Columbus Police Division Commander Gary Dunlap will likely make history when he is promoted to deputy chief within the next two years.
Dunlap, who is ranked at the top of the division's deputy-chief promotion list, probably will be the last city police officer to be promoted to the rank based on how he scored on an exam.
The city's new three-year contract with its police officers will instead allow Chief Kimberley Jacobs and Public Safety Director Mitchell J. Brown to subjectively choose deputy chiefs, a move that city and police union leaders consider to be one of the most-significant cultural changes within the division in decades.
Brown and Jacobs say they pushed for the change to improve the leadership in the division. Jacobs said the position requires a good leader rather than just a good test taker.
"We've established the fact that candidates at that level are good test takers because you don't get to be a commander without testing well," said Jacobs, who became chief in April. "What we are looking for is: What have you done that shows the initiative needed and that you have a good work history?"
The new policy also means, in the future, the mayor and public safety director will have a pre-screened selection of candidates when filling the division's top position. The chief of police is almost always chosen from the rank of deputy chief.
Jim Gilbert, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said the union did not protest the change because the "reasoning behind the change was fair."
"This is such a significant culture change because before there was a clear process in place of how to rise through the ranks," he said. "But we also want the best person for the job, so that's why we think it is fair."
The new contract language does not allow Jacobs to demote deputy chiefs without probable cause, and tests for commander, lieutenant and sergeant are not being eliminated.
Jacobs will have to wait until the current list of candidates who tested for deputy chief expires in two years before implementing the new policy. She said she expects one vacancy during that time.
The division has six deputy chiefs and 18 commanders, who are the next level down on the chain of command.
Jacobs said she understands officers are worried about the promotion process changing for deputy chiefs, but she is asking that they have faith in the process.
"Our employees like objectiveness because it's what they're used to, but they've also seen people that are just good test takers, and I think they recognize there are more skills needed to do the job," she said. "This process allows the chief to look at the needs of the division and decide who has the best skills of those on staff that can meet those needs."
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