Study Guide Regarded As Cheat-Sheet by Some

Did a network of Chicago police officers cheat by preparing for a sergeant examination with sample questions that mirrored the format of the actual test?

Or were they just better at predicting what types of problems would appear?

Minority police groups split on that question Sunday.

“Yes, it’s cheating,” said Patricia L. Hill, president of the African-American Police League. “If in effect a close facsimile of the test was circulated, and only a select group got it, it gave them an advantage.”

But Lucio Martinez, president of the Latin American Police Association , said the officers probably just predicted the test content better.

“We do not believe that anyone cheated,” said Martinez, also president of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association. “We do believe something is wrong with the test.”

The sergeant test has become mired in controversy because it produced only five minority promotions among 114 top-scoring officers.

Many minority officers prepared with practice exams based on the city’s 1985 test, supplied by the National Organization of Black Police Enforcement and the Hispanic Institute of Law Enforcement.

Martinez said in tutorial classes his organizations conduct for the police entrance, sergeant and lieutenant exams, class members study police regulations and create practice questions. A sample test is compiled from them.

That’s what he thinks the officers who prepared with the study guide that closely resembled the actual test did.

“Again, is there cheating there?” he said. “Absolutely not. Did they make a better educated guess? Yes.”

But Hill said she doubts such luck.

“If they happened to develop that on their own, hurray for them,” she said. “But what it appears is, they were provided with an advantage by being given this document.

“We were studying for the test, and they were studying the test.”