The Use of Written Exams in Police and Fire Departments

• Author: Norma M. Riccucci,Margaret Riccardelli
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X14540689
• Date: 01 December 2015
• Published date: 01 December 2015
• Subject Matter: Articles

Review of Public Personnel Administration

2015, Vol. 35(4) 352 –366

© The Author(s) 2014

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DOI: 10.1177/0734371X14540689

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Article

The Use of Written Exams in

Police and Fire Departments:

Implications for Social

Diversity

Norma M. Riccucci1 and Margaret Riccardelli1

Abstract

This exploratory analysis seeks to determine the extent to which written exams are

required by law for police and firefighters across the United States and whether,

in fact, they are being used. The continued use of written exams has served as a

major obstacle to the attainment of social equity based on race in these uniformed

services. The study also explores the use and importance of nonconventional

testing methods (e.g., assessment centers). The study finds that while civil service

laws in most jurisdictions do not require the use of written exams, police and fire

departments continue to rely on them in hiring and/or promotion. It further shows

that nonconventional methods are used in some capacity, but written exams either

supplement these methods or are integrated into them.

Keywords

social diversity, written employment exams, uniformed services, Ricci v. DeStefano,

assessment centers, police officers, firefighters

The 2009 Ricci v. DeStefano decision was a catalyst for renewed interest in the employ-

ment tools used for promoting as well as hiring in police and fire departments. The

decision reminded us that written tests, despite all the challenges and indeed lawsuits

they have generated, continue to be relied upon for hiring and promotion in the uni-

formed services. It is the use of written exams that has perhaps been the biggest obsta-

cle for police and fire departments to achieve social diversity based on race and

1Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA

Corresponding Author:

Norma M. Riccucci, Distinguished Professor, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers

University–Newark, 111 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.

Email: riccucci@rutgers.edu

540689ROPXXX10.1177/0734371X14540689Review of Public Personnel AdministrationRiccucci and Riccardelli

research-article2014