City police and firefighters appointed fire or police chief or deputy chief will have the opportunity to return to their previous positions under a rule change approved Wednesday by the Civil Service Commission.
The three-member commission voted 3-0 to approve the change. There was no opposition. Mayor George Flaggs Jr. presented the change to the commission in August.
Under the rule change, someone appointed chief or deputy chief of either department will have the opportunity to return to a civil service position in their respective department if they leave the position of chief or deputy chief in good standing.
If there is a vacancy in the department, it will be offered to the person. If there is no vacancy, the person will be reinstated at the top of the civil service list for the department. If a position becomes vacant, it will be offered to them.
The chiefs and deputy chiefs are appointed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and serve at its pleasure. Previously, if an appointed chief left that position there was no provision in the civil service regulations that allowed them to return to their previous job, although prior boards have allowed some former chiefs to return to positions in their respective departments.
Flaggs said the lack of a provision allowing chiefs to return to the ranks prevented younger officers and firefighters from considering an appointment.
“I’m glad the commission agreed with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and going forward with allowing civil service employees to go out and give then an opportunity to return,” he said. “That rule, the way it was, was disallowing younger people to want to take leadership role in the fire and police department out of fear of losing their employment status.
“What this does is give everybody a fair opportunity.”