only be for this one applicant.

The board was unable to publicly announce the details of the candidate’s circumstance.

However, Herrick said the motion is a shortfall in the exam process.

“This is a particular individual with particular question mark,” he said. “Next time there will be someone with a different mark and we generally don’t make … case by case exceptions during the examination process.”

He added the MPD has gone years without encountering a situation of this caliber and may go years without coming upon it again.

Herrick also said he recommends Williams uses a blanket set of standards in his approach to the situation because generally individuals are not singled out during the examination process.

Williams added singling out this particular candidate will not be considered discriminatory because under ADA codes, the applicant has a visible, physical disability.

Herrick said the board’s decision is effective immediately, adding the next hiring process for the MPD will be in place this spring.

Currently the MPD is in the process of hiring new employees, he added.

The board went into a closed session to further discuss the details of the proposal and devise reasonable accommodations for the proposed candidate.