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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicy 151 – Employee Recruitment and SelectionsOSHKOSH POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TITLE: Employee Recruitment and Selection POLICY SERIES: 151 Effective Date: September 5, 2020 Date Issued: August 21, 2020 Chief of Police: Dean Smith (Signature on File) Date Signed: August 21, 2020 CALEA Standards: 31.1.1, 31.1.2, 31.2.1, 31.2.2, 31.2.3, 31.3.1, 31.3.2, 31.3.3, 31.4.1, 31.4.2, 31.4.3, 31.4.4, 31.4.5, 31.4.6, 31.5.1, 31.5.2, 31.5.6, 31.5.7 WILEAG Standards: NA Statutory References: Chapter 230, 62.13 Final Review Date: August 21, 2020 Review By: Command Staff/PSD Lieutenant Rescinds Policy Dated: January 30, 2008 Directive 139 — Background Investigator Selection 151.01 Policy 151.02 Purpose 151.03 Employment Opportunity Statement 151.04 Recruitment and Selection Responsibilities For Sworn Positions 151.05 Recruitment Procedures 151.06 Selection Procedures for Sworn Positions 151.07 Probationary Periods 151.08 Uniformity, Validity and Adverse Impact 151.09 Selection for Non -sworn Positions 151.10 Veterans' Preference 151.11 Lateral Entry 151.12 Hiring Process Records 151.01 POLICY The Oshkosh Police Department is dedicated to recruiting and selecting the most qualified candidates for employment opportunities in a manner consistent with federal and state law, city ordinances, department policy, Police and Fire Commission rules and Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action policy and guidelines. The Oshkosh Police Department works toward this objective by dedicating resources to attract, assess, and select candidates who possess organizational values and professional skills consistent with the values, mission and goals of the Department. The Chief of Police, or a designee, is responsible for fairly and efficiently administering recruitment and selection processes as established in cooperation with the City of Oshkosh Human Resources Department and the Oshkosh Police and Fire Commission. 151.02 PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to identify responsibilities and establish guidelines for the recruitment and selection of candidates to fill employment vacancies within the Oshkosh Police Department. 151.03 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT The Oshkosh Police Department shall comply with all federal, state, local, and departmental employment opportunity as well as Affirmative Action requirements in accordance with the City of Oshkosh Employee Handbook and Chapter 230 of the Wisconsin State Statutes 151.04 RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SWORN POSITIONS A. Wisconsin statute 62.13 established local Police and Fire Commissions (PFC's). A portion of the PFC rules govern recruitment, screening, testing and selection of Police personnel. Additionally, the interests of the Police Department require that members of the department maintain an active role in the hiring process and that the final authority for recommending the best candidates to the commission rests with the Chief of Police. 1 B. To effectively exercise this authority, the Chief of Police retains the following responsibilities: 1. The approval of all recruitment literature. 2. The performance standards for applicants in accordance with current laws and regulations. 3. The final determination that a candidate be recommended to the PFC to be hired for the position of police officer. 4. The final determination on recommendations for termination of officers during probationary periods. C. The Captain of the Administrative Bureau is responsible for: 1. Maintaining and conducting a recruitment program to attract qualified police applicants and maintaining a documented annual recruitment report to the Chief of Police to include: a. Progress toward stated objectives, b. Revisions to the program, as needed, c. Demographic data of applicants and sworn personnel, d. Budgetary and manpower needs, and e. Selection timetables. 2. Maintaining cooperation and coordination with City of Oshkosh Human Resources office for recruitment and selection activities. 3. Allocation of Departmental resources in relation to recruitment and selection of personnel. 4. Providing employees with recruitment opportunities and ensuring that participating personnel are trained in the following areas: a. Legal aspects of the hiring process, including equal employment opportunity objectives. b. Key recruitment objectives. 2 c. Departmental career opportunities, salaries, benefits and training. d. The recruitment and selection process. 5. Encouraging the involvement of women and minority personnel in the recruitment process. 6. Seeking assistance, referrals and advice from community leaders and organizations regarding recruitment. 7. Encouraging employee participation the in hiring processes. 8. Maintain and update the Department's informational recruitment brochure as needed. 9. Arranging recruitment at job fairs, community events and schools both in and outside of the Oshkosh area. 10. Monitoring of vacancies for timely hiring in accordance with Departmental budget authorizations. 11. Maintain materials describing current elements of the selection process. These materials shall contain information pertaining to development, job relatedness, scoring, and interpretation of selection procedures. 12. Ensuring that selection materials and information are securely stored when not in use and that materials and records of unsuccessful candidates are secured or properly disposed of to prevent unauthorized disclosure. 13. Meeting validity and adverse impact criteria. 14. Ensuring contact is maintained with applicants for all positions for the duration of their involvement in the selection process. 