NCJ Number
11697
Date Published
1973
Length
123 pages
Annotation
STUDY INDICATING THAT MINORITY-GROUP MEMBERS ARE LESS LIKELY THAN WHITES TO PASS THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION AND ARE RANKED LOWER THAN WHITES ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST.
Abstract
THE ATTORNEYS FOR BOTH SIDES IN A LAWSUIT RETAINED THE NEW YORK CITY-RAND INSTITUTE TO CONDUCT AN INDEPENDENT, IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION SCORES OF WHITE AND MINORITY-GROUP APPLICANTS FOR THE POSITION OF PATROLMAN IN THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE EFFECT OF THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION, AS COMPARED TO OTHER PARTS OF THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS, ON THE NUMBER OF MEN APPOINTED FROM EACH ETHNIC GROUP. THE PLAINTIFFS IN THIS CASE, THE GUARDIANS ASSOCIATION AND THE HISPANIC SOCIETY, HAVE ALLEGED THAT THE WRITTEN ENTRY-LEVEL CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION AND OTHER PARTS OF THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS DISCRIMINATE UNLAWFULLY AGAINST BLACKS, AND HISPANICS. THE DEFENDANTS ARE THE NEW YORK CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, THE DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. TO CONDUCT THE STUDY, THE INSTITUTE COLLECTED DATA ABOUT THE SUBJECTS FROM SEVERAL SOURCES. STATISTICAL TESTS SHOWED THAT THE SCORES OF BLACKS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE FOR HISPANICS, WHILE THE DIFFERENCES IN SCORES BETWEEN WHITES AND MINORITY-GROUP MEMBERS WERE HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT. STATISTICALLY, THERE WAS LESS THAN ONE CHANCE IN A BILLION THAT THE OBSERVED DIFFERENCES AMONG THE EXAM SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS FOR WHITES, BLACKS, AND HISPANICS COULD HAVE OCCURRED IF GRADES HAD BEEN RANDOMLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE EXAMINEES, INDEPENDENT OF THEIR RACE. THE ANALYSIS THEREFORE CONFIRMED THE PLAINTIFFS' ALLEGATIONS THAT MINORITY-GROUP MEMBERS ARE LESS LIKELY THAN WHITES TO PASS THE WRITTEN EXAMINATION AND ARE RANKED LOWER THAN WHITES ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)