Cheating alleged in exams for guard job
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
The state is investigating whether state guards hired to work at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility cheated by getting answers to questions before their job interviews.
Bert Matsuoka, executive director of the state Office of Youth Services, which oversees the correctional facility for boys, said while the investigation is under way, the employment interviews are being handled by the Department of Human Services' staff in downtown Honolulu instead of the Kailua facility's supervisors.
"Whether the allegations are true or not, we've made changes to ensure the credibility of the interview questions and process," Matsuoka said.
Matsuoka, who would not disclose who made the allegations, said officials were not sure how many guards allegedly received the answers in advance or when the reported cheating may have taken place.
There are 50 state corrections officers on the staff at the boys facility at 42-477 Kalaniana'ole Highway. The girls facility next door is staffed by private guards who were hired by Child and Family Service and are not connected with the state investigation.
Before the procedures were changed, applicants for a guard position were interviewed by a panel of two or three supervisors at the youth correctional facility, according to Ben Fong, personnel officer for the Department of Human Services.
During the panel interview, applicants would be asked how they'd react to certain situations related to guard duties, Fong said.
Fong said his staff has already conducted a round of interviews and another is scheduled for later this year.
"Depending on the findings of the investigation, we'll decide whether the interview process should be handed back to correctional facility officials," Fong said. "I currently don't have the staffing to do this on a permanent basis."
Matsuoka said it may be difficult to prove if any guards actually received the interview answers in advance.
"This isn't a written exam, so there probably isn't any paper trail; if it did happen, it would probably be more word of mouth," Matsuoka said. "So while we're doing the investigation, the next best step is to make changes to the testing procedures."
The panel interview is one part of the hiring process, Matsuoka said. An applicant's educational background, work experience and criminal background are also evaluated.
The guards at the boys facility are represented by the United Public Workers union. The union did not return calls, and UPW state director Gary Rodrigues, who is standing trial in federal court on unrelated fraud charges, declined to comment.
This is not the first time accusations have been made of cheating on public employee testing.
In 1999, 21 present and former Big Island police officers took Hawai'i County and police officials to court over alleged rigged police examinations from 1984 to 1994. A jury ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and obtained a $4.2 million settlement, saying test questions were leaked to favored candidates.
That same year, allegations that Honolulu firefighters cheated on a promotion test prompted the city to tighten test-taking procedures, even though officials said an investigation found no evidence of widespread misconduct.
Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-8110.
