Some hiring and recruiting practices by the Chattanooga Police Department could expose the city to risks associated with potential disparate treatment discrimination claims, a new audit from the municipality’s internal auditor found.
The audit’s findings come more than two years since the issue was first raised in a previous internal audit. Some city officials made commitments then to adopt the auditors’ recommended changes.
PREVIOUS AUDIT
In an audit report from January 2024, City Auditors Stan Sewell and Jeff Connor noted that the department was not using the city’s Human Resources Office for its recruitment and hiring processes.
That stood in violation to guidelines in the city’s Employee Information Guide, which require HR employees to assist all city departments to “identify qualified candidates for hiring and promotional considerations, prepare and publicize job announcements, and work closely with the hiring departments to ensure the selection of the best qualified applicants,” according to the 2024 audit.