BOSTON (SHNS) – A lack of funding at the state Civil Service Commission creates substantial backlogs in cases and long delays in police recruits, particularly candidates of color, joining the force, an official at the agency said Monday.
During a legislative discussion about barriers to civil service work in police and fire departments, Civil Service Commission General Counsel Robert Quinan said the three-member panel typically receives more than 250 appeals per year from individuals who feel they were improperly bypassed and issues about 130 subsequent decisions. In the past, Quinan said, the Commission has hired contract attorneys to help work through cases, but currently “there is no funding for that.”
