Merit Pool to Grow?

Once again, the Sun Times gets an important fact incorrect, but it's the Sun Times. We expect them to be half assed:

• Police Supt. Jody Weis said Friday he is working to expand the number of officers who can be considered for merit promotions and, ultimately, make it a system where "you don't have to know someone.''

  One of the more far-reaching ideas -- and one still in the planning stages -- would open up merit selection applications to anyone who has passed a test for advancement.

Um, newsflash? If you pass part one, you are already eligible for the "merit" selection process. It says so in the test order. And some people are so confident of their ability to get "merit" promoted, they don't even show up for part two of the test. Hey J-Fed? Did anyone ever tell you that part of the "merit" process? Maybe for the next round of picks, you could see what their combined score and actual test rank is? Bet you'll be surprised.

Here's an interesting thing we noticed. The Sun Times article is written by Anne Sweeney. If you go to the Southtown Star article, also written by Anne Sweeney, you get this incorrect tidbit:

• Under current promotion practices, 20 percent of the positions are filled by those who are recommended based on merit. Most positions are filled based on a test score.

It's only 20% for Detective spots. For Sergeant and above, the "merit" selections are 30%. But it's amusing that two completely different errors can make it through into two different papers both owned by the STNG conglomerate and both errors convey to the reader that everything on the CPD is on the up-and-up when it isn't. Anne better have a couple of talks - one with her source and the other with her editors.