Dozen applicants file for MPD position

By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
April 16, 2002
A total of 12 Meridian police officers filed applications Monday with the Civil Service Commission to become the second-in-command of the Meridian Police Department.
Gloria Kirby, secretary of the Civil Service Commission, said that 13 MPD officers were eligible. She declined to name the 12 candidates, saying she would do so after they complete required testing.
The assistant police chief is the highest-ranking civil service position in the MPD. The assistant chief will report to Police Chief Benny DuBose and serve as chief in DuBose's absence.
Candidates for the position must take and pass several tests. The first, a multiple choice test, is set for Wednesday at the Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Training Facility on Sand Flat Road.
The multiple choice test makes up 65 percent of an applicants' overall score. Applicants must score at least a 70 on the test in order to advance to Friday's verbal exam.
The verbal exam, which accounts for 25 percent of the final score, will consist of an interview before a selected panel at city hall. DuBose will select members of the panel.
The remaining 10 percent of the applicant's overall score will be based on how long they have been officers with the MPD.
After the testing, the Civil Service Commission will verify the candidates' eligibility status and then present the names of those who passed the tests to the city administration.
DuBose will then make a recommendation from that list and Mayor John Robert Smith will make the final decision.