Thanks to a glitch in the civil service testing process, every Dallas firefighter who took a recent promotion exam has passed it with flying colors.
As a result, even firefighters who might have otherwise flunked the test could eventually be promoted to lieutenant, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.
The problem arose when city officials failed to create the racially diverse panel needed to set the comparative baseline for determining the passing grade.
In addition, some panel members may have tainted the process by discussing the exam with the candidates.
To be fair, officials didn't want people who originally took the exam in good faith on May 5 to have to retake it.
"The decision was made that the best thing to do was to pass everybody," said Patricia Marsolais, director of the city's Civil Service Department.
But the test isn't the final step in the promotion process. All 150 firefighters must appear before a large interview panel that will assess each candidate's individual capabilities.
An investigation is under way to determine how and why the initial glitch occurred.
Lubbock has to follow the same state civil service laws that Dallas has to, I don't think this is kosher. I'm pretty sure that if someone were to complain to the civil service board, that would be the end of the "everyone passes" era.