Three removed from a hiring list for the Vicksburg Police Department are appealing their removals.

Walter Harris, Brandy Crittington and Jamison O’Neal, cut last month, sent letters of appeal to the Civil Service Commission and said at Wednesday’s meeting they wanted to go forward with their appeals.

During the open session of the meeting, Commissioner Joe Graham did not say specifically why the candidates had been removed, but said “that background checks had been done on the candidates and they were not very good.” Graham did not release further details about the background checks.

Graham and the commission then met with each of the three former candidates separately in an executive session, at the end of which, all three said they wanted to continue with their appeals.

Hearings have been set for June 27, starting with Harris at 9 a.m., then Crittington at 1 p.m. and O’Neal at 4 p.m. At the hearings, the Civil Service Commission will further explain to the former candidates why they were removed from the list, while the former candidates are expected to make arguments to be put back on the hire list. The commission then will decide whether the candidates should be made eligible for hire again.

Also in executive session, the Vicksburg Police Department was approved to remove five others from its hiring list.