“When this inconsistency was brought to your attention…you said you should have also called out of work in the first scenario. “There was significant inconsistency in your responses to these two scenarios, including that you held yourself to a different standard than a fellow officer,” the letter reads. 24.Īccording to the bypass letter and appeals case, the city chose to bypass O’Donnell based on his answers to several scenario questions that seemed to indicate he would drink before a shift and call out of work if he became too impaired, but also that he would report a fellow officer for the same behavior. ![]() O’Donnell appealed to the Civil Service Commission on March 13, hearings were held between May and July, and a decision was issued on Sept. On March 3, 2020, the city sent O’Donnell a bypass letter which detailed the reasoning for its decision. The candidate said they would tell the officer to put the money back, and wouldn't report the officer as long as they returned the cash.Īnother candidate who bypassed O'Donnell was found to have failed to list a college on their application, failed to indicate accidents in their record when they had two, and did not list an incident when they were smoking marijuana and drinking in a Somerville park. The appeal also revealed that one candidate who bypassed O'Donnell vaguely answered a question about whether they would report an officer who attempted to steal money collected at a drug bust. Read More: Police hiring process concerns Somerville City Council, interviews underway "As a policy, the city does not comment on personnel matters," she wrote. "However, it is important to note that the selection of candidates is based on the totality of their application and follow-up to clarify any items that appear as concerns, not just one factor noted." And the other “performed poorly” in the interview and, according to the hand-written notes of a city employee, there were “omissions and falsehoods” in their application.ĭeputy Director of Communications Meghann Ackerman responded to questions about why the city isn't concerned about the criminal history or "omissions and falsehoods," and why the city is recommending someone for appointment who gave a vague answer about reporting a fellow officer.One has a criminal history, and “gave a poor response to an interview question when he initially stated that he may report his partner if he witnessed the partner stealing money from the scene of a crime, then clarifying his answer only after Deputy Carrabino asked a follow-up question,”.The appeals case revealed that of the two candidates who did not bypass him: Candidates were interviewed by Deputy Chief Stephen Carrabino, former Chief of Staff to the mayor Skye Stewart, and Deputy Director of Health and Human Services Nancy Bacci.Ĭandidates were not named in the appeal. To prepare his defense, O’Donnell obtained the interview tapes from the nine candidates who received offer letters, seven of whom were behind him “in line” and therefore bypassed him and two who were ahead and did not. The commission upheld the city’s decision to bypass Daniel O’Donnell, but the case reveals questionable interview responses from recommended candidates above and below him on the civil service list. Read More: How Somerville hires its cops: understanding the civil service process ![]() Four of those bypassed candidates appealed to the Civil Service Commission, and while three cases are still being reviewed, one has been closed and made public. A recent civil service bypass appeal reveals questionable responses by other candidates interviewed for the Somerville police reserve list.Īs the city moved to fill vacancies off the most recent civil service list, 12 candidates were bypassed and the city recommended names further down the list.
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