Town Meeting voters will face a proposal that could change the police department's hiring method.

The department has proposed to eliminate the civil service exam for upcoming captains in an attempt to create a more cohesive management team and avoid a hiring hiatus.

The civil service exam is a state test given to promotion candidates. The test is given every other year, but there must be four applicants for the test to be administered, explained Deputy Chief Brian Levesque.

Following the exam, candidates are ranked based on their scores, and the police department must hire and/or promote in that order unless it has a reason for bypass, he said.

"With a department our size, it's hard to get enough people to sign up for the test," said Levesque.

He said the captain positions have been open since 2015 — until recently, when the department appointed two provisional captains — because there have not been enough interested lieutenants to take the test. Dartmouth averages two to four lieutenants, said Levesque.

If there are not enough candidates willing to take the test, the test is again opened up the following year, but the next department ranking is included. For example, because there were not enough lieutenants to take the test for the captain position in 2015, the test was again opened in 2016, but this time to lieutenants and sergeants.

However, in Dartmouth's case, there were still not enough applicants, so the test will be opened again this October, but to lieutenants, sergeants, and patrolmen, said Levesque.

To take the exam, the only requirement is having one year on the department, said Levesque.

"Theoretically, we could have a patrolman with one year on the job taking up the captain position," said Levesque. He explained that if three people pass the multiple-choice exam, the highest test-taker would oust the provisional captain. That's assuming the best test-taker isn't the current provisional captain.

Three test-takers must pass in order for the ranking to be valid. If less than three people pass the exam, the department does not have to adhere to the ranking.

Additionally, Levesque said that eliminating the captain from the civil service exam allows for a stronger administration, which is typically a three-person unit including the chief, the deputy chief, and a captain.

"I feel those three people being aligned in what they believe is important to lead the department," said Levesque. He explained that in a three-person team, if only one person has a different management style or goals, it could strain the department's effectiveness.

Levesque also argued that the department would rather promote a lieutenant with more experience than a one-year patrolman who's a decent test-taker. He added that the department loses the time spent training the provisional captains if they are ousted. The new captain would need to be trained.

"This would give the chief more input on who is the best fit," said Levesque.

Currently, the chief and deputy chief positions are exempt from the civil service exams.

The police are aiming to pass this measure through Town Meeting before the civil service exam is opened to patrolmen in October.

Former lieutenants Mark Zielinski and James Storey were both promoted to provisional captain positions this year to maintain the three-person command structure. Zielinski was promoted in January, following Chief Bob Szala’s transition from acting chief to chief.

After Szala suffered a heart attack last month, Storey was promoted so that he, Zielinski, and Levesque could continue running the department while the Szala is on leave.

Department promotions, hirings, and firings are all made by the Select Board. The police chief is responsible for making recommendations to the board.