151.05 RECRUITMENT PROCEDURES A. The City of Oshkosh Human Resources Department is responsible for distributing initial employment information and recruiting brochures to the 3 media and selected institutions at least 14 days prior to the application deadline for all positions. Employment announcements will contain the following: 1. Provide a description of the duties, responsibilities, requisite skills, educational level, and other minimum qualifications or requirements. 2. Advertise entry-level job vacancies through electronic, print, or other sources. 3. Advertise the agency as an equal opportunity employer on all employment applications and recruitment advertisements. 4. Advertise official application filing deadlines and hiring timeline. B. The City of Oshkosh Human Resources Department, in conjunction with the Police Department shall work with community organizations and key community leaders to support the recruitment goals of the agency. 151.06 SELECTION PROCEDURES FOR SWORN POSITIONS A. The elements utilized in the selection process for the Oshkosh Police department use only those rating criteria or minimum qualifications that are job related. B. The steps in the hiring process for entry level sworn police officers will progress as follows: 1. Hiring Announcement - Initial dissemination at least 14 days prior to application cutoff date. 2. Application - Filed with the City Human Resources Department and must contain all requested information. Willful misrepresentation of any material fact will result in exclusion from eligibility. However, applications will not be rejected because of omissions or deficiencies that can be corrected prior to the testing or interview stage of this process. At the time of formal application, applicants for all positions shall be given written notice of: 4 a. The elements of the selection process b. The expected duration of the selection process c. The conditions and procedures for reapplication if not selected 3. Written Test -Administered through the offices of the City Human Resources Department and the Oshkosh Police Department Captain of Administrative Bureau. Candidates receiving passing grades will be notified by the secretary of the Police and Fire Commission or by his/her designee. 4. Assessment Center - Candidates will be assessed by trained assessors through a series of job related role playing and assessment instruments developed to measure: a. Communication b. Decision Making c. Judgement d. Adaptability e. Interpersonal Skill f. Maturity g. Initiative Assessors will be law enforcement practitioners trained in assessment techniques. 5. Panel Interview - Candidates successfully completing the preceding phases of the selection process will be invited to a panel interview comprised of at least an Oshkosh Police Department Captain, Lieutenant, and a member of the Human Resources Department. 6. Physical Fitness Evaluation - Coordinated by Captain of the Administrative Bureau. The Department will use the state approved physical readiness test. Candidates who fail their first attempt at the fitness test are afforded one retest of the complete fitness test within two weeks or as soon thereafter as practicable. 7. Background Investigation - Candidates' backgrounds will be researched under direction of the Captain of Administrative Bureau. 5 a. Experienced and trained sworn officers will conduct the background investigation on specific candidates and document their findings in a written report. b. Department background investigators must be off probation, meet or exceed standards on previous two evaluations, not be on a performance improvement plan, be approved by Chief of Police, and complete the Department authorized training plan. c. In some circumstances, a private firm retained by the City may be used to conduct background investigations. d. Background investigation information shall be maintained at least three years for each candidate in confidential files. e. The background investigation will include, but is not limited to: i. Verification of qualifying credentials; ii. Criminal history report; iii. Verification of personal and professional references; iv. Education verification; v. Employment history; vi. A review for any potential biases or prejudices; and vii. A review of relevant national or state decertification resources if available. 8. Interview with the Chief of Police -Qualified candidates will also be interviewed by the Chief of Police. 9. Development of Eligibility List - Candidates who meet the hiring criteria will be recommended to the Police and Fire Commission for placement on an eligibility list. Commission members will, upon request, have the opportunity for review of candidates' qualifications and the performance of the selection process. Future vacancies will be filled from the list approved by the commission until such time as the list expires and/or no qualified candidates remain. 6 10. Conditional Hiring Decision - As vacancies occur, the Chief of Police will select persons from the approved list. Applicants will be hired pending successful completion of the remaining medical and psychological examinations. 11. Post Conditional Offer Psychological and Personality Profile Evaluation - An assessment by a qualified, licensed professional is used to judge a candidate's psychological fitness to perform the duties of a police officer. The results of the psychological evaluation will be maintained by the police department in segregated, confidential files. The Post -Conditional Offer Psychological Evaluation is designed to comply with current ADA regulations. 12. Post Conditional Offer Medical Examination - The medical exam will be administered to all entering employees to verify that the applicant does not have medical problems which would prevent an employee's satisfactory performance of job -related functions. This will be conducted by a licensed medical doctor with the results maintained in segregated, confidential police files. 