282 ARTICLE 1A.

(a) Before entering upon the duties of their office, each of said Com-
missioners shall take or subscribe an oath which shall be filed and kept
in the office of the City Clerk, to support the Constitution of the United
States and the State of Maryland and to obey the laws and to aim to
secure and maintain an honest and efficient force, free from partisan dis-
tinction or control and to perform the duties of his office to the best of
his ability.

(b) Such Commission shall, on the first Monday in April, and Octo-
ber of each year, or oftener if they shall deem it necessary, under such
rules and regulations as it may prescribe, hold examinations for the pur-
pose of determining the qualifications of applications for positions, in-
cluding applications for position of Chief of Police and Chief of Fire
Department, which examinations shall be practical in their character and
shall relate to such matters as will fairly test the fitness of the person
examined to discharge the duties of the position to which he seeks to be
appointed. Such Commission shall, as soon as possible after every such
examination, certify to the City Council the names of ten persons for each
department, who, according to its records, have the highest standing for
the position they seek to fill, as a result of such examination and all vacan-
cies in positions under Civil Service which shall occur before the holding
of the next examination shall be filled from said list so certified; pro-
vided, however, if the list for any cause shall be reduced to less than
three for any division or department, then the Commissioner of said de-
partment may temporarily fill a vacancy until the next examination of
the Commission. The present officers and employees of the Police and
Fire Departments heretofore appointed under Civil Service regulations
shall hold their positions unless removed or disqualified under the pro-
visions of this Act.

(c) All persons subject to such Civil Service examination, except the
Chief of Police and the Chief of the Fire Department, shall be subject to
removal from office or employment by a majority vote of such Civil Service
Commission for misconduct or failure to properly perform their duties
under such rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Council. The
Chief of Police and the Chief of the Fire Department may peremptorily
suspend or discharge any subordinate then under his direction for neglect
of duty, disobedience of orders or misconduct, but shall, within twenty-
four hours thereafter, report such suspension or discharge with the reason
therefor, to the Commissioner of such department, who shall thereupon
affirm or revoke such suspension or discharge according to the merits under
the facts of the case. Every officer or employee so discharged or sus-
pended and whose suspension or discharge has been affirmed, or the officer
or person so suspending or discharging a subordinate when such suspen-
sion or discharge has been revoked as the case may be, may, within five
days from the affirmance or revocation of any such suspension or dis-
charge, appeal therefrom to the Civil Service Commission, if the person
taking the appeal was subject to Civil Service, otherwise to the City
Council, and such Commission or Council, as the case may be, shall fully