Opinion ID: 2750728
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Promotion of Probation and Parole Officers

Text: Because Holmes’s claims involve the Board’s failure to promote him to Senior Officer or District Manager positions, we first review the Board’s promotion process. Under Alabama’s merit system, an entry-level Probation and Parole Officer (or PO I) with two years of service is eligible for promotion to Senior Officer (or 1 On appeal, Holmes does not challenge the district court’s order dismissing: (1) all of his claims against the individual defendants; (2) his claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1983, and state law; and (3) his Title VII hostile work environment claim. Accordingly, Holmes has abandoned any issues with respect to these claims. See Timson v. Sampson, 518 F.3d 870, 874 (11th Cir. 2008). 2 Case: 14-11330 Date Filed: 11/13/2014 Page: 3 of 22 PO III) or District Manager (or PO IV). 2 To be promoted, the officer must apply with the State Personnel Department, which administers tests to all eligible applicants. The State Personnel Board then places the applicants on a promotional register, or “certificate of eligibles,” and groups the applicants in “bands” based on their test scores. Applicants within a band have statistically similar test scores and are considered equally ranked within the applicant pool. This promotional register lists the top ten “eligibles” and all applicants who tied the tenth highest eligible. Applicants are ranked both statewide and by preferred county. An applicant may share his statewide or county rank with other applicants. Because the register for Senior Officer promotions is “continuous,” officers wishing to be considered for those promotions must retake the Senior Officer test periodically to avoid falling off the register. Consequently, names and rankings on the Senior Officer register frequently change as old names receive promotions or fall off and new names are added. The District Manager classification has a separate test and promotional register. Unlike the Senior Officer register, the District Manager register is “closed,” meaning the State Personnel Department opens the register for only a 2 In late 2011, the Board changed the promotion protocol to require two years of service in the Senior Officer classification to be eligible for promotion to District Manager. At the time of the events giving rise to Holmes’s claims, however, an entry-level officer with two years of service could apply for promotion to District Manager. 3 Case: 14-11330 Date Filed: 11/13/2014 Page: 4 of 22 short period to accept applications for a vacancy and then closes the register again until there is another vacancy. The Board had a promotion protocol, effective August 15, 2009, for promoting officers to supervisor or manager positions within the agency. The 2009 protocol contains a list of objective criteria that must be considered in making promotional decisions, including the candidate’s: (1) band number; (2) advanced degrees; (3) years in law enforcement, social services, or rehabilitation services; (4) unique objectively-based qualifications; (5) supervisory experience; and (6) past three years of performance appraisals, disciplinary actions, reprimands, and written warnings. The 2009 protocol also contains a list of subjective criteria, including: (1) the candidate’s audits and statistical reports; (2) the last three years of supervisors’ evaluations; (3) additional written input from the current supervisor; (4) the candidate’s writing sample and resume; and (5) the interview. The evaluating committee or person has direct access to each candidate’s personnel file and may be provided “candidate packets” of information “to use in deliberating.” Under the 2009 protocol, once the Board identifies a Senior Officer or District Manager vacancy, the Board requests a certified promotional register from the State Personnel Department, which the Board uses to fill the vacancy. A person or committee interviews applicants from the register and then completes 4 Case: 14-11330 Date Filed: 11/13/2014 Page: 5 of 22 two worksheets of notes evaluating the candidates based on the objective and subjective criteria. The criteria are not weighted. Each evaluator has discretion in assigning weight to the criteria, and the worksheets are merely tools used to evaluate each interviewed candidate. After evaluating the candidates and deliberating, the person or committee recommends a candidate for promotion up the chain of command. Ultimately, the Board votes on the recommendation and has discretion in making the final promotion decision. 3