The Columbus Civil Service Commission ruled in favor of a police sergeant who claimed she had been unjustly passed up for a promotion to lieutenant Wednesday.
Sgt. Terry Songer will soon become Lt. Terry Songer following the unanimous decision of the three-person board that she is a qualified candidate to be promoted within the Columbus Police Department.
In July 2014, newly made CPD chief Tony Carleton had two patrol division lieutenant spots that needed filling. Three internal candidates applied. They each took a written test, submitted an essay and conducted oral interviews with two civilian community members and three ranking officers from other departments. They were also evaluated based on years of service and past performance reviews.
All three candidates passed the written test, the only portion of the evaluation with a minimum score. Ultimately, out of 500 possible points in the evaluation, Songer scored 224.8. She was not recommended for promotion by Carleton, though she had been placed on the promotion eligibility list. Another male candidate who scored a 248 was also not recommended for promotion. He left CPD a month later. The only candidate promoted — Lt. Ric Higgins — scored a 359.
Carleton testified that he had chosen not to promote candidates who scored below 50 percent on the total evaluation. He said he valued the opinions of the ranking officers from other departments, one of whom gave her a zero.
Songer has been with CPD for 19 years. She was promoted to sergeant in 2010 and has previously served as the public relations officer for the department. During Wednesday’s hearing before the Civil Service Commission, she said that in her current role she is a shift leader. She and Carleton agreed that the role effectively holds the same responsibilities as a CPD lieutenant.
Former CPD lieutenant and current Waynesboro Police chief Oscar Lewis, Songer’s former supervisor, testified in the hearing Wednesday. He said Songer was “a female in a male dominated world.”
“Sgt. Songer, I believe was very competent,” Lewis said.
The Civil Service Commission met for five minutes of deliberation following the hour and forty-five minute hearing Wednesday, and cited their official guidelines when ruling in Songer’s favor. According to commission rules, the candidate with the highest eligible score must be promoted within one year.
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