13. Notifications - The Captain of the Administrative Bureau will inform those passing the final evaluations of their date of recommended appointment by the Police and Fire Commission and initial work schedule. 14. Recruit Academy - If required, candidates may be hired as a Police Cadet and scheduled to attend recruit training as soon as possible after hiring. Police Cadets who successfully complete the recruit academy may be recommended to the Police and Fire Commission for hire as police officers. C. Notification of ineligibility 1. Candidates who become ineligible for appointment by unsuccessful completion of any stage of the hiring process will be notified in writing by the Administrative Bureau Captain or Human Resources Department within thirty days. 7 2. Applicants who are eliminated during the process may reapply for the next selection process providing at least 4 months have elapsed since the last examination 151.07 PROBATIONARY PERIODS A. All newly appointed officers will complete a twelve month field observation/evaluation probationary period that will commence from the effective date of their appointment (starting date) by the Police and Fire Commission. B. The Field Training Officer program will be initiated upon the candidates starting date. The probationary officer will work with experienced training officers for fourteen weeks and will be evaluated daily, weekly, and monthly. C. After successful completion of field training probationary officers are evaluated quarterly by their supervisor. D. Probationary personnel may contest the above mentioned evaluation reports by: 1. Notifying the rater and rater's supervisor, in writing, of the questioned reports. 2. Attending a scheduled discussion of the problem involving all three parties. E. The decision of the supervisor regarding evaluations will be final. 151.08 UNIFORMITY, VALIDITY AND ADVERSE IMPACT A. All elements of the selection process will be administered, scored, evaluated and interpreted in a uniform manner. B. Whenever possible, a diverse representation of race, gender and ethnicity within the service area of the Oshkosh Police Department should be included in carrying out these processes. 8 C. The Captain of the Administrative Bureau in conjunction with the Human Resources Department will ensure that adverse impact is minimized in the selection process and will measure any adverse impact by comparing the selection rates for each race, sex and ethnic group with the group having the highest rate. 151.09 SELECTION FOR NON -SWORN POSITIONS A. Job requirements for non -sworn positions within the Police Department are identified in the Job Descriptions for each position. B. Applicants for non -sworn positions within the Oshkosh Police Department must apply through the approved application system accessible on the City of Oshkosh's website. At the time of formal application, applicants for all positions shall be given written notice of: 1. The elements of the selection process 2. The expected duration of the selection process 3. The conditions and procedures for reapplication if not selected C. The Captain of the Administrative Bureau will work in coordination with the City of Oshkosh Human Resources Department to coordinate interviews and identify and administer any job related proficiency tests to assess the skills and abilities of applicants. D. Applicants for positions in the Department may also be interviewed by the Chief of Police, a designee or a panel of employees. E. A background investigation of non -sworn candidates shall be conducted prior to appointment and shall include: 1. Verification of qualifying credentials; 2. Criminal history report; 3. Verification of personal and professional references; 4. Education verification; and 5. Employment history. 9 F. Candidates not selected for any non -sworn position shall be informed in writing by the Human Resources Department. 151.10 VETERANS' PREFERENCE Candidates who receive a passing grade on the written test and are also military veterans, shall be given additional points pursuant to Wisconsin statute 230.16 (7) in arriving at their final grade to determine position on the eligibility list. 151.11 LATERAL ENTRY A. The Chief of Police shall be responsible for determining when lateral entry is appropriate for vacancies of sworn and civilian positions. B. The selection criteria shall be based on the job task analysis for the vacant position, applicable State statutes, city policy, contract language and by approval of the Police and Fire Commission for sworn positions. C. Unless stated otherwise by the Chief of Police and/or the Police and Fire Commission, eligibility requirements shall be the same whether the applicant is a current employee or is seeking lateral entry. 151.12 HIRING PROCESS RECORDS A. All application and hiring process records for all employees hired by the Oshkosh Police Department shall be maintained for the duration of the employees' employment. These records include but are not limited to; selection materials, background investigation information, medical and psychological materials. At the conclusion of an employee's employment the records will be retained in accordance with the City of Oshkosh records retention policy. B. Records of candidates for sworn positions and community service officer positions not selected, including records listed in section A shall be retained by the Administrative Bureau Captain. These records shall be retained in accordance with the City of Oshkosh records retention policy. 10 C. Records of non -sworn position candidates not selected, including records listed in section A shall be retained and securely stored by the Human Resources Department. D. All hiring process records kept at the Police Department shall be securely stored with access limited to the Administrative Captain and Secretary. 11